Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

On this page:

• Why Choose Clinical Mental Health Counseling?
• Careers
• Real-World Experience
• Success Stories
• Academics and Curriculum
• Admission
• Practicum
• Internship
• Program Outcomes

Why Choose Clinical Mental Health Counseling?

You will learn theories and techniques for counseling individuals, families and groups, and administration and interpretation of psychometric assessment. The College of Education and Human Services Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) through October 31, 2022. Learn more about CACREP Accreditation. Note: You will be evaluated for endorsement by department faculty for demonstrating, ethical, academic, and clinical competence in the professional orientation. 

This degree qualifies you to earn professional counseling licensure (LPC) in Ohio (https://cswmft.ohio.gov/) by taking the National Counseling Exam (NCE). Licensure and certification requirements vary from state to state, and we have not determined if this program meets educational requirements outside of Ohio.  If you are planning to pursue professional licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please contact the appropriate licensing entity in that state to seek information and guidance regarding that state’s licensure or certification requirements.

CMHC Narrative Report

Last year, there were 33 graduates of Wright State University's CMHC program. Our graduates consistently achieve high pass rates on licensing examinations. The pass rate for graduates taking the NCE examination in the 2018-19 school year was 80 percent. Of the admitted students, 85 percent graduate from the program in the expected time period and 86 percent of those program graduates responding to surveys were employed in the field within six months of graduation. 

Year: 2018
Current Students: 83
Number of Graduates: 33
Completion Rate: 85%*
2018-19 NCE Exam Pass Rate: 80%
Placement: 86%**

*Represents the percentage of students that graduated within the 3-year expected time frame. Many students exceed this time frame due to balancing full-time jobs and family responsibilities.
**Represents the percentage of students who were employed in the field at graduation. 17 out of 28 graduates responded to a request for this information. 

Contact Information

Program Faculty Advisors:

Related Links

• Graduate Student Handbook (PDF)
• Department of Human Services graduate counseling program FAQs

Careers

Mental health counselors work in a variety of settings including hospitals, prisons, private practices, mental health centers, and community health centers.  Employment opportunities for Mental health counselors are projected to grow 22 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than average (bls.gov).  

Almost 84 percent of our 2018-2019 Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduates were employed in the State of Ohio within a year of graduation (ODJFS Data Match, 2019). 

The College of Education and Human Services has provided a dedicated career consultant to assist you in connecting your major to a career. The career consultant focuses on staying up to date on career trends in education, kinesiology and health, leadership, and human services. Our assigned career consultant is an extension of services offered through Wright State’s Career Services.   

Real-World Experience

You will practice and build skills in both a required practicum and an internship.

Success Stories

A voice for the people The education Joyce Beatty received as a grad student at Wright State helped her to make a difference throughout her distinguished career.

Balancing act Stevie Lamblin performs with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company while pursuing master’s degree in clinical mental health at Wright State.

The People of Wright State

Academics and Curriculum

View the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program information and degree requirements in the Academic Catalog.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program of Study (PDF)

Admission

Admission Deadlines

The graduate counseling and rehabilitation counseling programs review and admit new students twice a year. You are eligible to begin your program the following semester after you are admitted (i.e., if you are admitted in the fall, you are eligible to begin taking classes during the spring semester, and so on.) The deadline to have all required application materials submitted to The Graduate School is as follows: 

• Summer 2021 or Fall 2021: December 1, 2020 
• Spring 2022: August 7, 2021
• Only complete applications will be forward to the Department of Human Services office for review. Please check with the Graduate School at 937-775-2976 to determine if your application is complete. After department review, successful candidates will be invited to a required group interview (successful candidates will receive an invitation via mail). Group interview details are provided in the invitation letter. 

Admission Requirements

• 2.7 cumulative minimum GPA or better, and GRE score of 291 (Q&V sections combined) or MAT scaled score of 403

OR

• 3.3 cumulative minimum GPA

*Applicants can also be admitted conditionally if cumulative GPA is between 2.3 and 2.7

Admission Process

Practicum

• Practicum and Internship Prerequisites (PDF)
• Semester Schedule (PDF)
• Graduate Counseling Practicum Manual (PDF)

CNL 8650: Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum Requirements

Average of seven clock hours per week for fall and spring semesters and nine clock hours per week for summer semester are required for a minimum of 100 total clock hours on site. Of these 100 hours, 40 are required to be direct contact with clients (individual, couple, marriage and family and or group counseling, appraisal and consultation). At least 25 percent of the direct contact time should be individual counseling and at least 25 percent group counseling, e.g., it could be 45 percent individual, 45 percent group and 10 percent assessment, or any combination. A minimum of one clock hour per week of direct face-to-face supervision with the LPCC-S site supervisor is required. 

Prerequisites

• CNL 6010 Counseling Theory and Practice 
• CNL 6020* Techniques of Counseling 
• CNL 6030 Statistics, Research and Program Evaluation for Counseling 
• CNL 7230 Assessment and Evaluation in Counseling 
• CNL 6200 Clinical Pathology in Counseling 
• CNL 6210 Crisis Counseling 
• CNL 6220 Group Background and Theory OR CNL 7220 Group Process in Counseling 
• CNL 7240 Career Counseling and Development 
• CNL 7260 Marriage and Family Counseling 
• CNL 7261 Systems Theory 
• CNL 7270 Counseling for Life-Span Development 
• CNL 7280 Legal, Professional, and Ethical Issues in Counseling 
• CNL 7290 Multicultural Counseling 

Application for Practicum

Appendix

• Submit an application (Appendix 1), proof of liability insurance, an unofficial academic advising report, and a copy of the program of study, by the dates specified below for each semester of CNL 8670. 
• Complete and submit the application (Appendix 2), Counseling Practicum Contract/ Memo of Understanding (Appendix 3) – CNL 8650. 

Applications and paperwork apply for one semester only. A student MUST apply each semester they plan to register for Internship. The student must supply verification of liability insurance at the time of each application. A photocopy of the insurance application and check will not fulfill this requirement. The student can provide a copy of the policy or anything that states their name and the dates they will be covered by the insurance. Student applications to join the American Counseling Association (ACA) and applications for ACA Professional Liability Insurance are available in 108 Allyn Hall. The student may also join the AMHCA for Professional Liability Insurance. 

Practicum Requirements

• On-Site Requirements Individual and Group Practicum (CNL 8650): The student is required to spend a minimum of seven hours per week* (for a minimum total of 100 hours per semester) at their site; however, a site may require additional hours. Of the 100 hours, a minimum 40 hours must involve direct client contact. Of these 40 hours, at least 25 percent (10 hours) must be of individual counseling and at least 25 percent (10 hours) must be of group counseling. The remaining 50 percent (20 hours) may be a combination of counseling: individuals, groups, couples, families, consultation, and appraisal. In addition, one hour per week must be direct individual supervision of the practicum student by the site supervisor. For purposes of critique and evaluation, a minimum of one audio or videotaping per week is required. Intake interviews alone will not fulfill these requirements. Students have the responsibility for following site procedures, both for securing permission to tape and ensuring the confidentiality of the obtained tape. Students are strongly encouraged to exceed the minimum number of required counseling hours per week. 
•  Site supervisors must have a master's degree in counseling or a related profession with equivalent qualifications, Ohio licensure as a professional clinical counselor with supervising status (LPCC-S) with the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (OCSWMFT), and a minimum of two years of pertinent professional experience in the program area the student is completing practicum.

*Wright State summer sessions are 12-week semesters. Students registered for practicum during a summer semester will be required to spend a minimum of nine hours per week at their site to obtain the minimum 100 hours required for practicum. 

Practicum Appendices

• Appendix 1 (Application) (Online Form)
• Appendix 2 (Practicum Contract) (PDF)
• Appendix 3 (Practicum Site Supervisor Information) (PDF)
• Appendix 4 (Practicum Site Information) (PDF)
• Appendix 5 (Site Supervisor Evaluation of Practicum Student, C.M.H.C.) (PDF)
• Appendix 6 (Student's Evaluation of Practicum Site) (PDF)
• Appendix 7 (Time Log, Traditional Format) (PDF)
• Appendix 7 (Time Log, Electronic Format) (Excel File)
• Appendix 8 (Counselor Trainee (CT) Status) (PDF)

*Note: these appendices and the information regarding them can be found in the practicum manual. 

Internship

• Graduate Counseling Internship Manual (PDF)

CNL 8670: Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The student is required to complete 6 credit hours of CNL 8670 for a minimum of 600 clock hours at their internship site with a minimum of 240 direct client contact clock hours (individual, couple, marriage and family and or group counseling, appraisal and consultation). One credit hour equals 100 clock hours on site. This may be accomplished in one of the following sequences below for the 15-week Fall and Spring semesters. The following are minimum internship requirements. 

Prerequisites

In addition to completing the requirements for practicum, the practicum (CNL 8650) must be completed. 

Applications and paperwork apply for one semester only. The student MUST apply each semester they plan to register for Internship. The student must supply verification of liability insurance at the time of each application. A photocopy of the insurance application and check will not fulfill this requirement. The student can provide a copy of the policy or anything that states their name and the dates that they will be covered by the insurance. Student applications to join the American Counseling Association (ACA) and applications for ACA Professional Liability Insurance are available in 108 Allyn Hall. Students may also join the AMHCA for Professional Liability Insurance. 

Summer Semester and Fall Semester- February 15 

Internship Requirements

Please refer to the practicum and internship PowerPoint presentation on the DHS homepage for additional information. The following procedures are required to register for CNL 8670: 

• Submit an internship application (Appendix 1), proof of liability insurance, an unofficial academic advising report, and a copy of the program of study, by the dates specified below for each semester of CNL 8670: 

Last semester Internship submissions:

• Content Knowledge Strand: National Counselors Examination (NBC) exams or department comprehensive exam results (evidence of passing) 

Pedagogical Content Knowledge Strand:

• CNL 8650 and CNL 8670 Site Supervisor Practicum and Internship Evaluations (Appendix 5). 
• Completed Impact on Client Needs forms that reflect successful interventions (Appendix 9). 
• Graded CNL 9530 Case Conceptualization assignment (this requirement is for Clinical Mental Health Students only). 

Last semester of enrollment students must submit the following key assessments:

• Content Knowledge Strand: PC or department comprehensive exam results 
• Pedagogical Content Knowledge Strand: CNL 8650 and CNL 8670 Site Supervisor Practicum and Internship Evaluation. Completed Impact on Client Needs forms that show successful intervention(s). 

Internship may be accomplished in one of the following sequences:

Sequence 1: 2 credit hours per semester (for 3 semesters)

• A minimum of 14 clock hours per week on site for fall and spring semester, and 17 clock hours per week on site for summer semester (minimum 200 clock hours per semester). 
• A minimum of 80 direct client contact clock hours. Additional requirements are detailed in the Clinical Mental Health Internship manual. 
• A minimum of one clock hour per week of direct face-to-face supervision with the LPCC-S Site Supervisor. 
• A minimum of 1.5 clock hours per week of group supervision with the university faculty supervisor. 

Sequence 2: 3 credit hours per semester (for 2 semesters)

• A minimum of 20 clock hours per week on site for fall and spring semesters, and 25 clock hours per week for summer semester at the site (300 clock hours minimum per semester). 
• A minimum of 120 direct client contact clock hours. Additional requirements are detailed in the clinical mental health internship manual. 
• A minimum of one clock hour per week of direct face-to-face supervision with the LPCC-S site supervisor. 
• A minimum of 1.5 clock hours per week of group supervision with the university faculty supervisor. 

Sequence 3: 4 credit hour semester (for a combination of 2 credit hours one semester and 4 credit hours another semester)

• A minimum of 27 clock hours per week at the site for fall and spring semester and 34 clock hours per week at the site for summer semester (400 clock hours minimum per semester). 
• A minimum of 160 direct client contact clock hours. Additional requirements are detailed in the clinical mental health internship manual. 
• A minimum of 1.5 clock hour per week of direct face-to-face supervision with the LPCC-S site supervisor per week. 
• A minimum of 1.5 clock hours per week of group supervision with the university faculty supervisor. 

Internship Appendices

• Appendix 1 (Application) (Online Form)
• Appendix 2 (Internship Contract) (PDF)
• Appendix 3 (Internship Site Supervisor Information) (PDF)
• Appendix 4 (Internship Site Information) (PDF)
• Appendix 5 (Site Supervisor Evaluation of Intern, C.M.H.C.) (PDF)
• Appendix 6 (Intern's Evaluation of Site) (PDF)
• Appendix 7 (Time Log, Traditional Format) (PDF)
• Appendix 7 (Time Log, Electronic Format) (Excel File)
• Appendix 8 (Counselor Trainee (CT) Status) (PDF)

*Note: these appendices and the information regarding them can be found in the internship manual. 

Program Outcomes

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

You will learn theories and techniques for counseling individuals, families and groups, and administration and interpretation of psychometric assessment. This major has all the courses required to qualify for admission to the Ohio Professional Counselor licensure exam (NCE).  

Last year, there were 33 graduates of Wright State’s clinical mental health counseling program. Our graduates consistently achieve high pass rates on licensing examinations. The pass rate for graduates taking the NCE examination in 2018-2019 was 80 percent. Of the admitted students, 80 percent graduate from the program during the expected time period. 

Clinical Mental Health Counseling annual assessment report for 2017-2018 (PDF)