The Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) specialty area is a practitioner-oriented program that is designed to prepare students to enter the professional field of clinical mental health counseling. Our program integrates counseling knowledge, skills, and clinical field experiences based on current research and best practices to help students develop their professional identities as clinical mental health counselors. With a sound foundation in counseling and mental health training, graduates will be able to work within a variety of clinical settings such as community mental health centers, day treatment and in-patient hospital settings, employee assistance plans, correctional facilities, foster care agencies, group homes, youth mentoring programs, colleges and universities, and private practice settings. Within these settings, our graduates are equipped to address and resolve personal, familial, and social concerns that interfere with clients’ abilities to lead healthy and productive lives.
The Counseling program at DePaul University includes a rigorous education in multiculturalism and social justice and focuses on training students to become culturally competent practitioners who can serve as advocates and leaders for clients, communities, and the profession. Graduates of our program have become counselors and leaders serving culturally and linguistically diverse populations (e.g., clients who are LGBTQ, of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds, and economically disenfranchised).
Graduates of this specialty area are also competitive for admission into doctoral programs in counseling psychology, counselor education, and other mental health fields as long as they design their coursework and experiences during the program with this focus in mind. Students choosing to further their research knowledge and skills to better prepare for advanced degree programs often complete a master’s thesis or complete research with a faculty advisor.
Program Requirements
The CMHC specialty area is a 90-quarter hour program that requires at least three years to complete. Coursework plus an on-site practicum experience generally make up the first two years of the program, followed by a year of specialty coursework and professional practice in the field.
The course sequence below meets the educational requirements for both the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) as set by the State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). The CMHC specialty area program of study generally meets the licensure requirements for other states; however, certain states have different requirements. It is the responsibility of the student to check with the state licensure board to verify the necessary requirements to be eligible for licensure and to plan on meeting those requirements. State licensure board contact information can be obtained through the American Counseling Association http://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/licensure-requirements.
All incoming first-year counseling students are required to pay a one-time $200 fee for a student account in Tevera. Tevera is an online program management platform used to electronically complete evaluations in multiple counseling classes and to log hours for Practicum and Internship. You will sign up for a Tevera student account during your CSL 452 Intro to Counseling course in the fall of your first year. The $200 fee will post to your student account within a month of registering for a Tevera account.
Course Requirements
Social and Cultural Foundations Courses: 2 courses, 8 quarter hours required, grade of B- or better required
Course List | Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
| SCG 401 | ADVANCED LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT | 4 |
| SCG 410 | INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH: PURPOSES, ISSUES, AND METHODOLOGIES | 4 |
Counseling Courses: 17 courses, 62 quarter hours required, grade of B- or better required
Course List | Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
| CSL 451 | LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN COUNSELING | 4 |
| CSL 452 | INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNSELING PROFESSION | 4 |
| CSL 454 | CAREER COUNSELING | 4 |
| CSL 458 | GROUP COUNSELING | 4 |
| CSL 461 | TESTING AND APPRAISAL | 4 |
| CSL 466 | ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT OF CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY | 4 |
| CSL 467 | COUNSELING THEORIES | 4 |
| CSL 483 | COUNSELING INTERVENTIONS AND TREATMENT PLANNING | 4 |
| CSL 484 | ISSUES IN CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING | 4 |
| CSL 485 | SEXUALITY COUNSELING | 4 |
| CSL 489 | PSYCHOPATHOLOGY | 4 |
| CSL 501 | COUNSELING SKILLS | 4 |
| CSL 510 | MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING | 4 |
| CSL 511 | SUPERVISION | 1 |
| CSL 513 | CONSULTATION FOR COUNSELORS | 1 |
| CSL 515 | CRISIS INTERVENTION AND TRAUMA COUNSELING | 4 |
| CSL 556 | COUPLES AND FAMILY COUNSELING | 4 |
Elective Courses: 8 quarter hours required, grade of B- or better required
Course List | Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
| CSL 480 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN COUNSELING | 1 |
| CSL 481 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN COUNSELING: | 2 |
| CSL 482 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN COUNSELING: | 4 |
Students may also take elective courses in another program approved by an advisor.
Practicum and Internship: 3 courses, 12 hours; grade of B or better is required
Course List | Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
| CSL 552 | PRACTICUM IN COUNSELING | 4 |
| CSL 553 | INTERNSHIP IN COUNSELING I | 4 |
| CSL 554 | INTERNSHIP IN COUNSELING II | 4 |
Choose one: Thesis (MA) or Capstone (MEd)
Master of Arts (MA) Degree Requirements: Non-credit, non-tuition, grade of B- or better required
Course List | Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
| CSL 559 | THESIS RESEARCH IN COUNSELING | 0 |
The Master’s Thesis is written in conjunction with CSL 553 and CSL 554 and with faculty advisement. Enrollment in CSL 559 and an oral defense of the thesis are required. Consult the MA Thesis Handbook for additional information.
Master of Education (MEd) Degree Requirements
Capstone project with faculty supervision written in conjunction with CSL 552, CSL 553, and CSL 554. Does not require additional course enrollment.
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