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M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling
The Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program at University of Western States (UWS) is designed for students who want to diagnose and treat those with mental health disorders as licensed counselors.
The comprehensive, systems-based approach to the curriculum covers eight core content areas and special courses in trauma, addiction, couples and families, and psychopharmacology. Students will cover professional counseling orientation and ethical practice; social and cultural diversity; human growth and development; career development; counseling and helping relationships; group counseling and group work; assessment and testing; and research and program evaluation.
Upon completion of the program, students in the MS-CMHC will be able to:
- Create a professional identity based on the philosophies, history, and roles of the clinical mental health counseling profession.
- Apply ethical and legal standards to clinical mental health counseling practices.
- Develop culturally responsive counseling strategies based on their professional evaluation of the cultural context of relationships, issues, and trends of a multicultural society.
- Apply effective advocacy strategies to enhance clinical mental health services.
- Synthe theories of human growth and development to create differentiated counseling interventions that promote resilience, optimum development, and wellness across the lifespan.
- Create a career development plan to assess and develop client skills appropriate to their work, relationships, and wellbeing.
- Integrate theories and best practices related to trauma-informed and community-based strategies to appropriately meet the needs of diverse clients.
- Develop culturally responsive treatment and/or intervention plans with measurable outcomes for clients.
- Apply theoretical foundations, group processes, and developmental dynamics, and therapeutic factors to effectively lead group counseling.
- Implement evidence-based assessment techniques appropriate for mental health counseling professionals to diagnose developmental, behavioral, and mental health disorders in diverse clients.
- Assess mental health counseling research to inform clinical practice.
