Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.S.
Degree: M.S.
Location(s): Rhode Island
Start Date: Fall & Spring
Cost: $774 per credit*
Internship: 600 Hours Required
Credits: 60
Earn Your Counseling M.S. in 18 Months
Help counsel individuals and families with a specific set of problems or a mental health disorder when you graduate with a Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s degree from JWU.
This 18-month, full-time program (part-time, 3 year schedule is also available) helps prepare master’s-level clinicians to become licensed mental health counselors (LMHC) and is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
Put Professional Knowledge into Practice
With two cohort starts each year (fall or spring) and classes that meet in late afternoons and evenings, the program’s schedule has the flexibility to accommodate fieldwork placements during the day and on weekends.
Learn clinical skills by turning theoretical foundations into positive, ethical client interaction and intervention. The majority of courses are taught by full-time faculty with a wide range of expertise, including clinical, addictions, substance abuse, trauma and rehabilitation counseling.
This 60-credit program includes 12 core courses, 4 electives, a practicum and an internship. This clinical fieldwork puts professional knowledge into practice, starting with a 100-hour practicum and followed by a 600-hour internship under the supervision of clinical professionals.
Graduates are expected to demonstrate a solid understanding of methods to diagnose, assess, test and treat a wide range of issues in the context of clinical mental health counseling, treatment and prevention programs.
Curriculum
Credits Core Courses | ||
| CSLG5060 | Counseling Theories | 3 |
| CSLG5100 | Advanced Career Counseling | 3 |
| CSLG5150 | Counseling Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| CSLG5170 | Multicultural Counseling: Theories and Techniques | 3 |
| CSLG5250 | Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice (Practicum 1) | 3 |
| CSLG5300 | Individual Counseling Theories and Techniques I (Practicum 2) | 3 |
| CSLG5350 | Health and Wellness Counseling | 3 |
| CSLG5400 | Psychopathology and Treatment Planning | 3 |
| CSLG5450 | Testing and Assessment in Counseling | 3 |
| CSLG5500 | Advanced Group Counseling Theories and Techniques with Lab | 3 |
| CSLG5899 | Counseling Practicum | 3 |
| CSLG6100 | Advanced Co-Occurring Disorders and Addictions Counseling | 3 |
| CSLG6150 | Individual Counseling Theories and Techniques II (Practicum 3) | 3 |
| CSLG6350 | Mental Health Counseling for Families | 3 |
| CSLG6888 | Counseling Internship I | 6 |
| CSLG6899 | Counseling Internship II | 6 |
| PSYC5200 | Advanced Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| RSCH6150 | Research and Theories in Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| Total Credits | 60.0 | |
Tuition
The average cost per credit is $774*
*The estimated cost per credit rate is effective for the 2026–27 academic year and is subject to change annually. The Cost of Attendance (COA) is the estimated total amount it will cost a student to attend JWU each year. For more information, contact Student Financial Services.
Learn about the admissions process and tuition for JWU’s graduate programs.
Counseling Programs Earn Prestigious CACREP Accreditation
JWU’s programs in Addiction Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling have earned Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accreditation, the highest standard in the counseling profession.
“Achieving accreditation for our program is a testament to the dedication, hard work and excellence that our faculty, staff and students demonstrate every day,” said College of Arts & Sciences Dean Michael Fein.
“A degree from a CACREP-accredited program is widely recognized by licensing boards, community agencies, practitioners and national professional associations as a hallmark of excellence, making it a valuable credential for aspiring counselors,” noted program director Cheryl Almeida, Ph.D.
Career Options
Students are responsible for verifying that they can meet the employment requirements of potential employers.
Individual states may require specific licensing or professional certification in addition to earning a degree in order to practice in the field. Review Licensure & Professional Certification Disclosures for more information.
- Community services clinician
- Behavioral health counselor
- Crisis intervention specialist
- Mental health counselor
- Substance abuse counselor
- Clinical supervisor
- Telehealth therapist
- School adjustment counselor/clinical counselor
- Private Practice Clinician
How Counseling Can Diminish Sports Performance Anxiety
Associate professors Jessica Paulhus and Yesim Giresunlu, core faculty in JWU Providence’s Counselor Education department, are using their backgrounds in counseling, athletics and martial arts to support student-athletes’ mental health and diminish performance anxiety. It’s part of a collaborative effort with JWU’s Athletics department and other individuals across the university.
During the 2023-24 academic year, the professors co-facilitated two training sessions for student-athletes where they outlined their findings and offered practical strategies for improving game performance.
Therapy that Leverages Nature’s Healing Properties
A member of JWU Providence’s Clinical Health Counseling program’s first graduating cohort, Danielle Gagnon ’16 M.S. uses nature as a synergistic component of her counseling strategy. Throughout her career, she has practiced experiential therapeutic modalities and integrating the healing nature of the outdoors, including wilderness therapy.
Gagnon currently practices in Utah, where she became a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. She has primarily worked with adolescents who have struggled with anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use and emotional regulation.
Gagnon has trained and is certified in many clinical modalities, including Brain Spotting, Trauma-Focused CBT and SMART Recovery; she is also Safe Zone-certified for working with the LGBTQ+ population. She believes these forms of therapy create a space to allow students to access negative memories or feelings and release them, allowing the brain and body to heal
Johnson & Wales University’s Master of Science in Counseling programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Addiction Counseling are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), 500 Montgomery Street, Suite 350, Alexandria, VA 22314, 703-535-5990.
Program Data
JWU’s M.S. in Clinical Mental Health and Addiction Counseling programs are housed in the College of Arts & Sciences’ Counselor Education department.
Admissions Criteria
JWU Catalog: Graduate Admissions Requirements
Annual Report
2024-25 Annual Report: M.S. in Counseling (PDF)
Vital Statistics
Faculty Contact
Cheryl Almeida, Ph.D.
Director of Counselor Education Programs
College of Arts & Sciences
401-598-2247
cheryl.almeida@jwu.edu