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Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Master of Arts

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Program Overview

Follow your passion for helping others.

You care about people. You’re committed to justice. You believe in helping those who are marginalized within our society. If those three statements describe you, clinical mental health counseling may be the perfect career for you.

Whether you’re a student or a working professional, our two-year clinical mental health counseling master’s program is a great next step in your life. With small class sizes and personal attention from our professors, not only will you feel part of a close-knit community — you’ll be seen and heard as a whole person.

Agnes Scott College’s master’s in clinical mental health counseling is valuable, convenient and offers a clear path to employment.

Students have the ability to choose between a daytime or evening cohort. You’ll complete most of your courses as a full-time student on campus. After 60 credit hours, you’ll be on track for licensure in a myriad of clinical mental health counseling careers.

The clinical mental health counseling master’s program sets you up for success: Upon completion, you’ll be qualified to take the required licensure exam to apply to the state to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

Clinical mental health counseling graduate student speaking in class

What You'll Learn

At Agnes Scott College, our master’s in clinical mental health counseling follows an intersectional approach. What does this mean?

In all our courses, we support your desire to work with diverse populations, to celebrate the importance of identity and to view people through a holistic lens.

An intersectional approach not only allows clinicians to see people with all their diverse identities, but also to see the impact of oppression and discrimination on people in our society.

Our clinical mental health counseling faculty are clinicians, researchers and scholars. Their counseling and scholarship focus is on race, sexuality and gender, among many other issues. When you enter our clinical mental health counseling master’s program, you’ll feel empowered in the classroom, you’ll be actively engaged and you’ll have leadership opportunities.

A master’s in clinical mental health counseling is the solid foundation you need to help change people’s lives for the better. After you complete your studies, you’ll be prepared to:

  • Effectively meet the changing mental health needs of our society
  • Provide supportive individual and group counseling, across generations and cultures
  • Assess, evaluate and promote the emotional needs of individuals

Program Highlights: Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Program Mission and Objectives: Become a Champion for Social Justice

Mission Statement of the Program

In conjunction with the Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate Studies mission statement, the clinical mental health counseling program educates students, more specifically future counselors, to think critically about barriers to achieving mental health, creatively engage with clients to achieve their goals in counseling, and courageously make meaningful impact as a counselor with clients, in their communities, and on systems. The clinical mental health counseling program is dedicated to providing education that assists counselors to successfully apply for licensure.

Program Objectives:

Students completing the Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling will be able to:

  • Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge in the social and behavioral sciences and its application to the profession of mental health counseling.
  • Engage in the delivery of counseling and helping skills including individual and group counseling, supervision, testing, interviewing, diagnosis, and assessment in an effort to promote emotional health and well-being.
  • Articulate the role of the professional mental health counselor within organizations (e.g., human service agencies, educational settings) based on populations served.
  • Use research and evaluation in the delivery of counseling services in a wide variety of settings (i.e., community agency, school, or organization).
  • Enhance ability to work with individuals, groups, and communities representing diverse populations and to deliver ethical and culturally responsive mental health services.

Prepare to Become an LPC

You’ll appreciate our full-time, in-person program at Agnes Scott, where students attend classes for five consecutive semesters, including summer. This way, you can complete your coursework in just two years as you work towards becoming an LPC.

During your clinical mental health counseling master’s program, you’ll complete a practicum and internships that can lead to full-time work. As a program perk, you can track your clinical hours and evaluations through Tevera, an online assessment and data management tool. In fact, you’ll have lifetime access to Tevera to streamline documentation when applying for licensure.

After you graduate, you’ll be well-prepared to sit for the licensure exam required to apply to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Our committed faculty members will help you register and guide you throughout the entire process.

Apply today for our clinical mental health counseling master's program.

Our Intersectional Framework

Agnes Scott has a clear mission: social justice. When you view others as complex people, you become a more effective and empathetic person and counselor.

Our master’s in clinical mental health counseling shines a light on the mental health component of counseling — and our program goes further and reaches deeper. Our clinical mental health counseling faculty guides you to see people through a holistic lens.

In our clinical mental health counseling master’s program, we train future counselors to understand how the experiences of marginalization and oppression impact clients. Our intersectional approach to mental health and counseling — including a specialized focus on race, gender and sexuality — is part of every course.

Our curriculum prepares you for rewarding clinical mental health counseling careers. We empower you as an Agnes Scott student to enter the world ready to help others.

Explore our Curriculum

Meet the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Faculty

Danielle Dunkley

Danielle Dunkley

Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Regina Finan

Regina Finan

Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Jennifer Fulling-Smith

Jennifer Fulling-Smith

Director and Assoc. Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Mary Huffstead

Mary E. Huffstead

Assistant Professor and Clinical Site Coordinator of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

C. Peeper McDonald '09

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Mary Chase Mize

Mary Chase Mize

Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Amber Norman

Amber Norman

Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

professor Joel Thomas

Joel Thomas

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Counselor speaking in session

Internship and Practicum Sites

Experiences to engage and develop the skills learned in the classroom are important components to becoming a licensed practitioner. Clinical Mental Health Counseling students begin their counseling practicum work during the summer semester, followed by two semesters of internships to foster each student's professional and personal development.

Learn about our site partners

Careers in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Graduates of our program will be prepared to sit for the licensure exam to apply to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). With clinical mental health counseling licensure, you may choose to work in a hospital setting, in private practice, in community agencies or within a school system.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook is promising for clinical mental health counseling careers. In fact, most clinical mental health counseling jobs are expected to grow by 22%, which is far more than the average for all occupations.

Program Outcomes

The inaugural graduating class was 18 students. 82% of the inaugural cohort graduated in two years from the start of the program. 90% of students in the inaugural cohort have completed or will complete their degree. 100% of graduates passed their comprehensive exam in our program, and the mean was a standard deviation above the national average.

Annual Report for AY 2023-2024

  • Child and adolescent counseling
  • Couples and family counseling
  • Drug and substance abuse counseling
  • Mental health counselor
  • Counselor in a school system

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