One in five U.S. adults — or about 23% of the U.S. adult population — live with mental illness, according to the National Institutes of Health. A new Michigan State University master’s program will educate and create future professionals who can support mental health needs, beginning in Fall 2025.
The M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program will produce Spartans who can support families and individuals with mental health and clinical disorders (such as depression, anxiety, addictions and more) that affect their well-being and general life functions.
“There is a shortage of professionals working to meet the increasing pandemic of mental health issues in our society,” said Gloria Lee, professor and program director. “Our program is designed to train future professional counselors who specialize in promoting mental health and wellness by helping individuals faced with mental health and emotional challenges.”
Lee added that participants can continue to work full-time while earning their degree.
Graduates can find employment opportunities in mental health agencies, hospitals, addiction clinics, counseling centers, schools and more.
What to expect
The program was designed according to the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs standards. MSU’s long-standing programs in Counselor Education and Supervision and Rehabilitation Counseling are CACREP-accredited; the CMHC program will go through the same process for accreditation upon further examination by the agency.
Graduates of the CMHC program are eligible for the Licensed Professional Counselor designation upon successful completion of the licensure exam and required clinical hours. The LPC is crucial for practice in many states, including Michigan.
“Accreditation recognizes the quality of the program that will allow our graduates to pursue licensure toward being an LPC, a credential that will allow a graduate to practice with the needed competency,” said Assistant Professor Jaeyoung Kim.
Due to the shared core competences, CMHC students will take some classes with a cohort of Rehabilitation Counseling students.
“Students will benefit from learning about other counseling disciplines while focusing on the mental health counseling profession,” said Assistant Professor Yazmin Castruita Rios.
The collaboration internally is intentional, say program leaders. Plus, it coincides with external efforts to connect, network and learn from the broader community.
“Our goal is to help students to bridge what they learn in classroom to clinical practice, which is a crucial component of the program,” said Assistant Professor and Clinical Coordinator Trisha Easley.
This program is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, but it is not currently eligible for federal student loans.
This story was originally posted to the College of Education website.
