Master of Art in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
The Franklin Pierce University Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program (CHMHC) is a 60-credit hour program designed to provide students with the required knowledge, skills, and dispositions to serve as clinical professional counselors. The program has a total of 20 courses; each course is three credit hours. Students can complete the program in as little as 24 months/8 terms. Courses will be completed online in a predominately asynchronous format. In addition, the online coursework, students will be required to complete one five-day intensive per year on the Rindge, NH campus. This intensive is designed to further develop and enhance the skill sets learned during the online courses. During the second year of the program, students will complete a series of field experience courses at a site placement. The field experience courses are designed to provide students with the opportunity to provide counseling services under the supervision of both a faculty supervisor and site supervisor. In addition to providing counseling services, students will be able to gain experience in writing clinical case documentation, developing and implementing treatment plans, and working in an interdisciplinary fashion with other professionals. Students are required to complete a total of 700 hours of field experience.
Majors, Minors and Certificates
Courses
COUN501: Orientation to Counseling
Credits 3This course provides an orientation to the counseling profession with a focus on understanding the history and development of clinical mental health counseling and the counseling profession as a whole. Addressed in this course is the history and philosophy of the counseling profession. Current trends will be explored within the context of the counselor’s role in clinical mental health settings. This course will also provide an understanding of the role of licensure, credentialing, and professional organizations in the counseling profession.
COUN502: Skills and Techniques
Credits 3This course acquaints the novice counselor with the basic counseling skills necessary for counseling and consulting in a multicultural society. The basic counseling skills will be discussed, demonstrated, and practiced. Students will learn how to implement these skills within a variety of contexts and with clients of varying backgrounds. It is expected that students actively participate in role-plays, self-assessment, and other forms of experiential learning throughout the duration of the course.
COUN503: Theories of Counseling
Credits 3The foundational theories of counseling are addressed in this course. Students will learn and demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between a given theory and how it serves to inform counseling interventions. Specific attention will be directed toward key theoretical constructs that serve as a foundation for working in clinical mental health settings.
COUN504: Multicultural Counseling
Credits 3Students will learn how issues of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture, gender, sexual orientation, physical/psychological ability, religion, and age impact the counselor, client, and counseling relationship. This course also addresses how the mental health delivery system is based on Eurocentric delivery systems which often disenfranchise cultural minorities. Culturally sensitive counseling strategies are introduced to provide students with a conceptual and practical framework for respectfully working with diverse populations.
COUN505: Counseling Ethics
Credits 3This course focuses on assisting students with the understanding and application of the ethical principles that guide clinical mental health counseling practice. Students will gain knowledge of the ethical guidelines that inform professional behavior, the legal aspects of counseling practice, and the complexity of applying ethical and legal principles to practice. Ethical decision-making models will be implemented in the course alongside relevant case studies to assist students in developing the necessary skills to make sound ethical decisions.
COUN506: Advanced Counseling Skills
Credits 3This course has been designed to enhance counselor skills sets, develop a clinical frame of reference for how change is facilitated within the context of a counseling relationship, and develop intentional and strategic approaches for how to conceptualize client concerns in a holistic manner. The focus will be on building competencies via a variety of experiential and interactive methods.
COUN507: Counseling Children
Credits 3This course focuses on developing the specialized knowledge and skills required for counseling children and adolescents. Using a background in human development, diversity, and ecological theories, students examine issues and needs related to counseling children and adolescents. Particular attention is given to developing the advanced skills and techniques needed to effectively work both individually and in groups with children and adolescents, including behavioral, play therapy, and bibliotherapy.
COUN508: Developmental Theories
Credits 3A study of human development over the lifespan from conception to death and its implication for the theory and practice of counseling. This course will provide an overview of human development throughout the lifetime in family, social, and cultural contexts, being mindful of how intersecting internal and external factors impact development. Major theoretical approaches and factors influencing development will be explored in the context of clinical mental health practice.
COUN509: Group Process and Dynamics
Credits 3This course has been designed to assist the student in understanding the nature of group development, group dynamics, group counseling theory, and ethical issues pertaining to group work. Students will have the opportunity to apply their growing knowledge of group counseling by practicing the skills necessary for proposing, forming, leading, and evaluating groups in a variety of counseling work settings. Students can expect to spend considerable class time participating in a small-group experience, that will be a minimum of ten hours.
COUN510: Mental Health Diagnosis
Credits 3This course addresses individual diagnosis from a perspective that is inclusive of biological, developmental, environmental, cultural, and interpersonal factors. It will provide students with a broad theoretical base for understanding mental health disorders and their diagnostic criteria through the use of the DSM-5-TR. Students will also develop an understanding of how treatment planning is done in relation to specific diagnostic categories.
COUN511: Counseling Families
Credits 3This course provides an introduction to counseling couples and families. It is designed to familiarize students with the underlying theories, concepts, and techniques of several family counseling models. Students will learn to implement these models as part of their theoretical approach when providing assessments, developing treatment plans, and engaging in counseling services.
COUN512: Substance Use Treatment
Credits 3This course is designed to provide students with knowledge related to addiction and the treatment of substance-related and addictive disorders. Theory-based approaches to working with various substance-related and addictive disorders will be taught, with an emphasis on theoretical application with individuals, couples, families, and groups. Co-occurring disorders will also be addressed.
COUN513: Crisis and Trauma
Credits 3This course will examine the impact of various types of crises and trauma on individuals, families, and on society as a whole. Students will learn foundational principles and models of crisis and trauma counseling as well as how to implement these when working with clients. In addition to crisis intervention, students will learn about prevention measures and how clinical mental health counselors can utilize their skillsets to decrease the likelihood of trauma and lessen the impact after it has occurred.
COUN514: Practicum
Credits 3This course provides an opportunity for the development of basic individual and group counseling skills under supervision. The student receives a grounding in the broader role of a professional counselor within the scope of an approved clinical site. In addition to building counseling skills, students will have the opportunity to learn the roles of clinical and support personnel, engage in treatment planning and other forms of clinical case documentation, and receive regular feedback from approved site supervisors and faculty supervisors to develop clinical skills.
COUN515: Appraisal in Counseling
Credits 3This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the basic elements of testing, assessment, and evaluation. Specific attention will be given to the principles of psychometrics, selection of appropriate measurement instruments, test administration, scoring, interpretation, and communicating those results to clients. A significant portion of the course will be devoted to an overview of tests and assessments counselors are likely to encounter in practice.
COUN516: Internship I
Credits 3This course provides an opportunity for the continued development of counseling and counseling related skill sets under supervision. Students will engage as interns at an approved site placement and will engage in a broad range of counseling and counseling related activities. Students in this course will build from the knowledge and skills developed in the practicum course.
COUN517: Research for Counselors
Credits 3This course is designed to provide students with principles and methods of research design, statistics, and program evaluation. Analysis, interpretation, and appropriate implementation of counseling data and research will be included. Students will engage in hands-on learning and will have the opportunity to design a counseling related research study.
COUN518: Internship II
Credits 3This course provides an opportunity for the continued development of counseling and counseling related skill sets under supervision. Students will engage as interns at an approved site placement and will engage in a broad range of counseling and counseling related activities. Students in this course will build from the knowledge and skills developed in the internship one course.
COUN519: Internship III
Credits 3This course provides an opportunity for the continued development of counseling and counseling related skill sets under supervision. Students will engage as interns at an approved site placement and will engage in a broad range of counseling and counseling related activities. Students in this course will build from the knowledge and skills developed in the internship two course.
COUN520: Career Development
Credits 3This course is focused on developing an understanding of the key theories of career development. Specifically, the course will look at how career, values, and mental health intersect. Practical implications for career counseling across the life span with diverse populations will be included.