Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MS)

Overview

D'Youville's Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program is designed to meet the 60-credit hour educational requirements for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor in New York State. This graduate program is designed to build a deep understanding and practice of the counseling profession through its foundational and advanced courses in counseling theories, individual/group/family counseling, research and assessment, diagnosis, professional and ethical issues, diversity and multicultural issues, crisis and trauma interventions, and nine-credits of supervised clinical training in the field. Once complete, you will be prepared for a career in a variety of private and public mental health agencies.

D'Youville is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, a regional accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

D’Youville University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program was awarded the diagnostic privilege designation by the New York State Department of Education.

The Choice is yours.

Attend this program 100% online

Apply Here for 100% Online

Or, join us in-person

  • Hybrid format (a combination of select courses delivered online and others delivered in person via a weekend in-person classroom format).

Apply Here for Hybrid

MEET OUR FACULTY RESOURCES FOR CURRENT STUDENTS

Why D'Youville

  • Benefit from educators and clinicians with 20+ years of clinical experience and 25+ years of teaching.
  • Integrative Health Focus: Learn to address mental health holistically.
  • No GRE or Prerequisites: Simplifying your path to a rewarding career.
  • Licensure Preparation: Our curriculum integrates ongoing test preparation.
  • NY License Approval: Ensure you’re on the right track for New York State licensure.
  • 18%
    Job growth 2022-32 from US Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • 60
    Credits
  • Online
    Combination of Synchronous & Asynchronous Courses
  • Hybrid
    Online & Weekend Class Format

Who This Program is For

This program is designed for individuals seeking to pursue careers as clinical mental health counselors. It is a two-year program suitable for those who aspire to work in diverse clinical settings, including but not limited to:

  • Residential treatment programs
  • Psychiatric hospitals
  • Outpatient mental health agencies
  • PROS (Personalized Recovery-Oriented Services)
  • ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) teams
  • Private practice

Graduates are prepared to excel in roles across a spectrum of behavioral health environments that serve a range of client populations.

Earn a degree in CMHC with NYSED approved diagnostic privilege designation.

Get To Know Our Faculty
Helena Boersma Headshot
Helena Boersma, EdD, LMHC, NCC
Program Director/Associate Professor

Throughout D’Youville’s CMHC program, faculty emphasize the practice of integrative behavioral healthcare to address the complexities of delivering mental health counseling.  Graduates will join the profession prepared to work collaboratively with various healthcare professionals to serve multiple clinical populations in a variety of settings.

Marguerite McCarty Headshot
Marguerite M. McCarty, Ed.D., LMHC (she/her)
Clinical Director/Associate Professor

As an LMHC currently working in the field, I bring a unique depth and efficacy to teaching by integrating real-world insights from my counseling practice into the classroom.   My firsthand experience with clients helps to bring case studies to life, illustrating complex concepts with practical examples that resonate deeply with students. Moreover, I was once a counseling student myself, and can empathize with the challenges of being a counselor-in-training, and along with my colleagues, foster a supportive learning environment where students feel understood and encouraged to explore their own growth as future counselors. CMHC faculty at DYU are clinician educators who inspire and empower the next generation of mental health professionals with the compassion and expertise needed to make a meaningful impact in the field.

Explore Courses and Requirements

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Prospective students seeking admission to D'Youville University's Clinical Mental Health Counseling program should meet the following criteria:

  • Submit a completed application for the CMHC program.
  •  Minimum graduate grade point average of 3.00 (based on a 4.00 system).
  • Provide thoughtful and concise responses to short-answer questions that convey your professional intent and aspirations.
COURSES
  • MHC 500 Foundations of Counseling and Consultation
  • MHC 505 Counseling Theories and Practice
  • MHC 510 Psychopathology
  • MHC 540 Professional Ethics in Counseling
  • MHC 541 NYS Mandated Reporting
  • MHC 515 Assessment and Appraisal
  • MHC 520 Substance Abuse Counseling
  • MHC 525 Research and Program Evaluation
  • MHC 530 Human Growth and Development
  • MHC 600 Advanced Counseling Skills
  • MHC 570 Integrative Behavioral Healthcare Practice and Counseling
  • MHC 545 Cultural and Social Diversity in Counseling
  • MHC 550 Crisis, Trauma, and Loss Counseling
  • MHC 610 Practicum
  • MHC 575 Career Counseling
  • MHC 555 Group Counseling
  • MHC 560 Supervision Theory and Practice
  • MHC 620 Internship I
  • MHC 565 Couples and Family Counseling
  • MHC 535 Child and Adolescent Counseling
  • MHC 630 Internship II
  • MHC 640 Capstone Project

Mission

The mission of the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program at D’Youville University is to provide students with a thorough grounding in advanced principles of mental health counseling at a graduate level; provide students with an understanding of the tools of counseling that are suitable for building careers in private and public mental health agencies; provide students with advanced research-based knowledge in the area of group and individual counseling, counseling techniques, and testing and diagnosis; provide students with a full understanding of the professional and ethical issues relevant to mental health counseling and consultation; provide students with detailed knowledge of integrated healthcare, multicultural and career issues in counseling; and most importantly, to provide students a clear professional identity as a future counselor.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Core Program Objectives are:
  1. Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice: To demonstrate and apply a comprehensive understanding of professional and ethical practices in counseling to include the history, roles, ethical standards, advocacy, and credentialing.  
  1. Social and Cultural Identities and Experiences: To demonstrate and apply an enhanced awareness and understanding of multicultural counseling techniques in an inclusive and respectful environment.  
  1. Lifespan Development: To demonstrate and apply a thorough understanding of human growth and development across the lifespan and within the context of multicultural environments. 
  1. Career Development: To demonstrate and apply core competencies of career counseling theories, tools, and intervention strategies to include multicultural considerations.  
  1. Counseling Practice and Relationships: To demonstrate and apply counseling practices within various cultural contexts and clinical populations.  
  1. Group Counseling and Group Work: To facilitate group counseling using diverse tools and strategies with various cultural and clinical populations.  
  1. Assessment and Diagnostic Processes: To demonstrate and utilize tools and techniques that help inform treatment planning in various clinical settings. 
  1. Research and Program Evaluation: To demonstrate and evaluate peer-reviewed research for effectiveness as therapeutic interventions and to inform evidence-based clinical treatment planning. 
  1. Clinical Mental Health Counseling: To demonstrate advanced clinical expertise in mental health counseling through academic learning and practical application. 
  1. Professional Disposition: To demonstrate appropriate professional ethical behaviors, cultural competence, confidentiality standards, trust, respect, and effective therapeutic relationships with clients. 

Career Outcomes

Upon program completion and securing a mental health counselor licensure in New York state, our graduates can embark on fulfilling careers as mental health counselors in various settings:

  • Behavioral Health Agencies
  • Psychiatric Hospitals
  • VA Hospitals and Outreach Programs
  • Private Practices
  • Family Medicine Offices
  • Residential Treatment Programs

Accreditation

D’Youville University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program applied to the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs on November 1, 2024.

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
500 Montgomery Street, Suite 350
Alexandria, VA 22314
https://www.cacrep.org/

Our online application is free and easy to submit

Earn a degree in CMHC with NYSED approved diagnostic privilege designation.