Mental Health Counseling
Program Overview
The Mental Health Counseling program prepares graduates to work as mental health counselors in hospital, agency and community settings as well as in private practice.
Coursework and Clinical Experiences
Courses are offered in the afternoon and evening. A minimum of 700 field hours of fieldwork are completed over three semesters through the Practicum and Internship courses.
Credits
60
Certification/Licensure
Professional Mental Health Counseling licensure in New York State
Eligibility and Admission Requirements
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0
- 15 to 25 credits of approved courses from the following fields: anthropology, economics, education, guidance, health sciences, political science, psychology, sociology, and related areas
- Evidence of written expression consonant with graduate-level study
- A statement of purpose (400 to 600 words) that addresses the following prompt: Please describe a meaningful event that has shaped your interest in becoming a counselor and explain why it was important.
- An additional essay (400 to 600 words) that addresses the following prompt: Consider you are a counseling student providing services at a counseling internship placement site, what type of client or client issue would be difficult for you and why? How do you think you would cope with this situation?
- Two letters of recommendation from appropriate professional or academic references to aid in determining potential for work as a professional counselor
- Relevant work and/or volunteer experience is highly recommended
Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance to the program. Admission to the program is highly competitive, and each applicant’s grade point average, counselor potential, and applicability of work and life experience are carefully considered.
Counseling Programs Information Session Slide Presentation
To Apply
Applications are accepted each Fall semester.
To start your application, visit the Hunter College Online Application.
When applying to this program, under Program of Study, select School of Education – Other Programs and Mental Health Counseling.
Application Deadlines
Fall Start
- February 1
Visit How to Apply for information about deadlines.