Earn Your MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MACMHC) is a fully online program that trains students to apply counseling techniques while recognizing the profoundly spiritual core of persons.

CMHC Program Mission Statement

North Park University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program provides comprehensive academic and clinical training in professional counseling, equipping students to be ethically skilled counselors serving culturally and spiritually diverse communities. The CMHC program prepares counselors for lives of significance and service throughout their professional careers.

Students will receive a strong foundation in counseling theory, understand the profession’s legal and ethical responsibilities, and master the skills necessary for effective client assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Upon program completion, students can apply to take the National Counselor Examination (NCE) to become licensed professional counselors in Illinois as well as many other states.

Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Student Learning Outcomes

Students will:

1. Differentiate the professional identity of Clinical Mental Health Counselors from other mental health practitioners.
2. Analyze the principles of ethical decision making in the practice of professional counseling.
3. Demonstrate multicultural theory, social justice principles, and advocacy in the practice of counseling.
4. Apply models of multicultural human development to clinical practice across the lifespan.
5. Relate career development models to clinical practice with diverse populations.
6. Compare and contrast relevant theories of counseling practice in appropriate counseling and consultation skills with diverse populations.
7. Apply group work theories, methods, and skills to clinical practice.
8. Describe appropriate assessment and appraisal tools within counseling practice.
9. Implement research in clinical practice and program evaluation to inform their counseling practice.
10. Deliver clinical mental health services which attend to the developmental, multicultural, relational, and spiritual concerns of clients.

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Requirements

The Master of Arts Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MACMHC) program comprises 60 credit hours of coursework and 700 hours of supervised clinical training experiences. Students learn to promote mental wellness, prevention, and resilience in individuals and communities. Students will receive a strong foundation in counseling theory, acquire an understanding of the profession’s legal and ethical responsibilities, and master the skills necessary for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of clients. Students can apply for licensure as a licensed professional counselor upon program completion.

Graduates of North Park’s CMHC program can work in a range of professional counseling settings. The curriculum follows a generalist counselor training model, in which students can define areas of particular interest based in part on their internship site selection. Some potential areas of specialization include counseling children and adolescents, working in integrated behavioral healthcare, rehabilitation counseling, career counseling, couples and family counseling, community mental healthcare, pastoral counseling, and addictions prevention and treatment.

The counselor education faculty at North Park are committed to dynamic and rigorous training for professional counselors. The program follows meets all of the academic requirements for professional counselor licensure in Illinois. Additionally, the curriculum is based on the eight core counseling content areas outlined by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) to prepare those students seeking professional counselor licensure and desiring to begin professional practice at the master’s level. The program is in the process of applying for specialized accreditation through The Council of Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). North Park University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

In alignment with North Park’s commitment to spirituality and diversity, the program embraces integrating multicultural education and diversity across its curriculum. The program welcomes students from all backgrounds and faith perspectives, recognizing that multicultural practice is essential for competent clinical practice.