Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, MA (low-residency)

Master of Arts in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling (low-residency)
Location: AU Seattle
Credits for Degree: 90 quarter credits
Standard Mode of Instruction: Classroom or low-residency/online
Standard time to completion: 39 months

Program Overview

The low residency Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program is based on the current Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Antioch University Seattle that has been accredited since 2012 by COUNCIL FOR ACCREDITATION OF COUNSELING RELATED EDUCATION PROGRAMS (CACREP). The curriculum meets the highest standards in counselor training and supervision with advanced competencies in multicultural counseling, evidence-based practices, and clinical competencies.

At a total of 90 graduate credits, the low residency CMHC program provides a structure and set of experiences to help students develop the intellectual and relational capacities needed to understand and work with others in the professional practice of counseling empowering diverse individuals, families, and groups. With a greater emphasis on multicultural counseling competence and mental liberation, the program will also equip student to address community and institutional inequities consistent with a social justice counseling orientation. These goals are accomplished through a combination of required coursework, electives, practical experience, and a supervised internship. Concentrations in Addiction Counseling, Trauma Counseling, Advanced Multicultural Counseling, Latinx Mental Health Counseling, Play Therapy, and Human Sexuality are also available.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program exceeds the educational requirements for Washington state licensure in Mental Health Counseling (LMHC), and as an accredited program, meets national curriculum standards described by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP).

Students in Clinical Mental Health Counseling address the following knowledge areas in their graduate studies:

• Graduate-level understanding of fundamental theoretical models of human behavior within the counseling field;
• The ability to make use of research literature and other sources of relevant knowledge, as an integral part of the ongoing responsible practice of counseling;
• Skills in building relationships including the development and deepening of self-awareness, empathy, ethical awareness, social responsibility, and respect for human diversity;
• Graduate-level mastery of counseling skills including an ability to apply one’s knowledge and relationship- building skills to the counseling situation, to think critically about human behavior and the counseling relationship, and to integrate theory with practice in ways which facilitate ethical and effective practice as a counselor; and
• Knowledge of professional development issues, professional organizations and state requirements for practice as a clinical mental health counselor.
• Developed with the working professional in mind, the MA in CMHC is a unique low residence, 3.25-3.5 years to complete, and year-round cohort models. Classes meet on Monday mornings, afternoons and evenings. In addition to the online course work, students will attend two five-day residencies (winter and summer quarters) per academic year.  Summer residences are held in gorgeous Seattle, Washington and winter residencies are held in beautiful Santa Barbara, California.  The residential experiences will provide opportunities for intensified face-to-face training and community enrichment, and a seminar format for rich discourse and meaning making. This collective experience is consistent with an infused emphasis on multicultural discourse, resilience, civil enrichment, and social justice.

For those interested in expanding their counseling career into the areas of teaching, supervision, research and leadership, 72 credits of the master’s degree will transfer into the 144-credit PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision. 

Residencies:

Two per year. Week long residencies are held summer and winter terms during the first two years of the program.  The summer residency is held in Seattle, Washington and the winter residency is held in Santa Barbara, California

Current Tuition and Fees

University Tuition and Fees