Faculty
Sandra C. Brown, DNS, MN, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, ANEF, FAANP, FAAN
Dean and Professor
Susan Flowers, PhD, CRC
Interim Chairperson / Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Derek Ruiz, PhD, CRC, LPC (Illinois)
Assistant Professor
Pat Green, PhD, CRC
Noel Ysasi, PhD
Instructor
Susan Thornton, EdD, LPC-S, NCC, RPT-S, LPP
Introduction
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Faculty is committed to teaching, research, and service and feels responsible for humanizing the students with whom it has contact, advancing best practices in mental health, critical thinking skills, diversity consciousness, and a global perspective. The Program is in the process of applying for accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Academic Programs (CACREP).
Mission
The mission of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) Program is to train competent, culturally aware, ethical counselors who will provide exceptional mental health services in both public and private settings to meet the needs of increasingly diverse communities.
Objectives
Mental health counselors play a vital role in creating a nurturing mental health environment, which fosters good mental health and family development. Faculty are committed to developing highly qualified mental health professionals who are unique to understand the needs of clients and their families and design and coordinate mental health activities to meet those needs. We seek to provide a variety of opportunities in which counselors in preparation will gain knowledge and experience in the following:
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Understanding and acquiring skills related to the mental health setting: etiology, diagnosis, assessment, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders.
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Effectively working with individuals, small groups, and families for prevention and intervention.
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Accepting other people's behaviors/differences and developing sensitivity to various human perspectives.
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Increasing candidates' knowledge, skills, and awareness to work with individuals, families, and groups from diverse populations.
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Working in managed care clinical environments; communicating effectively with others and expressing themselves effectively in writing using APA style.
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On-going professional and personal development that strongly adhere to ethical standards; assuming leadership and advocacy roles as mental health counselors; and
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Becoming academically qualified to become certified, licensed, and registered clinical professionals.
Admissions Requirements
In addition to the requirements of the Graduate School, applicants must:
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Have completed a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of 2.7 or better
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Have a combined GRE score (Verbal and Quantitative) of 281
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Submit three (3) letters of recommendation, accompanied with the Request for Evaluation form in the admissions application
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Submit a Personal Statement of Goals
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Participate in an interview with program faculty
Plan of Study
Core Courses
Electives