Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology PROGRAM (MA)

Graduates of the MA in Counseling Psychology program will have fulfilled all the educational requirements to qualify for LMHC licensure in Massachusetts.

Mental Health Counselors provide invaluable services to individuals, groups, families, and systems.

Employment of mental health counselors is expected to grow by 30 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. Mental health counselors will be needed to staff statewide networks that are being established to improve services for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and for their families. Under managed care systems, insurance companies are increasingly providing for reimbursement of counselors as a less costly alternative to psychiatrists and psychologists.

Program Overview

This program prepares graduates to function as mental health counselors after two years of full-time study. In addition to the standard coursework, there are opportunities to pursue concentrated elective coursework to acquire knowledge and skills relevant to working in particular settings or with specific populations. Although the primary goal is to prepare master’s level clinicians, this program will also provide students with some of the necessary foundations for pursuing further graduate study. Graduates of this program will have fulfilled all educational requirements to qualify for licensure in the state of Massachusetts as a Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).

“Societal needs for accessible health care providers have risen dramatically. This has produced a critical call for master’s level clinicians to provide such mental health services, particularly to populations that are typically underserved and for whom access to health care services has traditionally been limited.”

—Nilda Clark, PsyD
Director, Counseling and Forensic & Counseling Psychology

Program Philosophy

MSPP integrates rigorous academic instruction with extensive field education and professional development assistance. We believe that the best learning comes from integrating classroom knowledge with hands-on experience. The curriculum provides for an understanding of theory, training, and practice of counseling psychology. We emphasize the development of professionals who are committed to the ethical provisions of quality services to culturally diverse clients, agencies, and organizations.

“The curriculum is experiential, interactive, innovative... it extends the bounds of what one would consider educational opportunity and you can feel it in the classroom, you can feel it when you walk into the building. It’s alive.”

—Kina Dean, Counseling Psychology Program

Program Outcomes

Our Mental Health Counselors work in a wide range of settings. Among these are community mental health centers, hospitals and clinics, residential treatment centers, substance abuse treatment facilities, college and university counseling centers, employee assistance programs, managed behavioral health care organizations, government agencies, elder care facilities, and faith communities, as well as independent practice.

Demographics & Data

Counselors held about 635,000 jobs in 2006. Employment was distributed among the counseling specialties as follows:

Educational, vocational, and school counselors	260,000
Rehabilitation counselors	141,000
Mental health counselors	100,000
Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors	83,000
Marriage and family therapists	25,000
Counselors, all other	27,000

Overall employment of counselors is expected to increase by 21 percent between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. However, growth is expected to vary by specialty.

Employment of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors is expected to grow 34 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. As society becomes more knowledgeable about addiction, it is increasingly common for people to seek treatment. Furthermore, drug offenders are increasingly being sent to treatment programs rather than jail.

Marriage and family therapists will experience growth of 30 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This is due in part to an increased recognition of the field. It is more common for people to seek help for their marital and family problems than it was in the past.

www.bls.gov/OCO/ocos067.htm

Updated 5/20/10