Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.S.)

Counselor Education Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. Articulate and demonstrate the professional and ethical role of a counselor.
2. Discuss and demonstrate techniques of cross-cultural counseling and advocate on behalf of multicultural populations.
3. Describe the role that human growth and development plays in counseling interventions and modify these interventions as appropriate.
4. Explain theories of career development and implement career interventions.
5. Define and utilize counseling skills and advanced counseling interventions.
6. Articulate theories of group counseling and utilize leadership skills in facilitating various types of groups.
7. Identify and utilize various types of counseling assessments.
8. Describe and conduct methods of research and program evaluation.

Key Performance Indicators used to assess Student Outcomes

The 2016 CACREP (Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) standards for counseling programs, which are used as measures of student learning outcomes. These outcomes are specific standards from each of the eight core content instructional areas, along with one from each of the program specialty areas. Outcomes are measured through assignments to assess knowledge and skills related to each standard, and reviewed regularly at program meetings to determine areas of improvement within the program.

Courses are taught primarily in person, with some hybrid (partially online) and some fully online options offered each semester. Classes commonly include lecture, small and large group discussions, role-play experiences, group projects, multimedia, guest speakers, and a variety of experiential activities.

Students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program must successfully complete a 100-hour Practicum and 600-hour Internship in a mental health counseling setting. Students can choose to remain in one setting or split their time between two settings, though most students prefer to stay at the same setting. A mental health provider licensed under the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice will be designated to provide individual supervision at the internship site on a weekly basis. Students interning out of state need to be supervised by mental health providers licensed in the state in which they are practicing. In addition to their field experience, students are required to attend a weekly University-based internship seminar. Typically, the practicum occurs over one semester, and the internship over two semesters. Students must complete their internship experience within two calendar years.  New Hampshire state licensure law only requires 600 hours of internship, but students may choose to complete a 900 hour internship to meet the requirements of other states (such as Maine).

Licensure as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in New Hampshire has three main requirements.  The first is the completion of a 60 credit masters degree in clinical mental health counseling, ideally from a CACREP-accredited program.  The second is the successful completion of the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (NCMHCE), which is taken after degree completion.  The third and final requirement is the completion of 3000 hours of post-masters clinical work in a counseling environment, which must occur over 2-4 years, be supervised by a LCMHCE, and be pre-approved by the NH Board of Mental Health Practice. Additional rules, forms, and details can be found on the NH Board of Mental Health Practice website.

Each state has its own licensure rules, although most follow this general structure. For more information, please contact the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program coordinator, Dr. Mike Mariska.

For the 2021-2022 academic year, approximately 72 students were enrolled in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program.

In the 2021-2022 academic year there were 21 graduates of Plymouth State University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s degree program.   Over the past several years, approximately 72% of initially enrolled students completed the program in 3-4 years.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling students take the Counselor Professional Competency Exam (CPCE).  During the 2021-2022 academic year, 80% of all students successfully passed the exam on the first attempt.  100% of all students passed within three attempts.

The NH State License Exam is the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (NCMHCE).  During the 2021-22 academic year, informal polling of students indicated a 75% pass rate on the first attempt.  Formal polling of students will be added to future surveys of alumni.

Among all program graduates, the current three year job placement rate is approximately 100% of those actively seeking positions.

2021-22 Counselor Education Assessment Report

Graduate assistants are an important part of Plymouth State’s collaborative learning community. They work alongside faculty, staff, and students to help achieve the University’s goals, while gaining valuable experience as assistants, researchers, and teachers.

Graduate Assistant positions are available on a limited basis to highly qualified graduate students who’ve been fully accepted into a graduate program at Plymouth State. Applications for assistantships should be returned to the Office of Academic Affairs by April 1 for the upcoming year.

Teaching Lecturers

• Ryan Aquilina
• Annette Blake
• George Bortnick
• Christina Flanders
• April Mariska
• Monica Nicoll
• Sarah Revels
• Philip Sanguedolce
• Hridaya Sivalingam