Emphases
We love what we do! Dedicated faculty members lead our innovative, in-person, student-centered program and are committed to helping students grow in their academic, personal and clinical knowledge and skills. Our program:
- Includes a choice of emphasis in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) or School Counseling,
- Is designed for full-time students to graduate in three years, with two years of coursework, including summer terms, and an internship during the third year,
- Offers coursework in the afternoons and evenings to accommodate full-time and part-time schedules,
- Boasts a state-of-the-art Winther Counseling Services staffed by counseling students during their practicum semester,
- Has been accredited through the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) since 2000,
- Embraces a social justice approach to counseling, including opportunities to study abroad in Scotland or in Guatemala.
For more information about our program, please see our current student handbook here.
Program Sequence
First Year
- Clinical core courses
- Core courses
- Emphasis-specific courses
Second Year
- Practicum (one semester)
- Core courses
- Emphasis-specific courses
Third Year
Students who are full time move through the program engaged in a variety of learning experiences–including experiential, skills based courses, personal learning and academic knowledge acquisition. Students choose an emphasis of either clinical or mental health counseling, which are described in more detail below.
Licensure:
Licensure is required to practice in Wisconsin and completion of this program prepares students to meet licensure requirements in either clinical mental health counseling or school counseling in Wisconsin. UW-Whitewater has not made a determination of whether the program curriculum meets the educational licensure requirements in other U.S. states or territories. Licensure requirements by state can be found here. Information on state specific school counselor licensure requirements can be found here. The program works with students individually to ensure that students meet licensure requirements in their desired location.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) emphasis (60 credit hours) meets the curriculum requirements for the National Board of Counselor Certification and prepares individuals to work with a variety of presenting conditions. Students who select this emphasis plan to work in such diverse settings as:
- community mental health centers,
- inpatient facilities,
- vocational or employment counseling agencies,
- family service agencies,
- correctional institutions,
- business and industry, or
- social service agencies.
Individuals who complete the CMHC emphasis can pursue the following license options:
- Licensed Professional Counselor In Training (LPC-IT) License The CMHC coursework has been approved by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) for the License in Professional Counselor In Training (LPC-IT).
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist In Training (LMFT-IT) License The CMHC coursework, marriage and family systems electives, and additional direct client hours during internship meet academic and supervisory requirements as outlined in the Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code for the LMFT-IT license.
- Substance Abuse Counselor In Training (SAC-IT) License The clinical mental health counseling coursework along with electives AODA above have been approved by the DSPS as eligible for the SAC-IT.
School Counseling
The school counseling emphasis (60 credit hours) meets the program requirements for Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for the K-12 school counseling licensure in the state of Wisconsin. Students in the school counseling emphasis need to pass the PRAXIS II School Counseling Exam (Professional School Counselor #5421) and maintain a 3.0 GPA.
School counselors provide leadership in the implementation of comprehensive school counseling programs and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) in elementary, middle and high schools. They use data to provide individual & small group counseling, consult with parents and teachers to create equitable systems for all students.
Students in both the CMHC and school counseling emphasis take the same core 48 credits of coursework that meet the CACREP standards, including:
712 Foundations of Counseling
715: Research in Counselor Education or Educational Foundations 740: Educational Research
716: Crisis Intervention and Trauma Counseling Across settings (school & CMHC specific sections)
718: Principles of Counseling
719: Appraisal Procedures in Counseling
720: Career Development and Information Services (school & CMHC specific sections)
721: Groups: Theory and Practice
722: Theories of Counseling
728: Mental Health Diagnosis in Counseling
731: Introduction to Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling
736: Counseling Across the Lifespan
741: Social and Cultural Foundations of Counseling
751: Professional Practices: Ethics and Consultation
793: Supervised Practicum
795: Counseling Internship (2 semesters)-600 hours
School Counseling Emphasis Coursework
- COUNSED 738: Schools and the Roles of School Counselors
- COUNSED 743: School Counseling: Consultation, Collaboration and Intervention
Clinical Mental Health Coursework
- COUNSED 746: Counseling and the Chemical Dependency Process
- COUNSED 753: Treatment of Mental Health Disorders
Students in both emphases can choose 6 credits of electives in their programs, including:
- COUNSED 696: Current Issues in Counseling
- COUNSED 732: Advanced Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling
- COUNSED 734: Family: Assessment & Treatment of Abusive Behaviors
- COUNSED 739: Trauma Treatment
- COUNSED 747: Counseling Children and Adolescents
- COUNSED 749: Chemical Dependency: Evidence-Based and Integrated Treatment
- COUNSED 746: Counseling and the Chemical Dependency Process
- COUNSED 738: Schools and the Roles of School Counselors
- COUNSED 743: School Counseling: Consultation, Collaboration and Intervention
- COUNSED 753: Treatment of Mental Health Disorders
- Electives from the Higher Education and Leadership (HELEAD), Social Work, School Psychology and Special Education or other departments