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2024-2025 Graduate Catalog
Mental Health Counseling - Clinical, MS
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 Return to: Graduate Degree Programs
Graduate Coordinator: Tammy Webb Email: ttwebb@ncat.edu Phone: (336) 285-4393
Department Chair: Caroline Booth Email: csbooth@ncat.edu Phone: (336) 334-7916
The Mental Health Counseling - Clinical program is a 60 credit-hour counselor training program that is nationally accredited by the Council on the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The program is accredited as a Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. This designation indicates curricular experiences encompassing each of the eight core areas of professional counseling including Professional Identity, Social and Cultural Diversity, Human Growth and Development, Career Development, Helping Relationships, Group Work, Assessment, and Research and Program Evaluation. Other required coursework includes clinical assessment and treatment planning, addiction counseling and family counseling. This degree prepares graduates to work in a variety of clinical counseling capacities and settings including community, non-profit, collegiate and medical facilities.
Certification and Licensure
Students are prepared to take the National Counseling Examination (NCE) of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) prior to graduation which is administered twice annually. Students who pass the NCE prior to graduation are recognized as board eligible by NBCC. Students who complete all requirements for graduation are eligible to apply for Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor licensure through the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors (www.ncblcmhc.org). As counseling licensure laws vary by state, students seeking to practice outside of the state are encouraged to familiarize themselves with licensure requirements in their intended area of practice. Please note that presence of a criminal background can impact counseling endorsement and licensure eligibility.
Additional Admission Requirements
- Statement of purpose: Describe your career goals relevant to the specific counseling degree program you have selected. Please include a detailed discussion of a) your rationale for choosing this particular career in professional counseling, b) why you feel prepared to become a professional counselor, and c) how you will respect diversity and cultural differences in your future counseling work.
- GRE Score (optional, not required)
- Three professional letters of recommendation from persons who know the applicant in either an academic or supervisory capacity. Letters from family members, acquaintances, and friends are not acceptable.
- A current resume or curriculum vita which includes research interests, publications, academic honors, professional and volunteer experiences relevant to intended program of study, and other work experiences.
Program Outcomes:
- Critical Thinking: Students will develop skills and attitudes of effective thinking that employ the use of thoughtful reflection and logical inquiry to draw evidence-based conclusions as they relate to clinical mental health counseling.
- Oral Communication Skills: Students will demonstrate proficiency in communicating in individual dyads and small and large group settings including culturally sensitive and inclusive language.
- Written Communication: Students will demonstrate proficiency in their original written work and all academic and scientific writing. This includes accurate implementation of APA formatting, consistent use of tenses, using the active voice and appropriate citation of sources.
- Cultural Self-Awareness and Sensitivity: Students will demonstrate awareness of self, including knowledge of macro, micro and meso-ecological systems.
- Cultural Humility: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the cultural context of relationships, issues and trends in a multicultural society.
- Counseling Practice: Students will demonstrate an understanding of counseling practice including relevant theories, techniques and evidence-based practices, including advocacy.
- Ethical Practice: Students will demonstrate understanding and application of relevant professional ethical standards.
- Professionalism: Students will demonstrate professional maturity, integrity and discipline consistent with professional standards of practice for clinical mental health counseling.
- Research and Design: Students will demonstrate proficiency in understanding quantitative, qualitative, single case designs, action, and outcome-based research, as well as program evaluation. Students will understand ethics surrounding Human Subjects Social and Behavioral Science research procedures and Responsible Conduct in Research.
- Research Evaluation: Students will demonstrate proficiency in evaluating empirical and non- empirical research including how to conduct reviews of the professional literature to inform both research and practice. Students will also apply research to field experiences and clinical practice and demonstrate the ability to conduct program evaluations.
- Technological Competence: Students will demonstrate proficiency in implementing best technology practices relevant to clinical mental health counseling.
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Pass
- comprehensive exam
- The CPCE examination is a standardized test developed by the Center for Credentialing in Education (CCE) of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and is the required test for all counseling master’s students. Upon completion of all required curriculum courses (not including electives), students will apply to take the Comprehensive Examination. Students must complete and submit the Application for Comprehensive Exam form and be cleared by their advisor in the semester in which they intend to take the exam.
- Students may take the Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) no more than twice and must pass the Comprehensive Examination in order to graduate. Should a student not receive a passing score on the first attempt, the student must take the examination in a subsequent semester.
- A recommendation for academic dismissal will be sent to the Graduate College for any student who fails the CPCE twice.
Electives:
Select 12 credit hours with approval of advisor
Practicum and Internships
All students complete a supervised field experience practicum of 100 hours. Internships COUN 785 and COUN 786 involve supervised professional experiences in settings appropriate to the student’s vocational objectives. The internships will provide practical work in the student’s area of specialization. Internships include 600 hours of field experience. Students must complete a minimum of 240 hours of direct services with clients. Each week, students receive one hour of individual supervision from their site supervisors and an average of one and one-half hours group supervision from their university supervisors during seminar weekly. Students in all field experience placements are required to create program-appropriate audio recordings and/or participate in live supervision of their interactions with clients for review by their University Supervisor. Students must purchase professional liability insurance for the duration of all field experiences. Consistent with counseling licensure, internship site, and employer expectations, criminal background checks will be required of all students in field experience. Dismissal from a practicum or internship site based on student performance/behavior will result in an automatic failure for the respective field experience course and automatic benchmarking review.
Double Major (Mental Health Counseling - Clinical and Mental Health Counseling - Rehabilitation)
Regulations on pursuing double majors are presented elsewhere in the catalog and must be followed. The student will be required to complete requirements of both programs. The programs require the following unique (minimum 18 credit hour requirements):
Mental Health Counseling - Clinical:
Mental Health Counseling - Rehabilitation:
Double Major (Mental Health Counseling - Clinical and School Counseling)
Regulations on pursuing double majors are presented elsewhere in the catalog and must be followed. The student will be required to complete requirements of both programs. The programs require the following unique (minimum 18 credit hour requirements):
Mental Health Counseling - Clinical:
Program Specific Academic Policies
Endorsement
The Department stipulates endorsement for employment or credentialing only in the program area in which a student received training.
Program Academic Eligibility
A student will be required to maintain semester GPA of at least 3.0 at the end of every semester irrespective of total attempted hours otherwise the student will be placed on probation for one semester. If the semester GPA and/or the cumulative GPA at the end of the probationary semester remains less than 3.0, the student will be dismissed.
A grade of “B” or higher is required in the following courses:
Program Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Practice
As pre-professional counselors, graduate students abide by the code of ethics and standards of practice as described in the Ethical Standards of the American Counseling Association (ACA), The American Psychological Association, the Student Handbook, the Graduate Catalog, and Department of Counseling Ethical Conduct Policy.
Consequences of violation of the codes of conduct or ethical standards of practice include but are not limited to one or more of the following:
- Dismissal from the program
- Removal from the course or the field placement and a grade of “F” or “U”
- Referral to authorized campus authorities for further discipline.
Program Academic Progression and Retention Standards
The academic progression and retention standards for counselor education programs are in keeping with Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards, along with the standards set forth by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE), the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA), Ethical Standards of the American Counseling Association (ACA), The American Psychological Association, the Student Handbook, the Graduate Catalog, and Department of Counseling Ethical Conduct Policy.
The Benchmarking Review Process
Once each academic semester a benchmarking review of all enrolled students is conducted. The benchmarking committee is comprised of all full-time tenured and tenure-track counseling faculty and is chaired by a faculty member. Adjunct faculty members are also invited to attend the benchmarking review.
Reviews are conducted using the Benchmarking Assessment Rubric which focuses on academic performance, ethical behavior, and professional disposition. Each student will be notified in writing by the Department Chairperson regarding the outcome of the benchmarking review and a copy will be placed in the student’s file. Students who receive an unsatisfactory evaluation will be placed on notice, provided with a remediation plan and given one semester to implement the remediation plan in order to improve their behavior/performance to a satisfactory level. Failure to satisfy benchmarking remediation will result in a recommendation for program dismissal. Students can receive a maximum of two unsatisfactory benchmarking evaluations during their time in the program. A third unsatisfactory evaluation will result in a recommendation for program dismissal.
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Return to: Graduate Degree Programs
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