The Clinical Mental Health Counseling specialization prepares graduates to be multiculturally competent professional counselors, able to work skillfully with deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, 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.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling specialization 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 Counseling with a specialization in Clinical Mental Health Counseling consists of a minimum of 61 credit hours and requires three academic years, including two summer residencies. Students take 55 required hours and have 6 hours of electives where they are encouraged to begin to develop a specialty. The program of study is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

The faculty work individually with students to determine licensure requirements for the state of residence. The following links provide information for each state licensure that is current as of 6/1/2022.

Licensure Disclosure
Licensure Information

The program follows a cohort model and the initial semester of enrollment is in the summer.