In accordance with the American Counseling Association’s (ACA) definition of professional counseling, clinical mental health counseling “involves a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals” (ACA, 2017). Our counselors are specifically trained to work in behavioral healthcare, defined as “the promotion of emotional health; the prevention of mental illnesses and substance use disorders; and treatments and services for mental and/or substance use disorders” (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMSHA, 2015].
According to SAMSHA (2015), mental illnesses and substance use disorders are common, frequently recurrent, and often serious. A strong, well-trained and well-distributed behavioral health workforce is necessary to help the United States act on the vision embodied in SAMHSA’s guiding tenets: Behavioral health is essential to overall wellbeing; prevention works; treatment is effective; and people recover from mental and substance use disorders.
Our program curricula is squarely aligned with a biopsychosocial model of health and behavioral health. Students gain competencies in conceptualizing clients and communities through contemporary models of health and disability including the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, the Mental Health Recovery Model, Community Mental Health, Vocational and Psychiatric Rehabilitation, and Population Health. Students also gain competencies in diathesis-stress, minority stress, disability justice, vocational and psychiatric vocational rehabilitation, stress-coping, and social support models. Competencies in providing environmental interventions that focus specifically on increasing community participation (e.g., work, school, social life) and reducing environmental barriers are gained. Biopsychosocial diagnostic and classification systems are taught in concert with prevention, health promotion and wellness – all through the lens of each individual, family, and community’s intersecting cultural values and beliefs. The role of society and context are considered as important (if not more important) as individual functioning; thus, students are expected to address power, stigma, ableism, ageism, racism and other forms of societal oppression on an individual and professional level. Clinical mental health counselors’ roles and functions extend beyond talk-therapy to include advocating for access, resources, employment, housing, health and healthcare equity, legal services, and inter-professional treatment response.
Our program is uniquely designed to prepare students to join the behavioral health workforce. Our students receive the counseling, case management, and advocacy competencies necessary to work with the most at-risk, vulnerable communities including (but not limited to) those from historically marginalized communities, those with disabling and/or co-occurring health and behavioral health conditions, those with trauma histories, homelessness, unemployment, substance use, and other chronic stress-related histories, including those facing daily social injustices, discrimination and microaggressions. Our counselors are also well qualified to work in vocational and psychiatric vocational rehabilitation settings and have competencies in employer engagement, labor market analysis, and workplace and educational accommodations. Our counselors are held to a high professional readiness standard and we expect ongoing self-appraising and self-correction. Below is a list of important competencies and practices covered in our program:
- Health and Behavioral Health Assessment, Diagnosis and Intervention
- Biopsychosocial Models of Health and Social Determinants of Health
- Contemporary Counseling Theories, Models and Interventions
- Social Justice Orientation & Advocacy
- Mental Health Recovery Orientation
- Community Mental Health
- Disability, Disability Competency, Disability Justice
- Vocational Rehabilitation & Psychiatric Vocational Rehabilitation
- Case Management and Systems of Care
- Prevention, Education, Health Promotion & Wellness
- Transition-age Youth, Adult and Older Adult Care
- Trauma-Informed Care
- Sexuality, Sexual Health, LGBTQ+ & Intersectionality
- Housing First & Harm Reduction Approaches
- Evidence-Based Interventions & Practices
Sandra Fitzgerald
Associate Professor
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Coordinator
- Division of Graduate Studies Application (Cal State Apply)
- Resume
- Unofficial Transcript(s)
- Personal Statement and Affidavit of Authorship
- Summary of Experience Form
- Letters of recommendation
- Writing assessment
After admissions decisions are made, Coordinators will determine the incoming student's readiness for graduate level writing. This assessment will use the Personal Statement. It is essential that the applicant is the sole author of their personal statement (a verification of authorship is required in the application). Once admitted, students who have demonstrated a need to strengthen their writing skills will be required to take a writing course (HSS 700) in their first semester of the program. Students can also self-select to take the writing course for greater success in graduate level writing. - In-person interview (depending on Specialization)
Students enrolled in the CMHC program as a specialization or emphasis are in a fully aligned Licensed Professional Clinical Counseling (LPCC) program that specifically positions them to obtain their LPCC. Our curriculum is aligned with the Board of Behavioral Health (BBS) requirements for the LPCC. According to the BBS, “Professional clinical counseling means the application of counseling interventions and psychotherapeutic techniques to identify and remediate cognitive, mental, and emotional issues, including personal growth, adjustment to disability, crisis intervention, and psychosocial and environmental problems, and the use, application, and integration of the coursework and training required by Sections 4999.33. “Professional clinical counseling also includes conducting assessments for the purpose of establishing counseling goals and objectives to empower individuals to deal adequately with life situations, reduce stress, experience growth, change behavior, and make well-informed, rational decisions” (BBS, Business & Professional Code, 2017).
- California Association for the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (CALPCC)
- Board of Behavioral Health (BBS) Licensed Professional Clinical Counseling (LPCC) Requirements: ADD LINK: https://www.bbs.ca.gov/applicants/lpcc.html
- LPCC 13 Core Content Areas: ADD Link: https://calpcc.org/pages/core-content-areas
- Frequently Asked LPCC Questions
- LPCC Options for Post Graduate Supervision Hours (REMOVE)
- LPCC Information for working with Families & Couples (REMOVE)
- Statutes and Regulation for LPCC and MFT Practice (Click on Page 142)
The behavioral health workforce is one of the fastest growing workforces in the country. Employment projections for 2020 based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast a rise in employment for mental health counselors with a 36.3% increase from 2010 to 2020 — greater than the 11% projected average for all occupations. This is based on an expected increase in insurance coverage for mental health and substance use services brought about by passage of health reform and parity legislation and the rising rate of military veterans seeking behavioral health services. There is a reported estimated shortage of 27,000 mental health counselors. In California, a 2008 report found that the vacancy rate for mental health providers was 20-25%; these numbers are higher in rural areas. An influx of new students in the mental health professions will be needed in order to serve a growing number of Californians. In addition, a more diverse mental health workforce is desired in order to better reflect the increasing diversity in California’s population.
- Department of HHS Supply and Demand for Behavioral Healthcare Practitioners
- The State of the Behavioral Health Workforce
- SAMHSA Workforce Statistics
- County Behavioral Health Agencies
- Community Based Organizations and Clinics
- Substance Abuse Programs and Residential Facilities
- Integrated health and behavioral health organizations
- State and Federal Human Service Agencies
- Hospital affiliated Programs
- Private Practice
- Veteran’s Administration
- Population Specific Programs
- Criminal Justice and correctional Facilities
- Educational Settings
Curriculum
| Course | Description | Units |
|---|---|---|
| COUN 700 | Theories of Counseling & Psychotherapy | 3 |
| COUN 702 | Developmental Foundations for Counselors | 3 |
| COUN 703 | Psychological Foundations for Counselors | 3 |
| COUN 704 | Biopsychosocial Aspects of Health, Behavioral Health, Aging & Disability | 3 |
| COUN 705 | Counseling Practicum | 3 |
| COUN 706 | Counseling Skills and Process | 3 |
| COUN 715 | Assessment in Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 720 | Career Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 736 | Advanced Counseling Process and Internship | 3 |
| COUN 737 | Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| COUN 738 | Addictions | 3 |
| COUN 741 | Crisis Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 794 | Seminar in Research | 3 |
| COUN 811 | Group Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 833 | Social and Cultural Foundations | 3 |
| COUN 857 | Law and Ethics | 3 |
| COUN 870 | Professional Issues, Clinical Case Management & Systems of Care | 3 |
| COUN 890 | Integrative Counseling & Internship | 3 |
| COUN 891 | Case Studies & Internship | 3 |
| COUN 892 | Culminating Experience Paper | 3 |
| Total | 60 |
1st Semester - Fall
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Coun 702 | Developmental Foundations | 3 |
| Coun 833 | Social and Cultural Foundations in Counseling | 3 |
| Coun 705 | Counseling Practicum | 3 |
| Coun 706 | Counseling Skills and Process | 3 |
| Coun 857 | Law & Ethics in Counseling | 3 |
2nd Semester - Spring
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Coun 700 | Theories of Counseling | 3 |
| Coun 703 | Psychological Foundations | 3 |
| Coun 736 | Advanced Counseling Process & Internship | 3 |
| Coun 794 | Seminar in Research | 3 |
| Coun 870 | Professional Issues, Clinical Case Management & Systems of Care | 3 |
3rd Semester - Fall
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Coun 704 | Biopsychosocial Aspects of Health, Behavioral Health, Aging & Disability | 3 |
| Coun 737 | Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| Coun 811 | Group Counseling Process | 3 |
| Coun 720 | Career Counseling | 3 |
| Coun 890 | Integrative Counseling / Internship | 3 |
4th Semester - Spring
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Coun 715 | Assessment in Counseling | 3 |
| Coun 738 | Addictions | 3 |
| Coun 741 | Crisis Counseling | 3 |
| Coun 891 | Case Studies/Internship | 3 |
| Coun 892 | Culminating Experience | 3 |
1st Semester - Fall
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Coun 702 | Developmental Foundations | 3 |
| Coun 833 | Social & Cultural Foundations | 3 |
| Coun 857 | Law & Ethics in Counseling | 3 |
| Coun 794 | Seminar in Research | 3 |
2nd Semester - Spring
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Coun 700 | Theories of Counseling | 3 |
| Coun 703 | Psychological Foundations | 3 |
| Coun 870 | Professional Issues, Clinical Case Management & Systems of Care | 3 |
| Coun 715 | Assessment in Counseling | 3 |
3rd Semester - Fall
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Coun 704 | Biopsychosocial Aspects of Health, Behavioral Health, Aging & Disability | |
| Coun 705 | Counseling Practicum | 3 |
| Coun 706 | Counseling Skills and Process | 3 |
| Coun 720 | Career Counseling | 3 |
4th Semester - Spring
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Coun 736 | Advanced Counseling Process & Internship | 3 |
| Coun 738 | Addictions | 3 |
| Coun 741 | Crisis Counseling | 3 |
5th Semester - Fall
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Coun 811 | Group Process | 3 |
| Coun 737 | Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| Coun 890 | Integrative Counseling / Internship | 3 |
6th Semester - Spring
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Coun 891 | Case Studies/Internship | 3 |
| Coun 892 | Culminating Experience | 3 |
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