During a time of widespread anxiety and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, Spalding University is set to launch a graduate academic program to develop professional counselors. This program, in keeping with the mission of Spalding, will train compassionate mental health professionals.
Spalding is now accepting applications for its new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program that will begin classes this fall and is pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which is Spalding’s regional accrediting body.
The two-year, 60-credit-hour MACMHC program will prepare students to become future practitioners as licensed professional counselors upon meeting the state’s postgraduate licensing requirements.
LEARN MORE | Overview of the new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
COURSES | View the Program of Study for the new master’s program
REQUEST INFO | Let us know if you’d like to learn more about this program
APPLY NOW | Take the next step to joining the Fall 2020 cohort
Mental health counseling is a growing field, with the number of jobs in it and other closely related occupations expected to grow 22 percent from 2018 to 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. For years, there has been a local and national shortage of mental health practitioners to help combat the opioid crisis, rises in suicide and other psychological distress. The demand has increased as the stigma of receiving mental health services has lessened and more people seek them out.
“The mission of Spalding is to meet the needs of the times by training compassionate professionals who can make a difference in the world,” Spalding President Tori Murden McClure said. “The need for access to mental health services has always existed, and it’s been magnified by the current situation – where everyone is facing the stress and emotional challenges of a pandemic. We are proud to launch a new Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program that will train future practitioners who can provide help and meet this important need.”
The new master’s program is open to students with a bachelor’s degree in any major and a 2.75 GPA from a regionally accredited institution. The deadline to apply for the Fall 2020 cohort is June 1. Spalding alumni can receive a 10 percent discount on tuition. Visit spalding.edu/master-of-arts-in-clinical-mental-health-counseling for more information about the program and its curriculum and faculty.
“We will train students to become competent counselors and encourage them to find creative ways and settings to deliver services, based on their strengths and backgrounds,” Program Director Dr. Teah Moore said. “We expect that our students will go off to work in hospitals, social service agencies, children’s homes and residential facilities for people battling addiction. Others could go into music therapy, adventure-based counseling or pastoral counseling. The opportunities the graduates of this program will have will be abundant and will help meet a growing demand.”