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Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MS) Program FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program

Please click the arrows below to expand the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

What is the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) Program?

The CMHC program is a 60 credit degree program; graduates receive the Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

How long will it take to complete this program?

Students complete this program at their own pace. Taking two courses per semester, which qualifies for financial aid, allows students to complete the 60 credit degree program in 3 years plus 2 semesters. Taking 4 courses per semester allows for degree completion in 2 years. How many courses a student takes is entirely their preference. Students who are working full time and/or raising a family might choose to take only 2 courses; students with fewer commitments might commonly take 3 or even 4 courses per term.

When are classes offered?

Graduate Psychology is currently only offering programs in an online format for the foreseeable future. Our online format is predominately asynchronous. However, to meet state LMHC eligibility requirements, we have a few courses requiring synchronous meetings for experiences such as group supervision. Voluntary synchronous Zoom meetings may also be scheduled by your faculty members in each course for the opportunity to get to know each other and your faculty member and to ask questions.

Classes begin every January, May, and September.

How is the CMHC program related to licensure?

The CMHC program meets all degree program criteria of the Massachusetts Board of Licensure regarding eligibility to apply for the Licensed Mental Health Counselor license in Massachusetts. This program also meets eligibility criteria for the equivalent LPC license in Connecticut. For licensure in other states, contact the program director.

What else is required for licensure?

There are three components to licensure. The first component is completing your 60-credit master’s degree. The second component is passing the National Board of Certified Counselor’s (NBCC’s) National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). The final component is completing 2 years (3360 hours) of supervised work in the field after you finish your degree. Once all three of these components are completed, you will be eligible to apply for the license.

What are the Practicum requirements within the CMHC program?

PSY680, the 3-credit Practicum course, is completed entirely ‘in-house;’ there is no need to find a field placement for this course. This exciting and intensive course involves practicing your counseling skills and techniques with your fellow students in supervised video-taped practice counseling interviews. The Practicum course can be taken as soon as you have completed at least 24 credits in the program. This course requires approximately 8 hours weekly. At the end of this course, students will have logged 100 total hours, of which 40 hours are spent in practice counseling sessions, 25 hours are spent in individual or group supervision, and 35 hours are spent in additional ‘homework’ activities.

What are the Internship requirements within the CMHC program?

Once PSY680 Practicum is completed, and you have completed at least 30 credits in the CMHC program, and an affiliation agreement with the site is on file here at Bay Path University, the 600-hour Internship can be started. The Internship experience is chosen by the student, in conjunction with approval from the Program Director. The Internship experience spans three courses: PSY696, PSY697 and PSY698, providing ongoing group supervision during the Internship. Your course faculty member will also be providing site visits and coordination of Bay Path University support for both your Internship as well as your site’s experience of your work there. For each 200-hour segment of the internship, a learning agreement is required at the beginning, and a supervisor’s evaluation is required at the end, for a total of 3 learning agreements and 3 supervisor’s evaluations. The student is also required to maintain daily log entries of all internship-related activities.

Can I do the Internship hours across multiple sites?

Most sites do not accept interns for less than the entire 600 hours. This is because they work to train you and then want their clients to benefit from your work. If a student tried to do three different internships at three different sites for 200 hours at each site, the student would not be at any one site long enough to master the work, and the site would not benefit from having interns. So, students are encouraged to select their internship site carefully, planning to stay there for the entire 600 hours.

What if I want to apply for a license in another state?

In Massachusetts, 600 hours of internship are required, of which 240 hours are spent in direct contact with clients, and of which 45 hours are spent in supervision. These hours are also accepted in Connecticut. Other states may require more internship hours, so students should research these requirements as part of internship planning. We will support you doing more than 600 hours of internship if you request this prior to the start of your internship.

Who makes the arrangements for placement in internship?

Bay Path University provides a great deal of support in helping students choose and secure an internship placement. We meet with you to help you decide where you might wish to complete your internship. We will share with you a listing of agencies where former students have been placed. We offer a sample telephone script for making your first call to request a placement, and we provide help with the creation of your cover letter and resume.

How do I begin the process of securing an internship?

Once you have decided where to apply for an internship, simply call the main number of the agency and ask for the name and contact information for the person who directs their internship program or internship selection process. Contact that person, by phone or email, and introduce yourself as a second year student in Bay Path’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Indicate that you are interested in discussing the possibility of doing a LMHC – eligible internship with them, and indicate that you are interested in beginning the application process. They will probably ask for your resume (include a cover letter), and then set up an interview. This process is very similar to applying for a job, and is excellent professional practice.

How long does it take to set up an internship?

Anywhere from one month to over a year. Be prepared to hear from several agencies that they are full, or that they won’t have an opening for several months. Plan ahead! It is reasonable to begin making contacts more than a year before planning to begin an internship.

How many hours per week should I plan to work at an internship?

Anywhere from 12 to 40. Working fewer hours per week can lead to a fragmented experience at any site. Most sites will tell you their minimum and maximum number of hours per week during the interview process.

What if I am working full time already?

If you are working in a mental health related position and have a licensed supervisor, it is possible that you can execute your internship hours right at your work place. Your activities there will need to span a variety of mental health functions, such as assessment/intake, individual counseling, couples or family counseling, treatment planning, discharge planning, group therapy, networking, and treatment coordination with other providers, multidisciplinary team meetings, for example. This last statement is provided because the Board of Licensure will not approve of someone doing their internship at work if they are only repeating one function and are not being exposed to all of the activities of the agency.

If you are not already working in mental health, you can plan ahead to switch careers. There are many bachelor’s level mental health positions out there; if you make the change early enough, you will be able then to do the internship at work when the time comes to begin internship.

Finally, if you decide to keep your current job and add an internship to your existing work hours, you can try to find evening or weekend hours for your internship. This is difficult, as few agencies have a licensed supervisor during evening or weekend hours. Residential programs and crisis agencies are possible examples of places that have more substantial ‘after-hours’ internship slots available. Some mental health clinics also have one or two evenings per week as an option for you.

Are there any specific options or concentrations within the CMHC program?

Yes. There are four concentrations, including Advanced Trauma Informed Counseling, School Adjustment Counselor, and Substance Use Treatment. It is also possible to select the main CMHC program without a concentration. Note that the selection of a concentration will have the result of causing certain 'elective' courses to become required for your concentration.

Please visit the MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program page to learn about the curriculum, faculty, program options, and more!