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STANDARDS FOR MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING PROGRAMS
In addition to the common core
curricular experiences outlined in Section II.K, the following
curricular experiences and demonstrated knowledge and skills are
required of all students in the program.
To review all relevant course syllabi mentioned in this section, click here.
To review the matrix which further illustrates how courses meet relevant CACREP standards, click here.
A. FOUNDATIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING
1. historical, philosophical,
societal, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of and current
trends in mental health counseling;
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 561 - Introduction to Psychological Testing
PSYC 532 - Child Psychopathology
2. roles, functions, and professional identity of mental health counselors;
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 504 - Philosophical Foundations of Counseling
COUN 530 - Ethics and Professional
Conduct in Counseling and Psychotherapy
3. structures and
operations of professional organizations, preparation standards,
credentialing bodies, and public policy issues relevant to the practice
of mental health counseling;
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 504 - Philosophical Foundations of Counseling
COUN 530 - Ethics and Professional
Conduct in Counseling and Psychotherapy
4. implications of professional
issues that are unique to mental health counseling, including
recognition, reimbursement, right to practice, core provider status,
access to and practice privileges within managed care systems, and
expert witness status;
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 530 - Ethics and Professional
Conduct in Counseling and Psychotherapy
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
COUN 553A,B,C, D - Internship in
Mental Health Counseling
5. ethical and legal
considerations related related to the practice of mental health
counseling (e.g., the ACA and AMHCA Code of Ethics); and
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 530 - Ethics and Professional
Conduct in Counseling and Psychotherapy
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
COUN 553A,B,C, D - Internship in
Mental Health Counseling
COUN 561 - Introduction to Psychological Testing
PSYC 532 - Child Psychopathology
6. the role of
racial, ethnic and cultural heritage, nationality, socioeconomic
status, family structure, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious
and spiritual beliefs, occupation, and physical and mental status, and
equity issues in mental health counseling.
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 504 - Philosophical Foundations of Counseling
COUN 530 - Ethics and Professional
Conduct in Counseling and Psychotherapy
COUN 561 - Introduction to Psychological Testing
B. CONTEXTUAL DIMENSIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING
1. assumptions and roles of mental
health counseling within the context of the community and its health
and human services systems, including functions and relationships among
interdisciplinary treatment teams, and the historical, organizational,
legal, and fiscal dimensions of public and private mental health care
systems;
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 530 - Ethics and Professional
Conduct in Counseling and Psychotherapy
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
COUN 561 - Introduction to Psychological Testing
2. strategies for community needs assessment to design, implement, and evaluate mental health care programs and systems;
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 561 - Introduction to Psychological Testing
3. principles, theories, and
practices of community intervention, including programs and facilities
for inpatient, outpatient, partial treatment, and aftercare, and the
human services network in local communities; and
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
4. management of mental health
services and programs, including administration, finance, and
budgeting, in the public and private sectors; principles and practices
for establishing and maintaining both independent and group private
practice; and concepts and procedures for determining outcomes,
accountability, and cost containment.
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 530 - Ethics and Professional
Conduct in Counseling and Psychotherapy
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
COUN 544 - Counseling Techniques
COUN 561 - Introduction to Psychological Testing
C. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS FOR MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS
1. general principles and practices of
etiology, diagnosis, treatment, referral, and prevention of mental and
emotional disorders and dysfunctional behavior, including addictive
behaviors;
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
COUN 561 - Introduction to
Psychological Testing
PSY 531 - Psychopathology
PSY 532 - Child Psychopathology
2. general principles and practices for the promotion of optimal human development and mental health;
COUN 544 - Counseling Techniques
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
3. specific principles and models of
biopsychosocial assessments, case conceptualization, and theories of
human development and concepts of psychopathology leading to diagnoses
and appropriate treatment plans;
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 553A,B,C, D - Internship in
Mental Health Counseling
COUN 561 - Introduction to
Psychological Testing
PSY 531 - Psychopathology
PSY 532 - Child Psychopathology
4. knowledge of the principles of
diagnosis and the use of current diagnostic tools, including the
current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual;
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
COUN 561 - Introduction to
Psychological Testing
PSY 531 - Psychopathology
PSY 532 - Child Psychopathology
5. application of modalities for
initiating, maintaining, and terminating counseling and psychotherapy
with mentally and emotionally impaired clients, including the use of
crisis intervention and brief, intermediate, and long-term approaches;
PSY 532 - Child Psychopathology
COUN 544 - Counseling Techniques
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
COUN 553A,B,C, D - Internship in
Mental Health Counseling
6. basic classifications, indications,
and contraindications of commonly prescribed psychopharmacological
medications so that appropriate referrals can be made for medication
evaluations and identifying effects and side effects of such
medications;
PSY 538 - Psychopharmacology
7. principles and guidelines of
conducting an intake interview, a mental status evaluation, a
biopsychosocial history, a mental health history, and a psychological
assessment for treatment planning and caseload management;
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
COUN 553A,B,C, D - Internship in
Mental Health Counseling
PSY 531 - Psychopathology
PSY 532 - Child Psychopathology
8. knowledge and provision of clinical supervision, including counselor development;
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
9. the application of concepts of
mental health education, consultation, collaboration, outreach and
prevention strategies, and community mental health advocacy; and
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 544 - Counseling Techniques
COUN 523/545 - Applied Practices II
COUN 553A,B,C, D - Internship in
Mental Health Counseling
10. effective strategies for
influencing public policy and government relations on local, state, and
national levels to enhance funding and programs that affect mental
health services in general, and the practice of mental health
counseling in particular.
COUN 507 - Principles and Practices of Mental Health Counseling
COUN 553A,B,C, D - Internship in
Mental Health Counseling
PSY 532 - Child Psychopathology
D. CLINICAL INSTRUCTION
For the Mental Health Counseling
Program, the 600 clock hour internship (Standard III.H) occurs in a
mental health setting, under the supervision of a site supervisor as
defined by Section III, Standard C.1-2. The requirement includes a
minimum of 240 direct service clock hours. Beyond these 600 clock
hours, the Mental Health Counseling program requires an
additional 300 clock hours of internship in a mental health setting
under the appropriate clinical supervision of a site supervisor as
defined above. This requirement includes a minimum of 120 direct
service clock hours. Therefore, the total requirement for a mental
health counseling internship is a minimum of 900 clock hours of
supervised experience in an appropriate setting, which includes a
minimum of 360 direct service clock hours.
The program must clearly define and
measure the outcomes expected of interns, using appropriate
professional resources that address Standards A, B, and C (Mental
Health Counseling Programs).
Students pursuing this area of emphasis are required to do an
internship that normally spans at least two semesters, and sometimes
three. Students typically spend between 20 and 40 hours per week
on-site, until the required 900 hours is completed (360 direct contact
hours, and 540 on-site hours). Students are placed in settings which
are consistent with the emphasis in Mental Health counseling, and they
meet with site supervisors and faculty supervisors weekly for
consultation and supervision. More details regarding internship
requirements for Mental Health counseling students can be found here.
Students are evaluated according to the above listed standards via
formative procedures throughout their experience by site and faculty
supervisors. Summative evaluations are accomplished
using comprehensive exams, which include a clinical case study,
and the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE: see here for recent data).
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