12 Mental Healthcare Masters Degree Programs in North America

This program is based on an integrated curriculum intended to produce clinicians trained in theory, research, and clinical skills. Students accepted into the Master of Arts program can elect to specialize in mental health counseling or mental health counseling with a forensic psychology concentration.

Mental Health Counseling provides graduate level professional training for mental health counseling licensure with a strong commitment to an evolving multicultural society. The School of Psychology and Counseling monitors the mental health licensing standards of both Massachusetts and Puerto Rico. The course work, field practicum and internship in Puerto Rico conform to Puerto Rico regulations and licensure requirements.

As a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), you'll be qualified to diagnose and treat acute episodic and chronic mental illnesses. You'll be trained to focus on patient wellness through health promotion/disease prevention, teaching, and coaching. Christian moral and ethical principles serve as the guide for care-giving, communication, collaboration, and decision-making as a PMHNP. Our program is offered in both full- and part-time settings through an online format. Students have the opportunity to complete clinical requirements in nationally-ranked clinical facilities throughout the Lehigh Valley. You'll experience a broad range of clinical settings including hospitals, care facilities, and hospital-to-clinic settings. Clinical Placements are coordinated by the University. Students outside our region are responsible for their own clinical placement.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program prepares graduates to work with clients across a spectrum of mental and emotional disorders, as well as to promote mental health and wellness. Clients may be served individually, as families, or in group settings.

Mental Health and School Counseling trains professional counselors to work within the school culture and in clinical settings, serving the guidance and mental health needs of PreK-12 students and their families. The program emphasizes the role of the school counselor in reducing barriers in the multicultural 21st century: a group worker skilled in developmental guidance, a broker of educational and community resources, an interpreter of assessment tools, and a consultant to students, parents, and staff. Students are prepared to meet the licensing standards of the Massachusetts Board of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professionals, and of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Adler University’s Master of Arts (M.A.) in Forensic Mental Health Leadership program prepares individuals to become socially responsible leaders, consultants and agents for change in forensic mental health and related public safety fields. Students in this program will gain new skills and strategies to use research-driven data to address the social issues, shifting cultural landscapes, increased public scrutiny, and the growing demand for increased accountability and transparency from the communities and stakeholders they serve.

The clinical mental health counseling program at Valparaiso University serves as an ethical and professional point of entry for individuals from diverse populations interested in acquiring the requisite skills associated with becoming a licensed professional counselor.

The MEd in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Springfield College provides students with a solid foundation of counseling theory and skills. With a strong focus on practice, students are offered opportunities for practicums and internships, along with classes taught by clinically experienced faculty, to prepare them to become licensed mental health counselors. Our program offers full courses in psychopharmacology; assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning; and crisis intervention. Our students graduate grounded in the theoretical bases of behavior—from the biological and psychological to cognitive and social perspectives—which positions students to pursue and fully achieve their professional career goals. Students develop self-awareness, empathic and empowering attitudes, and an understanding of a broad range of counseling principles and skills to bridge theory and effective practice.

Mental health counseling is a growing specialty in the U.S. Our program helps you master skills in counseling theory, diagnostic and other assessment procedures, treatment planning, inter-professional collaboration, crisis intervention, client advocacy, education and training, and case management. You can also apply to become a Certified Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor Trainee.

Asbury Seminary’s 75-hour Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling allows you to pursue an understanding of wholeness, boundaries, ethics and diversity through theory and practice as you train to become a professional counselor. Within the degree, you’ll understand and integrate a biblical and theological understanding with historical and contemporary theories to meet the professional standards of accrediting agencies.

Students in this program have opportunities to learn through a variety of teaching methodologies including class discussions, role-playing, small group work, case-study analyses, and classroom simulations. Students then apply this knowledge in supervised clinical settings.

The BVU Counseling Program prepares a community of ethical and culturally-competent practitioners who reduce suffering, promote wellbeing, empower individuals and families across the lifespan, challenge inequities and contribute to the counselling profession and society in meaningful ways.