Two Counseling Master of Science concentrations, Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling, are accredited by Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

• Clinical Mental Health Counseling

  • This concentration meets educational standards for licensure as a professional counselor in Tennessee and most other states. All states also require additional testing and post-graduate supervised experience for licensure.

• School Counseling

  • This concentration meets requirements for PreK-12 licensure as a School Counselor in Tennessee and most other states. Some states may have additional experience and testing requirements.

Concentrations (Required) and Options Available

• Clinical Mental Health Counseling — Course Only with Comprehensive Exams, Thesis (optional)
• School Counseling — Course Only with Comprehensive Exams

Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Course Only with Comprehensive Exams orThesis

The clinical mental health counseling concentration prepares professionals to use strong professional identity and relationship skills across diverse counseling settings including community agencies, nonprofits, and private practice. Our program includes a special focus on work with at-risk children and youth. Throughout the program, we work to embrace our core values–Commitment, Openness, Respect, Integrity, and Self-Awareness–and to attend to culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate, and ethical relationships. Our program is completely face-to-face and conducted in a cohort-like community. Most students enroll on full-time basis (2.5 years), and part-time options are available by advisement.

Program objectives are as follows:

• Graduates will have foundation knowledge necessary for success as professional counselors.
• Graduates will be able to develop therapeutic relationships that are deeply healing, culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate, and ethical.
• Graduates will demonstrate professional dispositions including Commitment, Openness, Respect, Integrity, and Self-Awareness.
• Graduates will be culturally sensitive and ethical advocates for self, clients, and profession through counseling interventions, programming, and professional and community engagement.
• Graduates will be well-skilled in the full range of tasks needed for clinical mental health counseling including interventions for prevention and treatment of a broad range of mental health issues; roles of mental health counselors; and settings and service delivery models.

School Counseling, Course Only With Comprehensive Exams

The school counseling concentration prepares students to become a professional school counselor within preK-12 schools in Tennessee and most states. Our students learn about their role as a leader within a data-driven comprehensive, developmental school counselor program as supported by the TN Model for School Counseling and the ASCA National Model®. All counseling core courses are face-to-face with a highly qualified faculty member. Most students enroll on full-time basis, and part-time options are available by advisement. The 60 credit master’s degree can be completed in two full years, including two summers, when enrolled on a full-time basis.