Online MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Courses

This course provides a foundation for the development of one’s professional identity within the counseling profession. The course covers the basic educational, historical, foundations of counseling, credentialing, and preparation standards for counselors. The course also provides an introduction to the professional codes of ethics and ethical practice. Within the course students take their first look at the importance of self-care.

This course explores physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development from infancy, toddlerhood, early childhood, childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood. The course is designed to help the student think through issues in development to become a critical thinker. The course will help students see the relevance of the content in a multicultural society. Emphasis is on gaining better conceptual understanding of healthy development and better practical understanding of how to help children, adolescents, and adults address the developmental challenges they face across the lifespan.

This course provides an examination, through research related to counseling diverse populations, of the influence of culture, race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, nationality, age, ability, mental and physical characteristics, education, family influences, on the provision of counseling services. This course is designed to increase student’s cultural humility, evaluate societal trends, human roles, subgroups, norms, diversity lifestyle, and communication patterns, and examine personal and institutional prejudice, bias, oppression, and discrimination as well as psychosocial theories of multicultural counseling and identity development. Students will develop personal awareness of cultural issues and professional multicultural counseling competencies as well as gain insight into personal assumptions, values, beliefs, and expectations about self and others as a means of working more effectively with diverse populations in the therapeutic process.

This course provides an overview and training in foundational helping and essential interviewing skills, case-conceptualization, and consultation skills. The course focuses on the development of helping skills through instruction and experiential exercises including videotaped practice sessions. Emphasis on techniques and skills including developing a treatment alliance, active listening, reflection, formulation of questions, and addressing such issues as resistance to treatment and personal biases. These helping skills and effective counselor behaviors will be considered in terms of both face-to-face and technology-assisted helping relationships. Core ethical issues (confidentiality, therapist competence, client consent, collaboration, and multicultural competence) will be introduced. Instructor and peer feedback will be given. This is an experiential course that will emphasize recorded practice sessions with classmates. It will equip students with basic skills to develop and maintain helping relationships. The course requires 2, weekend long, virtual, synchronous residency experiences.

This course explores the major theories of counseling, an introduction to counseling techniques, the conditions which facilitate an effective counseling relationship, and stages in the counseling process. The areas covered in this course include history of each theory, theory of personality development, theory of counseling application, research, and use with diverse groups. Students will be introduced to the common factors that have been identified through research to have a significant impact on client satisfaction and therapeutic outcome. It is hoped that students not only develop a working knowledge of the major counseling theories but also how these theories view change in clients. This is an experiential course that will emphasize recorded practice sessions with classmates.

This course is designed to provide students with an examination of the skills, techniques, information, and principles necessary to become competent in the process of using educational, psychological, and vocational assessment in counseling contexts that include concepts necessary for the selection, administration, scoring and interpretation of individual and group tests. Students will be required to learn and practice various forms of client assessment. Because the practice of counseling is not an exact science, the profession is constantly reviewing ways in which we practice and conceptualize clients. Students in this course will also be required to utilize the body of literature, related to the practice of assessment in counseling, to inform and direct counseling practice.

This course provides an exploration of the theoretical bases of vocational development, career education, career development, and the significance of the world of work in the lifestyle of individuals. The strategies related to career exploration, career-related assessment, application of career development materials, technical and college career tracks of curriculum development, exploration of gender and cultural/ethnicity issues that may affect the career development of individuals in our society are emphasized. Related ethical concerns are covered. Interrelationships among lifestyle, workplace, and career planning are explored.

This course is designed to acquaint students with an understanding of the origins and environmental factors that influence the development of mental disorders, prevention, and treatment of mental and emotional disorders. Principles and models of biopsychosocial assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment planning for counseling applications within a managed care framework. This course emphasizes the formal diagnosis of mental disorders using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as well as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). This course will use case studies and movies to explore the identification of symptoms and symptom clusters, with examination of etiology, comorbidity, and treatment options for different disorders, as well as understanding the usefulness and limits of formal diagnosis.

This course introduces students to the study of family development, family dynamics, interpersonal relationships, and marriage and family systems. The course will include theories, methods, and techniques of family and couples therapy with emphasis on multicultural, legal, and ethical issues in the practice of marriage and family counseling. This course is designed to provide methods and skills that can be applied in an agency and private practice setting.

This course provides students with an introduction to research methods. It is designed to help students become informed consumers of counseling research. Students will be able to identify various research approaches and the strengths and limitations associated with different approaches. Students will develop skills needed to identify research questions, understand program evaluations, using the library, and using educational technology to search for literature and to present research for consumption in the field.

This course provides an overview of the impact of crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events on individuals, families, and communities. The course is designed to introduce students to basic crisis intervention strategies, fundamental crisis intervention theory, and offers practical applications in various crisis situations such as natural disasters, violence, terrorism, or war. Students will explore various assessment, intervention, and crisis treatment issues. Students will also learn and engage in specialized skills, methods, and interventions for working with those suffering with traumatic stress to enhance resiliency. Appropriate ethical and legal responses to individual, community, national, and international crises will be examined.

This course examines substance use disorders and behavioral addictions, in multiple client populations, and their treatment. Students will learn how to conduct assessment for and diagnosis of substance use disorders and behavioral addictions, including co-occurring disorders; the effects of substances and addictions on the client and others; etiology; and best practices in counseling and treatment. The course provides students with an understanding of correlates of physiological and psychological effects of drugs and the significance of treatment planning in diverse settings. The course helps students use the knowledge of individual, group, and family counseling strategies as they are applied to behavior change and relapse prevention.

This course provides an exploration of the social and interpersonal influences of group work, group dynamics, developmental stages of a group, and an overview of theories, functions, and techniques of group procedures. Emphasis is given to the development of group leadership skills. This course allows students to explore the group experience as both a leader and participant, through a 10-hour group experience over two weekends, while exposing them to the fundamentals of effective group counseling and applicability for client populations.

This course will help students explore the relationship between the law, the framework of ethics, and clinical mental health counseling. Legal duties and the rights of clients and providers will be discussed. The course will also provide a forum for the exploration and processing of ethical dilemmas encountered by managers and clinicians in clinical mental health counseling. An advanced look is taken of individual state legal requirements as well as case law impacting counseling ethics.

This course examines principles and practices that relate to case conceptualization, psychopathology, DSM-5/ICD-10  diagnosis, etiology and assessment, systematic treatment planning, interviewing, and short- and long-term interventions. Emphasis is placed on differential diagnosis and understanding of how cultural, biological, social, psychopharmacology and psychological factors are necessary when developing a holistic and ethical model of case conceptualization, assessment, and treatment planning.

In this course, students will begin to integrate skills and knowledge by working with actual clients under the supervision of a licensed clinician. Students develop conceptual and professional skills related to their practice at a field site and practice various specified counseling and related activities. Students will meet weekly, for 1.5 hours of group supervision, to review cases, discuss areas of growth and present theory, intervention, and technique questions. Students will also receive 1 hour of individual supervision at their field placement site. A minimum of 100 hours (40 direct client service and 60 indirect client service) at an approved counseling site is required. Satisfactory performance at the field placement and during synchronous class meetings must be demonstrated before students can proceed to internship.

In this course, students will continue to integrate skills and knowledge by working with actual clients under the supervision of a licensed clinician. Students develop conceptual and professional skills related to their practice at a field site and practice various specified counseling and related activities. A minimum of 300 hours (120 direct client service and 180 indirect client service) of supervised experiences in which counseling services are provided. Students will meet weekly, for 1.5 hours of group supervision, to review cases, discuss areas of growth and present theory, intervention, and technique questions. Students will also receive 1 hour of individual supervision at their field placement site. Satisfactory performance at the field placement and during synchronous class meetings must be demonstrated before students can proceed to advanced internship.

In this course, students will continue to integrate skills and knowledge by working with actual clients under the supervision of a licensed clinician. Students develop conceptual and professional skills related to their practice at a field site and practice various specified counseling and related activities. A minimum of 300 hours (120 direct client service and 180 indirect client service) of supervised experiences in which counseling services are provided. Students will meet weekly, for 1.5 hours of group supervision, to review cases, discuss areas of growth and present theory, intervention, and technique questions. Students will also receive 1 hour of individual supervision at their field placement site. Satisfactory performance at the field placement and during synchronous class meetings must be demonstrated before students can complete the program.

This course explores the relationship between mental health, human sexuality, and the role of the professional counselor. Topics will include biological foundations, research methodology, gender roles, attraction and love, variations in sexual behavior, sexuality and the life cycle, sexual problems, sex therapy, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual coercion, and sexual responsibility. The course explores therapist values, attitudes, and beliefs about sexuality and sexual behavior and promotes practitioner self-awareness and self-reflection about the intersection of the personal and professional in counseling clients for sexuality related issues. Students will become more effective in identifying, assessing, and intervening with human sexuality related clinical counseling issues.

This course provides an examination of commonly prescribed psychotropic medications in the field of professional counseling. Students will learn about neurochemical, physiological, and behavioral effects of the major classes of psychoactive drugs, both therapeutic agents and drugs of abuse. The course includes discussions of medication mechanisms of action, therapeutic indications, and physiological/behavioral side-effects. The course helps students become informed and ethical advocates for their medicated clients. The course also assists students understand their role in working with medical professionals in the concurrent treatment of mental health issues using an interdisciplinary approach.

This course provides students with an exploration of counseling skill, theories, techniques, assessment, diagnosis, and case conceptualization when applied to specific/special populations. Students will learn to adapt their methods based on the needs of specific populations. Cultural competency and ethical practice will be emphasized.

This course examines relevant, developmentally appropriate, counseling skills, theories, and techniques as they apply to children and adolescents. The course includes interventions for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Emphasis is placed on a multidimensional view of interventions with children, giving attention to developmental, cognitive, behavioral, affective, organic, educational, social, and environmental issues.

This course examines the history, best practices, and ethics of the use of technology in counseling and consultation. Theories and models of consultation will be explored in an attempt to help students understand the difference between counseling and consultation. Students will learn about state and federal laws guiding the use of technology in counseling and consultation. HIPAA and HITECH rules and regulations will be reviewed. Students will learn about the benefits and limitations of using technology in counseling and consultation.

In this course, students will continue to integrate skills and knowledge by working with actual clients under the supervision of a licensed clinician. Students develop conceptual and professional skills related to their practice at a field site and practice various specified counseling and related activities. A minimum, variable number of hours, based on a student’s intended state of licensure at an approved counseling site is required. Students will meet weekly, for 1.5 hours of group supervision, to review cases, discuss areas of growth and present theory, intervention, and technique questions. Students will also receive 1 hour of individual supervision at their field placement site. Satisfactory performance at the field placement and during synchronous class meetings must be demonstrated before students can complete the program.