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Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling (MAMHC)

Requirements-The Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling requires 75 semester hours (SH) of required and elective courses, with a cumulative grade point average of 2.7. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) are prerequisites for practicum.
The time to complete a degree depends on the number of hours taken each semester. Typically, full-time students complete the degree over four years, by enrolling in nine semester hours during each spring and fall semester in addition to two terms of summer practicum. A few students have completed the degree in three years. Students have six years in which to complete the Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling degree unless an extension for special circumstances is granted by the Academic Council. Students are required to do a minimum of 500 hours of mental health counseling, including a minimum of 10 hours of group therapy, and receive at least 100 hours of individual and group supervision in practicum. Students matriculating in Fall 2011 and after conclude their degree by completing the clinical requirements listed below under section C. Students matriculating before Fall 2011 may elect to complete requirements listed below under section C or write a satisfactory integrative paper that demonstrates competence in clinical work, appropriate use of clinical theory and a constructive understanding of how the therapeutic process is theologically/spiritually grounded. Students choosing the integrative paper option must enroll in X-999 during the semester in which this work will be completed and pass an oral examination on the paper. Note: Students are advised that those completing the 124-credit hour combined MDiv/MAMHC degree program will meet educational requirements for ordination (from denominations requiring an MDiv degree), graduate education and clinical requirements for Indiana State MHC licensure (upon completion of practicum) and, after completion of at least 4 units of CPE, requirements for Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) certification. Many chaplaincy positions, particularly in hospital settings, require both APC accreditation and ordination. While CTS makes every effort to be in compliance with the requirements of specific licensure boards (MHC) and professional credentialing bodies (AAPC), students must take individual responsibility for monitoring and meeting licensure and credentialing requirements that may change between admission and graduation.

A. General Studies in Religion (18 hours) I. Theological background (12 hours) ____ B-501: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (3 SH) ____ B-502: Introduction to New Testament (3 SH) ____ T-500: Introduction to Theology (3 SH) ____ An elective that focuses on the theological understanding of American culture or modern church history from Fields II-IV (3 SH) II. Spiritual Care, Culture and Religion (6 hours) Either Option 1: ____ P-800, 801: Clinical Pastoral Education (6 SH) (Students electing P-800, 801 must complete this sequence before beginning Counseling Practicum I.) Or Option 2: ____ P-641: Spirituality and God-Images in Clinical and Cultural Contexts (3 SH) (Students electing P-641 must complete the course by the end of the first year of Counseling Practicum I.) and ONE of the following: ____ C-580: Introduction to World Religions; C-680: Hinduism and Buddhism; C-682: Islam; C-684: Judaism; P-638: Religion, Medicine and Pastoral Care B. Therapeutic and Clinical Studies (57 hours) I. Theoretical and Psychological Foundations of Mental Health Counseling and Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy (9 hours) ____ P-510: Practice and Context of Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy (3 SH)* ____ P-632: Cultural Foundations and Dimensions of Healing (3 SH) ____ P-634: Theological Perspectives on Pastoral & Spiritual Care (3 SH)** II. Human Development and Culture (9 hours) ____ P-531: Personality, Human Development and Faith (3 SH)* ____ P-675: Vocation, Culture and Appraisal (3 SH) One of the following: ____ P-500: Basics of Pastoral Care & Counseling (3 SH) ____ P-520: Introduction to Marriage & Family Therapy (3 SH) ____ P-525: Aging and the Family (3 SH) ____ P-619: Sexuality, Gender and Culture (3 SH) ____ P-626: Loss and Mourning (3 SH) ____ P-641: Spirituality and God-Images in Clinical and Cultural Contexts (3 SH) ____ P-739: Freud, Jung and Religion (3 SH) ____ P-755: Affect in Human Transformation (3 SH)

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III. Assessment and Treatment in Mental Health Counseling and Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy (12 hours) ____ P-637: Psychopathology & Assessment (3 SH)* ____ P-630: Psychoanalytic Theory & Technique or P-761 Self in the Family (3 SH) One of the following: ____ P-624: Group Dynamics (3 SH) or P-760: Group Psychotherapy (3 SH) And one of the following: ____ P-621: Integration of Marriage & Family Therapy Theory (3 SH) ____ P-623: Couples Systems Therapy (3 SH) ____ P-650: Treating Addictive Behaviors (3 SH) ____ P-766: Dissociative Processes in Groups and Systems (3 SH) ____ P-774: Psychodynamic Family Therapy (3 SH) ____ P-775: Short-term Family Therapy (3SH) IV. Ethical and Professional Studies (3 hours) ____ P-635: Ethical and Professional Issues in Clinical Practice (3 SH) V. Research (3 hours) ____ P-770: Basic Research Methodology (3 SH) VI. Supervised Clinical Practice (18 hours) Required: 500 client hours of mental health counseling, of which at least 10 hours must be group therapy. Plus at least 100 hours of individual and group supervision in practicum, with at least 50 hours of that supervision based on video tape, audio tape or direct observation. ____ P-820, 821, 822: Counseling Practicum I (9 SH) ____ P-823, 824, 825: Counseling Practicum II (9 SH) VII. Elective (3 hours) ____ One course from any field C. Integration and Competency Assessment ____ X-999B Self, Countertransference, and Spirit culminating in a Capstone Presentation and a 12-15 page integration paper in preparation of the Capstone Presentation * Prerequisite for Supervised Clinical Practice, ** Prerequisite for X999B
Personal Counseling All students are expected to receive psychotherapy during their program. Weekly personal therapy is a prerequisite for practicum admission. Personal therapy with a gifted clinician assists student therapists in working through problem areas in their own lives that may adversely affect clients and their own participation in an emotionally challenging training program; it provides a unique training experience that helps students understand the process of exploring the depth and interrelationship of intrapsychic and systemic features of human life. Requirements for Admission to Practicum Students can apply for admission to practicum after completing P531 Human development, P637 Psychopathology and Assessment, and either P 510/D 810 Practice and Context of Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy or P520 Introduction to Marriage and Family Therapy. Students electing the CPE option for completion of course work must complete CPE before entering practicum. Further, M.Div./MHC and M.Div./MAMFT students must complete one year of SCOFE before applying for practicum. Students are accepted for practicum based upon successful completion of role plays as a screening process. Concerns that arise during these role plays may be addressed through additional evaluation as determined by the counseling faculty and clinic director. Entering cohort groups are normally limited to four persons for summer and six students for fall and spring. Priority is given to students who have the greater number of completed semester hours. Practicum admission is based on limitation of the cohort group due to available supervision in order to provide a conducive learning environment. Beginning with the entering counseling classes of spring 2012, all MA counseling students will be required to enter practicum no later than 4th semester of coursework. Requirements for Capstone--Capstone is normally taken the 6th semester of practicum. Students must have completed 380 hours of client contact hours prior to taking the capstone; MFT students must have 180 relational hours of the total 380 hours completed. Course authorization required.