Mental Health Counseling

Master's Program
Admissions		Financial Aid
Licensure		Faculty
Curriculum
Required Courses		Elective Courses

The Mental Health Counseling Program

M.S. in Counseling with a Concentration in Mental Health Counseling

Mission Statement and Overview

The focus of the Mental Health Counseling Program is the preparation of excellent counselor practitioners and scholars to serve in agencies that provide counseling to adolescents, children, adults and families (such as programs serving troubled youth and families, outpatient and inpatient mental health treatment centers, counseling and related service programs in colleges and universities, drug and alcohol treatment programs, hospitals, and private practices). Our graduates are self-aware counselors and scholars whose life long learning continually informs their service, practice, and development. Many also choose to continue their graduate studies at the doctoral level.
The Mental Health Counseling Program at the University of Tennessee is a 60-credit hour program, accredited by the Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The program of study includes at least 1000 hours of closely supervised practicum and internship counseling experiences in clinical settings. Each student’s program is customized to support individual goals as well as to provide a common core of counselor preparation. Graduates of the program will have completed the educational and graduate clinical preparation requirements qualifying them to apply for the National Counselors Exam (this is the exam for National Counselor Certification and for licensure in Tennessee and many other states). Graduates of the program will also have completed the educational and graduate clinical preparation requirements for licensure as a professional counselor with mental health service provider designation (LPC-MHSP) in Tennessee. Our CACREP accreditation helps ensure the portability of the degree. For example, the counselor licensure requirements of many states match the CACREP standards for Mental Health Counseling Programs.

The faculty provides rigorous, experiential, practical education, aimed at maximizing the professional and personal-development of our graduates. It is important that our graduate students learn and develop in a challenging and supportive learning community.

Goals

The goal of the Mental Health Counseling Program is the preparation of future counselors as:

Strong, effective, self-aware counselors
Persons ready to develop deeply healing therapeutic relationships
Professionals well-skilled in the full range of task areas needed from mental health counselors
Scholars with a solid background of understanding and a personal and professional curiosity to guide their ongoing, life-long study of counseling, mental health, and human development

Persons and professionals ready to thrive in and embrace the increasingly diverse world in which we all live and work.

Objectives

Atmosphere, Advisement and Mentoring

Program Length and the Pacing Graduate Study

Required Courses

Practicum and Internship

Thesis Option

Elective and Specialization Possibilities

You may download a copy of the Mental Health Counseling Program Handbook at the following link:

Mental Health Counseling Program Handbook

Updated 5/27/2008