Gain your master’s degree and jumpstart your career as a clinical mental health counselor. Our graduate program prepares professionals to work with a variety of clients within mental health agencies, community counseling agencies, employee assistance programs, day treatment, and inpatient hospital settings, and private practice.
Our master’s degree is organized around core foundation courses, an intensive on-campus practicum training clinic experience, interpersonal growth experiences, advanced theory and practice courses, and a culminating half-time field internship placement.
Our program consists of 90 graduate credits designed to meet CACREP national accreditation standards for professional counselors and the academic degree requirements to become licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Oregon and other states.
Program objectives
PO1: Graduates will demonstrate skills and competencies related to foundational concepts of clinical mental health including: relevant history, theories, diagnosis and treatment planning, etiology of substance use and mental health concerns, and psychological assessment.
PO2: Graduates will demonstrate skills and competencies necessary for understanding the roles and functions of a clinical mental health counselor across a variety of mental health settings and with a diverse population of communities in accordance with legally and ethically sound modalities.
PO3: Graduates will demonstrate skills and competencies of practice by actively participating in direct clinical service, consultation, and clinical supervision.
PSU is the public research university for the Portland metro area. PSU is also known for its commitment to forward-thinking progress, inclusive goals, and supporting diverse communities. Because of this, CMHC offers a broad range of clinical experiences infused with a social justice lens.
All aspects of the program, including coursework, are grounded in educational and counseling theory. Our field experiences provide profound and transformative learning experiences, allowing you to put your learning into action throughout the three-year program.
Provide diagnostic and intervention services to a wide variety of clients seeking personal and mental health counseling in the following settings:
- Public mental health agencies
- Public and private community counseling agencies
- Employee assistance programs
- Day treatment and inpatient hospital setting
- Psychiatric hospitals
- Private practice
- Group practice
- Community colleges and universities
Accreditation
This program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP).