Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A.

Learn to facilitate growth toward one’s human potential

USJ’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.A. program educates counselors to become leaders who effectively and compassionately serve the mental health needs of individuals across a lifespan.

The CMHC Program is offered full-time or part-time in a cohort format. This serves to build a strong learning community for students and allows for a richer graduate education experience. A student in the program can expect an instructional approach that combines lecture, interactive problem-based learning, individual project work, and peer-to-peer discussion.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling Master of Arts programs are committed to preparing highly effective professional counselors through relationship-based and student-focused education. The programs aim to equip students to serve children, adolescents, adults, and families in a diverse range of school and community settings. Graduates are prepared to provide ethical, culturally responsive and sustaining, developmentally grounded, and evidence-informed counseling. They are equipped to engage in social justice advocacy, serving in their communities and their professions as agents of positive change. 

Students admitted for the fall 2026 semester may be awarded a Values & Vision scholarship of up to $2,000 annually for up to 2 consecutive years (up to $4,000 total). Scholarship is awarded based on a holistic review of application for admission. Recipients of this scholarship must remain enrolled in at least 6 credits and maintain satisfactory academic progress within their program.

Students must take at least 6 credits per semester to receive the scholarship
The scholarship does not include summer classes
Students taking as few as one course prior to the fall 2026 semester will not receive the scholarship
If the length of time it takes to complete the program goes beyond the planned program length, there will be no extension on the scholarship

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Program Facts

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PRACTICE
FLEXIBLE PLAN OF STUDY
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Chi Sigma Iota Newsletter

Paul Januszczyk, CMHC M’25

“USJ offers the perfect balance between work and investment in myself.”

Accreditation

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredits graduate programs that prepare counseling professionals: counselors, counseling supervisors, and counselor educators. CACREP sets standards for counseling program institutions, administration, faculty, curriculum, and program evaluation. In a self-study every eight years, the program faculty presents evidence of the extent to which the program meets or exceeds those standards. They submit the self-study in writing and then host an on-site team that CACREP sends to observe program operations directly. The USJ Counseling Programs were last accredited in 2023. Effective through October 31, 2031, CACREP has conferred accreditation on the following degree programs: M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and M.A. in School Counseling.

CMHC Program Outcomes and Advantages

Case conceptualization: Counseling students employ a holistic wellness framework and a multicultural, developmental, and ecological lens to understand diverse individuals in the context of their families and communities.
Counseling skills: Counseling students develop empathic and collaborative working alliances with students and clients and employ theory-based, evidence-informed, and culturally responsive assessment tools and counseling techniques to support their growth.
Social justice: Counseling students apply a social justice mindset and serve as an advocate and champion for clients and students in historically marginalized populations while promoting inclusivity- and equity-driven individual, group, and systems interventions.
Professional skills and dispositions: Counseling students demonstrate responsible and professional behavior, application of ethical standards as delineated in the professional codes, compliance with state and federal laws, and appropriate consultation and collaboration skills with other professionals.
Research: Students use current knowledge to inform their practice or contribute to the knowledge base of the counseling professions through innovation and research.
Self of the counselor: Students practice self-reflection, self-care, and cultural humility to support healthy and effective professional counseling relationships.
Assessment and diagnosis: Students engage in research-based and culturally informed assessment and diagnostic practices to support effective treatment planning and clinical interventions for diverse individuals, families, and groups.

For those interested in serving their communities, USJ’s master’s in Counseling programs offer a pathway to an in-demand and meaningful career. Through a holistic education that integrates mind, body, and spirit, USJ teaches counselors to become leaders who effectively and compassionately serve the needs of individuals across the lifespan through individual and group consultations.

Focuses on the wide span of personal problems that confront any individual facing the stresses and strains of modern life
Graduates of USJ’s program enter the field fully prepared to work in a wide range of counseling settings.

Full-Time Plan of Study

The master’s degree in CMHC requires that a student complete 60 graduate credits (as outlined below) and pass a comprehensive exam administered during the final phase of the program.

Fall Year 1
COUN 515: Ethics and an Orientation to the Counseling Profession
COUN 541: Skills and Techniques in Counseling
COUN 543: Counseling Theories

Spring Year 1
COUN 514: Multicultural Counseling
COUN 529: Crisis and Trauma Counseling
COUN 585: Advanced Counseling Skills

Summer Year 1
COUN 506: Counseling Children and Adolescents
COUN 552: Developmental Theories and Applications

Fall Year 2
COUN 531: Group Process and Dynamics
COUN 544: Mental Health Diagnosis
COUN 579: Counseling Families

Spring Year 2
COUN 547: Substance Use and Treatment
COUN 550: Appraisal and its Application in Counseling
COUN 583: Treatment Planning and Advanced Interventions

Summer Year 2
COUN 568: Practicum
COUN 597: Applied Research Methods for Counselors

Fall Year 3
COUN 533: Career Development and Counseling
COUN 570: Internship I

Spring Year 3
COUN 571: Internship II (CMHC)
COUN 587: Human Sexuality

Note: Praxis Core Exam Score (School Counseling Only)
The PRAXIS Core Examination is a standardized test for mathematics, reading, and writing. It is used to assess a student’s readiness to enter the profession of school counseling. It is not an admission requirement. A student may submit PRAXIS Core scores prior to admission or during their first semester in the school counseling program. At the University of Saint Joseph, only the School Counseling program requires PRAXIS Core scores. Those applying for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling do not need to take the PRAXIS Core.

Program of Study (POS)
The planned program of study is a document completed during the student’s meeting with an advisor from the program of interest. The planned program of study provides information about when the student plans to take the courses that make up their program of interest. The planned program of study may also be used by departments to determine upcoming course schedules and it is also used in the degree audit process. The POS will be provided to the applicant during the on-campus information/interview session. Call Dr. Rick Halstead (860.231.5213) to schedule a meeting.

Licensing Requirements and Vital Program Statistics

Professional Counselors are now licensed in all 50 states, although the name designation and licensing requirements may vary from state to state. Within CT, the CT State Department of Public Health oversees the licensing of all health care providers.

In CT an applicant for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LCP) must meet the following requirements:

A counseling masters degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education,
Sixty graduate semester hours in or related to the discipline of counseling,
Coursework in each of the following areas: human growth and development, social and cultural foundations, counseling theories and techniques or helping relationships, group dynamics, processing and counseling, career and lifestyle development, appraisals or tests and measurements for individuals and groups, research and evaluation, and professional orientation to counseling
Three thousand (3000) hours of postgraduate supervised experience in professional counseling,
A minimum of one hundred (100) hours of direct supervision,
Successful completion of the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE).

More Info & Application Materials