Program

TRANSFORMATIVE. That’s the one word our graduates use most often to describe their experience in Siena Heights University’s 60-hour Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. We aim to help our students become better versions of themselves and to realize their potential to make a difference in the global world. 

We strive to develop a culture of compassion, friendship and positive resiliency within and around our cohorts. We want them to know what Catherine of Siena (the University’s Catholic patroness) meant when she said, “If you are who you should be, you will set the world ablaze.” 

The program admits students in cohort groups whose degree plans are structured to allow them to complete our program in approximately 3 years. We strive to develop a culture within and around our cohorts of compassion, friendship and resilient positivity. Courses are offered on the Adrian and Lansing campuses.

Completion of the Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling leads to the Limited Licensed Professional Counselor (LLPC) credential in the State of Michigan. Achieving the status of a licensed professional counselor (LPC) is dependent on successful completion of both 3000 post-graduate supervised clock hours and the National Counselor Exam (NCE).

Applicants meeting selection criteria (strong writing sample and letters of recommendation, relevant work experience, etc.) will be invited to a personal admissions interview. The minimum G.P.A. requirement is 3.0 (on condition admission under 3.0 GPA may be considered.)

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program:

• Develops core competencies for effective, ethical counseling.
• Prepares resilient, self-reflective counselors.
• Explores well-being in mind, body and spirit.
• Develops scholar-practitioner skills for continuous professional learning.
• Prepares students for licensure and counseling certifications.

The Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling supports the missions of Siena Heights University and the Graduate College, as well as the mission and vision of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, by engaging students to seek truth, make peace, reverence life and foster justice within the context of the counseling profession as it evolves in the global world.

The CMHC program is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission as part of Siena Heights University’s accreditation and is an approved counselor education program in Michigan.

Methods of Instruction
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program is strongly experiential and competency based. Classes are offered in the traditional on-ground and hybrid format.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor of Arts in a social science concentration but others will be considered. The minimum G.P.A. requirement is 3.0 (on-condition admission under 3.0 may be considered.)
• Applicants meeting selection criteria will be invited to a personal admissions interview.

Graduation Requirements

• Must complete the required 60 credit hour program plan
• Must take the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE)
• Portfolio requirements must be completed in the Clinical Mental Health courses related to learning outcomes 1, 4, and 8.