Mental Health Counseling

Overview

Mental health counseling programs prepare people to counsel patients with personal problems, conflicts, or emotional crises.

In mental health counseling programs students learn to guide patients to improved mental health. Students also learn counseling and interviewing skills. In addition, they learn observation and testing methods

Mental health counseling program include topics such as:

How to identify mental illnesses
Therapy techniques
Human psychological development
Social research methods

Mental health counseling programs prepare people to work in:

Mental health centers
Private practice
Family service agencies
Psychiatric hospitals
Substance abuse centers

Students can concentrate their course work on different age groups, such as children, adolescents, or adults.

Schools

Many colleges and universities offer graduate degrees in mental health counseling or social work. A master’s degree typically requires two years of study beyond a bachelor’s degree. Doctoral (PhD) degree programs usually require two or more years of study beyond the master’s degree.

See schools that offer this program.

Graduate Admissions

Admission to graduate programs is competitive. You need a bachelor's degree, good grades, and good test scores.

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General
Miller Analogies Test (MAT)
Letters of recommendation
Personal statement
Bachelor's degree or significant course work in psychology, sociology, statistics, or social work

Typical Course Work

Graduate Program Courses

This graduate program typically includes courses in the following subjects:

Adult Development
Assessment and Treatment Methods
Child Psychology
Counseling Theories and Techniques
Cultural Diversity
Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Ethics and Legal Issues
Group Counseling
Legal and Ethical Issues
Life Span Development
Mental Illness
Psychopharmacology
Social Research
Statistics

Graduate programs that lead to a doctoral degree typically include:

Required courses
Clinical experience and internships
Preliminary exams (doctoral degree only)
Dissertation and dissertation defense (doctoral degree)

Nearly all mental health counseling programs require students to complete an internship. In addition, you must accumulate a certain number of hours of clinical observation. Often you "shadow" a professional counselor while she conducts therapy sessions with patients. When you have accumulated a certain number of hours of observation, you can begin counseling patients yourself. Students are supervised at all times by professors and licensed counselors.

During clinical hours and internships, you continue learning about counseling techniques and psychological problems. You also learn firsthand what it's like to be a mental health counselor. You learn to apply your course work to real-life situations. You can also apply your experience to your professional work after you complete your degree.

Things to Know

Most states require graduates from marriage and family counseling programs to become certified or licensed to practice. Usually you are required to work for two years under the supervision of a certified marriage and family counselor after you finish your degree, and pass a written and oral exam.

Marriage and family counselors often work varied hours, such as evenings and weekends, to accommodate their patients' schedules.