M.A. in Mental Health Counseling

The Mental Health Counseling Program prepares graduates to be multiculturally competent professional counselors, able to work skillfully with deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing clients of diverse backgrounds in a variety of mental health settings. Our training model emphasizes the development of cultural self-awareness, sensitivity, knowledge, and skills essential to becoming effective and ethical practitioners who are able to promote health and well being for all persons in the context of social justice and multiculturalism.

The Mental Health Counseling program offers students the opportunity to have a clinical or community counseling emphasis through the fieldwork placement. Practicum and internship opportunities typically include state, local, and private mental health agencies, addictions programs, psychiatric hospitals, and educational programs serving the mental health needs of deaf and hard of hearing persons and their hearing family members.

The master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling consists of a minimum of 73 credit hours and requires two academic years and one summer semester to complete. The program of study is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling-Related Education Programs (CACREP). Students are eligible to sit for the National Counselor Examination during their last semester of studies.

Admissions Procedures and Requirements

Applicants for the M.A. in Mental Health Counseling must complete the application procedures and meet the requirements for graduate study at Gallaudet University. Visit the Graduate Admissions web site for more information and a checklist of application requirements. Detailed program information and course descriptions are also available in the Graduate Catalog.

Students applying to the Mental Health Counseling Program must initially meet general requirements established by the graduate school:

• Must initially meet the requirements of the Graduate School
• Three (3) letters of recommendation. Appropriate sources for recommendation include a current/recent supervisor, a current/recent college instructor, someone familiar with applicant to give accurate testimony of applicant's character and dispositions fitting to the counseling field. Family members and friends are not appropriate sources for recommendation.
• Interview, in person or by Videophone, with program faculty is required
• American Sign Language proficiency at a level sufficient to successfully complete the Admissions Interview. This interview, conducted in ASL with program faculty who have scored 4 or higher on the ASLPI, insures, among other things, the applicant's potential for full linguistic access to and participation in instruction and other curricular activities in this graduate program. "Successful completion" is achieved when the applicant demonstrates both receptive and expressive ASL skills such that the interview flows without significant interruptions.

Program Specific Requirements

• Four (4) personal essays required by the Department of Counseling related to their interest in the field of mental health counseling and deaf persons.

Required Prior Coursework

• Nine undergraduate or graduate credits in Psychology as follows:
  • Child or Human Development (3),
  • Abnormal Psychology (3), and
  • any other three credit Psychology course (may be completed during the summer prior to starting this program).

Program of Study

Core Program of Study

Students usually take 12-15 credit hours per semester.

Semester I - Fall

GPS 700 Culture and Language Seminar (1)
COU 710 Orientation to the Profession of Mental Health Counseling (3)
COU 717 Lifespan Development (3)
COU 721 Foundations in Helping Skills I (4)
COU 730 Social & Cultural Diversity and Multicultural Counseling (4)
COU 732 Theories and Approaches in Counseling and Psychotherapy (3)

Semester II - Spring

COU 709 Counseling Deaf People (3)
COU 714 Adult Psychopathology (3)
COU 716 Psychopharmacology for Counselors (1)
COU 708 Counseling for Wellness (3)
COU 768 Techniques and Skills in Psychotherapy (3)
EDF 720 Introduction to Research (3)

Summer Session

COU 728 The Cycle of Substance Abuse (3)
COU 736 Organization and Administration of Human Services (3)
COU 742 Practicum in Mental Health Counseling (4)*

Semester III - Fall

COU 715 Family Therapy (3)
COU 734 Lifestyles and Career Development (3)
COU 748 Principles of Assessment in Counseling (3)
COU 753 Group Psychotherapy (4)
COU 792 Internship I in Mental Health Counseling (4)

Semester IV - Spring

COU 794  Internship II in Mental Health Counseling (12)*

Elective: COU 793 Extended Internship in Mental Health Counseling (4)

*Each student will be required to take a Gallaudet University American Sign Language Proficiency Interview (GU-ASLPI) and attain a rating of 2 prior to beginning COU 742: Practicum in Mental Health Counseling and a 2+  prior to beginning COU 794: Internship III in Mental Health Counseling .