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Counseling Program Overview

The programs leading to a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Master of Arts in counseling with school counseling certification preparation are designed to prepare master’s level counseling practitioners for the clinical and school settings. Both programs are approved by Higher Learning Commission. The MA in Counseling, school counseling certification preparation is approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Both programs provide students with a broad base of psychological knowledge and theory integrated with extensive training and practice in the use of counseling skills. Graduates of the clinical mental health program and the counseling program with school certification preparation are qualified to work in a variety of school and/or mental health settings with individuals, groups, and families.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling, MA

The clinical mental health counseling program (CMHC) provides students with a broad base of psychological knowledge and theory integrated with extensive training and practice in the use of counseling skills. Graduates of CMHC program are qualified to work in a variety of mental health settings with individuals, groups, and families. The CMHC program is intensive and comprehensive, requiring a minimum of 60 credit hours of coursework and applied experience.

Admission to the CMHC counseling program is selective. To be considered for admission applicants must submit the following:

  • Evidence of an earned bachelor's degree
  • All undergraduate and graduate transcripts
  • Completed application to Graduate Admissions
  • Current résumé
  • Achieved a minimum of 3.0 cumulative GPA in the highest degree earned and earned a minimum 3.0 during any graduate coursework
  • Three professional references (contact information)
  • Completed writing sample in response to department prompts assessing counselor program readiness and earned with a minimum score of 12 or higher on the CMHC writing sample rubric
    • CMHC core unit faculty and the Department Head review the completed applications once received from Admissions. Each core faculty will evaluate the writing sample, based on the CMHC writing sample rubric. If there is a tie, the Department Chair will discuss and review the application in its entirety with the faculty, and make an admission determination. Faculty will consider all application pieces when making a decision regarding admission to the CMHC Program.

The CMHC department admits new students in spring and fall terms.

The CMHC department will notify students of their admission decisions prior to the start of the term for which they are seeking enrollment.

If candidates are denied admission, they may appeal to the College of Education and Human Services Appeals Committee.

Counseling, MA

48 credit hours

The school counseling program has the option for candidates to complete coursework for MO k-12 school counselor certification and, if desired, professional licensure. Graduates of the master’s in counseling program are qualified to work in a variety of schools and other settings.

The Master of Arts in counseling program is intensive and comprehensive, requiring a minimum of 48 credit hours of coursework and applied experience.

Admission to the counseling program school counseling certification preparation (48 credit hours) is selective. To be considered for admission applicants must submit the following:

  • Evidence of an earned bachelor's degree
  • Completed application to Graduate Admissions
  • Current résumé with 3 professional references
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better at the highest degree awarded

The American Counseling Association code of ethics (2014) requires that institutions providing counselor education screen students for professional, personal, and academic fit within the profession of counseling. Completion and graduation from the MA in counseling programs require successful completion of all graduate courses with appropriate academic success; development of appropriate interpersonal and counseling skills evidencing competency as a counselor; and being deemed fit for the counseling profession by program faculty as determined by development of counseling knowledge, skills, and counselor formation, interpersonal relations with others in the program, and openness to supervision and feedback.

Acceptance into the MA in counseling program is required in order for potential counseling candidates to enroll in the preliminary courses, IPC 51000 Foundations of School Counseling (3) or IPC 51100 Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling (3). These foundations classes will be considered screening classes. Foundations instructors will evaluate all students using the Pre-Service Counselor Candidate Disposition Assessment introduced at the beginning of the Foundations classes (see Program Handbooks at www.lindenwood.edu/counseling) in the middle of the program in counseling theories (IPC 55200 and IPC 55300, respectively) and when enrolled in field and internship experiences. Any student identified by Foundations instructors as lacking clinical or academic potential to develop a career as a clinical mental health or counselor will be referred to the counseling review board to determine whether or not the candidate will continue in the program or receive remedial actions (e.g., personal counseling or an action plan developed by the candidate and the advisor). This review board will be made up of the head of the department, a full-time faculty member, and an adjunct faculty member. The review board will make recommendations to remediate the student. Efforts at remediation will be reviewed again the following semester. If sufficient progress has been made, the student will continue in the program. If the student demonstrates the same or additional deficits, as described above, the student may be removed from the program.

Students admitted to the MA in counseling degree program must attain a 3.0 GPA for the first 12 hours of graduate course work with no grade less than a B nor a report from any instructor, program staff, or advisor for minor or major concerns according to the Pre-Service Counselor Candidate Disposition Assessment. Failure to maintain such standards will result in the candidate being referred to the remediation committee to determine if the student will continue in the program. It is the objective of the counseling program to, as early as possible; identify students who demonstrate difficulty achieving the standards for competent practice and to initiate appropriate intervention to assist them. Thus, the faculty of the counseling program reserves the right to review students at any stage of their coursework. A student earning any grade less than a B in IPC 51000 or IPC 51100, IPC 52400, IPC 55100 or IPC 55300, or IPC 61100, IPC 62000, IPC 63000, (clinical practicum and internships) or IPC 62100, or IPC 62400 (school field placements) will be allowed to repeat the course one time and must earn a grade of B or better to continue in the program. In addition, any instructor may submit a Pre-Service Counselor Candidate Disposition Assessment form to the remediation committee to ensure appropriate professional and clinical disposition and skills are being practiced, during the program. The counseling remediation committee, however initiated, may result in the termination of the student’s degree program or the development of a persistence plan. Persistence plans are developed to ensure skills that are essential to the development of competent and ethical practices as a clinical mental health counselor or as a counselor serving in the schools or professional practice settings.

Completion of the counseling program is contingent on meeting the following criteria:

  1. Maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.0 in Counseling coursework; and

  2. Completing the required number of courses, based on the current curriculum; and

  3. Completing an electronic portfolio

  4. Satisfactory resolution of any disposition documentation provided by candidate's instructors; and

  5. Receiving satisfactory evaluations from site supervisors during internship or field placement experiences; and

  6. Passing the comprehensive examination Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) in the CMHC clinical mental health counseling candidates. Missouri School Counseling students must pass the Missouri Educator Gateway Assessments (MEGA): Missouri School Counseling Content Assessment, test MO056 as an exit requirement.

Note: Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has raised the criteria for certification as a school counselor. State regulations can and do change and all counseling candidates must meet Missouri DESE requirements to complete this Missouri approved certification program. Current Missouri requirements can be found online at http://dese.mo.gov/eq/ and your counseling advisor will help you understand what you are required to do to meet those standards. Currently, a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for all school counseling coursework. 

All students are periodically reviewed to assess their academic progress. Only those students who meet program standards will be allowed to continue.

Students completing the Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling must obtain a minimum of 700 hours of supervised internship experience of which 100 are completed during a Practicum. Internship placements may be arranged with a variety of mental health agencies that provide counseling services to clients that have been approved through the Counseling Department. Internship students receive individual supervision from qualified professionals at their field sites and will also participate in a group supervision course conducted by a faculty member of the Counseling Department. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum and Internship Handbook specifies the details for the practicum and internship experience. 

Students completing the 48 credit hour counseling, school certification preparation program, must obtain a minimum of 400 hours of field placement experience in an approved school setting. The school counseling program now requires 100 hours at an alternative grade level building to qualify for MO DESE k-12 certification. Students completing their field placement experiences receive individual supervision from a certified school counselor at their site and will participate in a group supervision course conducted by a faculty member of the Counseling Department. The School Counseling Handbook specifies the details for both field placement experiences.

Exit requirements vary by program. Brief descriptions of the exit requirements are provided in the following sections. Further information regarding exit requirements is provided in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Handbook and the School Counseling Handbook.

Background Check

Some states will not provide a clinical mental health counseling license to those with a failed background check. If an applicant or student has questions regarding such, the student should check with the state clinical mental health counseling licensure board, preferably prior to applying to the MA in counseling program. A conviction, guilty plea, or nolo contendere plea involving a crime involving drugs, moral turpitude, or other criminal charges may prohibit licensure or employment as a school or professional counselor.

Students submitting applications for Missouri field placements in school counseling are required to apply for a Missouri substitute certificate, Type 70 and a Family Care Safety Registry application. Students are responsible for all associated fees. 

Also, note that some professional internship sites require completion of a background check prior to commitment to the internship. All background checks are at the expense of the student.

Citizenship/authorized alien/immigrant status is now a prerequisite for a professional license by an agency of a State or local government under Title 8 US Code Section 1621.