Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Thesis, MS

Location(s): WWU - Bellingham

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Department of Psychology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Graduate Faculty

Ardiel, Evan L., PhD, behavioral neuroscience
Bell, Angela, PhD, intergroup dynamics and the experiences of being a member of a stigmatized group
Byrne, Christina, PhD, psychological trauma and intimate partner violence
Cao, Feng, PhD, behavioral neuroscience
Ciao, Anna C., PhD, risk factors for developing eating and weight concerns, eating disorder and obesity prevention and early intervention, barriers to seeking psychological treatments, dissemination of evidence-based interventions
Czopp, Alexander M., PhD, negative implications for intergroup relations of “positive” stereotypes of groups, prejudice reduction through interpersonal confrontation
Delker, Brianna, PhD, psychology of trauma and abuse perpetrated within close relationships, social and cultural contexts of trauma, developmental psychopathology
Delucio, Kevin, PhD, Counseling psychology
Devenport, Jennifer, PhD, legal psychology, jury decision-making, factors influencing erroneous eyewitness identifications
Du Rocher Schudlich, Tina, PhD, developmental psychopathology, marital conflict and children, parent-child emotion regulation
Gonzalez, Antonya, PhD, cognitive development
Graham, James M., PhD, adaptive processes in romantic relationships, romantic love, measurement, multivariate statistics
Grimm, Jeffrey W., PhD, animal models of drug taking and drug seeking, neurobiology of drug taking and drug seeking
Gruman, Diana, PhD, school counseling, child and adolescent development, educational psychology
Henesy, Rachael, PhD, Counselor education, clinical mental health counseling
Hyman, Ira, PhD, memory, cognitive psychology, social cognition
Jantzen, Kelly J., PhD, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, human environment interactions
Kaplan, Joshua, PhD, behavioral neuroscience
Lehman, Barbara, PhD, childhood family environment and social/psychological health, research methods and statistics
Lemm, Kristi, PhD, implicit attitudes
Mallinckrodt, Brent, PhD, attachment in adults, affect regulation, the counseling relationship as a catalyst for client change, social support, training students for social justice advocacy
Matsukura, Michi, PhD, cognition, perception
McCabe, Jennifer, PhD, women’s wellness
McLean, Kate, PhD, adolescent identity development
Riggs, Anne E., PhD, social cognition, cognitive development, educational psychology
Rose, Jacqueline K., PhD, molecular mechanisms of learning, memory, and plasticity
Sattler, David, PhD, natural disasters, social dilemmas, small group research
Smith, Aaron, PhD, treatment of psychological trauma and the causal mechanisms of posttraumatic growth; veteran mental health
Scollon, Christie K. Napa, PhD, positive psychology
Sowell, Shaun, PhD, school counselors’ advocacy role, training school counselors with social justice focus, school counselor professional identity development
Symons, Lawrence, PhD, perception
Villicana, Adrian, PhD, social psychology, identity, social cognition, and social issues
Warren, Michael T., PhD, positive psychology, moral virtues

Graduate Program Director: Dr. Aaron Smith, Academic Instructional Center 484

Program Description

The MS clinical mental health counseling program prepares students for careers in the field of mental health and is accredited by CACREP. The program provides a general foundation in theoretical and applied perspectives which are used by mental health professionals. Special emphasis is placed on skill development, supervised practica with adults and children and internships in various community and mental health clinics.

Goals

The program prepares knowledgeable, skilled, collaborative, and ethical counselors who value diversity, equity and social justice and meet the relevant licensing or credentialing standards for practice in mental health and public and private educational settings in the State of Washington.

Prerequisites

Prior to applying to the program, applicants must have successfully completed a course on research methods in psychology. We also strongly recommend applicants complete the following psychology courses: abnormal or clinical/counseling; developmental or social; and cognition or neuroscience.

Application Information

Deadlines: Program faculty will begin reviewing application materials after February 1 and will continue to review materials until the enrollment limit is reached or June 1, whichever comes first. Because maximum student enrollment in the program is limited, all applicants are strongly encouraged to submit application materials by February 1. Documentation of personal suitability of applications for counseling is required through a statement of purpose with specific questions and letters of reference. Top-ranked applicants will be invited to interview.

TA Deadline: To be considered for a graduate teaching assistantship, applicants must submit their application materials by February 1.

Program Requirements (97 credits)

❑ PSY 502 - Adult Psychopathology Credits: 5
❑ PSY 532 - Cross-Cultural Counseling Credits: 4
❑ PSY 542 - Developmental Psychopathology Credits: 5
❑ PSY 550 - Research Methods in Counseling Credits: 5
Or
PSY 512 - Correlation Methods and Data Analysis Credits: 5
❑ PSY 553 - Theories of Counseling Credits: 5
❑ PSY 555 - Occupations and Career Development Credits: 4
❑ PSY 557 - Testing and Appraisal in Counseling Credits: 5
❑ PSY 558 - Family and Community Systems Credits: 4
❑ PSY 561 - Professional, Legal, & Cultural Issues Credits: 5
❑ PSY 564 - Individual Counseling Techniques Credits: 4-5
❑ PSY 565 - Group Processes in Counseling Credits: 2-4
❑ PSY 567 - Professional Practice of Counseling Credits: 2
❑ PSY 568 - Crisis Interventions Credits: 5
❑ PSY 570 - Practicum Credits: 1-10 (10-15 credits)
❑ PSY 670 - Internship Credits: 1-12 (22-30 credits)
Thesis students must complete 690 (minimum 6 credits)

Retention

The department has requirements affecting retention in the clinical mental health counseling program which are in addition to the Graduate School scholarship standards. Full, continuing enrollment in the required courses must be maintained. Grades lower than C- are unacceptable. More than 10 credits of C+ or lower grades removes a student from the master’s program. Any course in which an unacceptable grade is earned may be retaken only with permission of the admission/retention subcommittee, following consultation with the program advisor. It is necessary to maintain at least a 3.00 (B) grade point average for all graded work in order to be retained in the program. Retention in the clinical mental health counseling curriculum is also dependent upon the development of professional competence in interaction with clients and other professionals. Development of professional counseling competencies is monitored and evaluated on a quarterly basis by the Counseling Program Committee of the Department of Psychology.