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Catalog/Bulletin 2024-2025
Counseling, MHS
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The Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MHS) program is fully accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and is a 60 credit hour graduate program, on campus instruction classroom environment, with a strong counseling focus. The program prepares counselors to assume the full range of professional responsibilities required in community counseling organizations, private as well as publicly funded and non-profit, and to contribute to scholarship and service locally and nationally. Courses are offered in person, on campus, during the day (9:00am, 1:00pm, and 5:00pm) primarily.
The MHS training model integrates behavioral science theory and knowledge with counseling skills. Our philosophy is that the most effective counselors have a strong understanding of the theoretical and scientific bases of the professional concepts and techniques they apply. Counseling is a process intended to facilitate the vocational and personal development of people with disabilities. The disability may be physical, emotional, mental, developmental or social. Within the counseling process, services are utilized to enable individuals with disabilities to make the fullest use of their potential in choosing, planning for, and attaining a satisfying and effective life. In a very real sense, counselors are concerned with maximizing the abilities of people with disabilities, while assisting them to cope constructively with their disabilities.
Counseling is unique in integrating a diverse range of treatment approaches and utilizing community resources to meet an individual’s life needs. The process of counseling can include therapeutic counseling, intervention, prevention, psychological and vocational evaluation, vocational exploration and training, job development and placement, case management and follow-up.
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Mission
The mission of the program for the Master of Health Sciences degree in Counseling is to provide professional education and clinical experience to master’s level students who are committed to serving persons of all ages, including diverse backgrounds that have challenges related to mental, physical, developmental, cognitive, and emotional disabilities. Professional preparation of master’s level students will focus on equipping students with knowledge and skills to provide clinical services. Master’s level students will be prepared to assume the full range of professional responsibilities required in a variety of counseling settings and are motivated to contribute to scholarship and service locally and nationally. This mission is achieved through various academic, clinical, research, and scholarly activities.
Program Objectives
1. Students will demonstrate competency related to professional counseling orientation and ethical practice.
2. Students will demonstrate competency related to social and cultural diversity.
3. Students will demonstrate competency related to human growth and development
4. Students will demonstrate competency related to vocational counseling
5. Students will demonstrate competency related to counseling and helping relationships.
6. Students will demonstrate competency related to group counseling and group work.
7. Students will demonstrate competency related to assessment and testing.
8. Students will demonstrate competency related to research and program evaluation.
9. Students will demonstrate competency related to clinical mental health counseling
10. Students will demonstrate competency related to professional dispositions.
Certification
Graduates of the MHS program are prepared to meet all the requirements to sit for the National Counseling Examination for Certification (NCE).
Licensure
Graduates who meet the academic requirements for graduation are eligible to apply to become a PLPC (provisional licensed professional counselor) through the state board of examiners. Additional hours and supervision requirements can be found on the respective websites.
Admission Requirements
MHS-COUN Admission Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
- Minimum Undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 (in a 4.0 system).
- Two letters of recommendation (one must be from an academic source)
- Typed Essay
- Background in behavioral science and/or social services is preferred, but not a requirement.
Letters of Recommendation
All applicants must seek two letters of recommendation. One must be from an academic source. The academic source must speak to the applicant’s (1) relevance of career goals, (2) aptitude for graduate-level study, (3) potential success in forming effective counseling relationships, and (4) respect for cultural differences. If the second letter of recommendation is not from an academic source, the letter must speak to the applicant’s (1) relevance of career goals, (2) potential success in forming effective counseling relationships, and (3) respect for cultural differences.
Typed Essay Instructions
All applicants seeking admission to the LSUHSC-NO MHS-CRC Program must submit a typed, personal essay. Applicants must respond to the following:
- Relevance of career goals,
- Aptitude for graduate-level study,
- Potential success in forming effective counseling relationships, and
- Respect for cultural differences.
The department is interested in admitting a committed, qualified, and diverse group of students for each class.
Comprehensive Examination
Students are required to pass a comprehensive general examination before registering for COUN 6645 Internship II portion of their academic program. This examination will be a requirement in the Professional Practicum Course COUN 5614. This general examination is designed to assess students’ proficiency in the eight common core areas highly relevant to the field of counseling. These common core areas include:
• Human growth and development
• Assessment and testing
• Social and cultural diversity
• Career development
• Research and program evaluation
• Counseling and helping relationships
• Professional counseling orientation and ethical practice
• Group counseling and group work
The Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE) is used to assess competence in these areas. It must be noted that there is a fee associated with this exam which is the responsibility of the student. Information can be found at https://home.pearsonvue.com/cpce. In order to sit for the comprehensive examination, the student must have completed (or be currently enrolled in) these following courses:
COUN 5601 Foundations in Counseling
COUN 5603 Multicultural and Psychosocial Aspects of Counseling
COUN 5612 Development across the Life Span
COUN 5650 Crisis Counseling Intervention
COUN 5654 Mental Health Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
COUN 6611 Counseling Theories and Practices
COUN 6612 Counseling Techniques and Process
COUN 6614 Group Process and Counseling
COUN 6630 Vocational Counseling/ Career Development
COUN 6632 Assessment in Counseling
COUN 6634 Ethics in Counseling
COUN 6640 Research Design and Methodology
The comprehensive examination will be administered in the semester prior to enrollment in COUN 6645: Internship in Counseling II. Students who do not follow the standard program sequence but have met the course requirements to sit for the comprehensive examination, must schedule a meeting with their faculty advisor to schedule their examination. The faculty advisor will discuss with the departmental faculty the request and an examination date will be provided, upon approval from the department head. Grading is on a Pass or Fail basis. Students who do not receive a passing grade on the CPCE must meet with the Chair of the Comprehensive Exam (COMPs) Committee and/or the Department Head to decide on a date to sit for a second attempt of the comprehensive exam. This second attempt will consist of 200 multiple choice questions created by the faculty covering the eight common core areas previously outlined above. Students who are not successful on the second examination must then enroll in COUN 5651: Supervised Project in Counseling in their very next semester of enrollment. The class hours for credit may range from 1-6 hours, based on the number of core areas deemed deficient based on the following table.
Number of Core Areas Deemed Deficient Number of Hours to be Scheduled for COUN 5651 1-3 2 4-6 4 7-8 6
Students are not allowed to register for Internship II during this semester but may be approved for an elective. The Supervised Project in Counseling will be developed and offered by the faculty advisor after consultation from the Chair of the COMPs Committee and the Department Head. A third and final format of the comprehensive exam will consist of essay questions developed by the COMPs Committee. The date and time of this administration will be determined by the faculty advisor after consultation with the Chair of the COMPs Committee. This third attempt should be completed two weeks before the last day of the semester. If this third exam is not completed by the end of the semester, then exam only enrollment fees may be assessed for further matriculation in the program. Students who are not successful by the third attempt will be dismissed from the program.
Statement of Satisfactory Academic Progress
In order to achieve the status of satisfactory academic progress, the student must maintain the following minimum standards
- Maintain a grade point average (including required quality points) consistent with the scholastic standards of the School of Allied Health Professions.
- Satisfactorily complete all courses required for graduation in not more than six calendar years.
Clinical Affiliates
The Department of Counseling maintains clinical affiliations with a large number of facilities and agencies throughout Louisiana.
LSUHSC Child and Family Counseling Clinic
Scope of Services
The LSU Health Child & Family Counseling Clinic is an outpatient mental health clinic designed to provide mental health services to children, adolescents, and their families. It is affiliated with the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and is housed in the School of Allied Health Professions in the Department of Counseling as a teaching, training, and research facility. The Child & Family Counseling Clinic provides individual, group, and family mental health services as well as psychological/psychoeducational evaluations. Appointments may be scheduled by calling 504-556-3451 or emailing cfcc@lsuhsc.edu. Appointments will be scheduled based on clinician availability and scope of practice.
The LSU Health Child & Family Counseling Clinic provides individual, group, and family mental health services as well as psychological/psychoeducational evaluations. Additionally, the clinic provides supervision and consultation services to students and professionals seeking to earn continuing education hours toward licensure/certification as well as professional development trainings and mental health consultation to local area preschools and schools. Supervision is also offered for licensure and certification.
Mission
The mission of the LSUHSC Child & Family Counseling Clinic is to encourage the unique development and emotional growth of children, adolescents, and their families through proper assessment, diagnosis and treatment. The clinic provides individual, group, and family services including psychological assessments and evaluations. To fulfill the clinic’s objectives, the clinic provides professional training, research, publications, and counseling services.
Services Provided
- Individual, Group, and Family Play Therapy
- Psychological Assessment & Testing (ADHD, Specific Learning Disabilities, Behavioral Disorders)
- Social Skills Groups
- Filial Therapy
- Child Parent Relationship Therapy
- Caregiver Consultations
- Parent Strategies
- Professional Consultations
- Professional Seminars & Speaker Events
- School Trainings/Seminars
- Telehealth Services
- Supervision
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