Masters in Science (M.S.) in Mental and Behavioral Health Counseling
Curriculum
The program is designed to prepare individuals for licensure as Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in RI. The curriculum is aligned with requirements for American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation as the program will seek APA-accreditation. The M.S. degree in Mental and Behavioral Health Counseling requires 66 credits for graduation.
Program Requirements
The table below outlines a sample timeline to degree completion. The degree is designed to be completed in two years with a summer start and a summer end.
| Summer (Pre) | Year 1 (Fall) | Year 1 (Spring) | Summer (Mid) | Year 2 (Fall) | Year 2 (Spring) | Summer (Terminal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Counseling (HDF 450) | Psychotherapy Skills (PSY 642) | Counseling Theory and Techniques (HDF 551) | Research and Program Evaluation (HDF 570) | Social Psychology (PSY 606) | Group Counseling (PSY 644) | Lifestyle and Career Development (PSY 507) |
| Collab Research in Psychology (PSY 615) | Multicultural Psychology (PSY 643) | Psychological Testing (PSY 434) | Cog-Affective Psychology (PSY 604) | Physiological Psychology (PSY 601) | ||
| Ethics (PSY 666) | Developmental Psychology (PSY 603) | |||||
| Advanced Psychopathology (PSY 607) | ||||||
| Practicum 1 (PSY 672) | Practicum 2 (PSY 672) | Practicum 3 (PSY 672) | Practicum 4 (PSY 672) | |||
| Internship I (PSY 670) | Internship II (PSY 670) | Internship III (PSY 670) | ||||
| 6 credits | 12 credits | 12 credits | 6 credits | 12 credits | 12 credits | 6 credits |
| Total = 66 credits | ||||||
Graduation
The Mental and Behavioral Health Counseling Program is designed to be completed in two academic years plus two summer semesters (one summer at the start of the program and a second summer prior to completion of the program). University policy requires all students to graduate within five years. Students who do not complete within this time period must petition the graduate school to continue and may be required to retake courses and other degree requirements or may be terminated from the program. Please see the Graduate Student Manual for additional program policies, procedures, and requirements.
Evaluation of Students
Student evaluations are conducted regularly by the program. Progress in the program is assessed in two ways:
- Clinical training evaluations completed by clinical/counseling supervisors at the end of each semester (fall, spring, summer).
- Annual review by program faculty.
The annual review by program faculty involves review of the student’s annual evaluation form, course grades, practicum/clinical training evaluations, case conference evaluations, and departmental/program service activities. The faculty discuss this information and complete a written evaluation form which is returned to the student. Students have the opportunity to discuss the evaluation with either the Program Director or their advisor. The student, Program Director, and advisor sign the form acknowledging receipt of the information. A copy of the evaluation is kept in each student’s file. The annual evaluation form indicates whether a student’s progress is outstanding, good, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory.
Professional Licensure Disclosure
Please note that our program provides coursework consistent with the educational requirements for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor in Rhode Island and in many other, but not all, states.
Please note that most states require the completion of supervised predoctoral practicum hours and a predoctoral internship. These aspects are also required for the M.S. in Mental and Behavioral Health Counseling at the University of Rhode Island (URI). In addition to education requirements for the master’s degree, however, many jurisdictions require post-graduate supervised hours prior to licensure. These requirements are beyond the curricular requirements offered in URI’s MBHC program as they are required to be completed post-graduation.
For more information on licensing requirements, including contact information for every state and territory licensing board, please see the Association of State Boards of Professional Psychology (ASBPP) webpage.