MS in Counseling

I. Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration

The clinical mental health counseling specialty requires a total of sixty-three credit hours of coursework. The specialty offers students a comprehensive array of studies which integrates the historical, philosophical, societal, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of the mental health and human service system with the roles, functions, skills, and professional identity of clinical counselors. Coursework will focus on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental and emotional disorders, and the general principles and practices for the promotion of optimal mental health. During the final portion of their coursework, students will intern under the supervision of a licensed mental health worker. An individual graduating from this specialty will be eligible to sit for the National Counselor Examination (NCE) and it will also prepare them to be licensed as a clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in Maine. The clinical mental health counseling specialty holds accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP).

Core Courses (36 credits)
     EDU 600 Research Methods and Techniques
     HCE 500 Orientation to the Counseling Profession
     HCE 604 Career Development
     HCE 605 Psychological Measurement and Evaluation
     HCE 620 Fundamentals of Counseling Theories
     HCE 621 Fundamentals of Counseling Skills
     HCE 626 Group Process and Procedures
     HCE 627 Group Counseling Practicum
     HCE 690 Individual Counseling Practicum Seminar
     HCE 691 Individual Counseling Practicum Laboratory
     HRD 664 Culture, Tradition, and Diversity
     HRD 668 Human Development

Required Specialty Courses (21 credits)
     HCE 640 Professional Issues for Mental Health Counselors
     HCE 642 Perspectives in Chemical Dependency
     HCE 644 Crisis Intervention
     HCE 645 Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
     HCE 686 Internship in Counselor Education (9 credits - 900 hours)

Electives (6 credits)

Substance Abuse Counseling Expertise Area

For those students interested in working in the area of substance abuse, the counselor education program offers coursework which will enable students to obtain a Substance Abuse Counseling expertise area within their master's degree. This expertise is available as part of the clinical mental health counseling specialty. Students who complete this expertise area as part of their master's degree meet all academic requirements necessary to become a licensed alcohol and drug counselor (LADC) in Maine. The following courses are required for the expertise area:
     HCE 642 Perspectives on Chemical Dependency
     HCE 643 Psychopharmacology and Substance-Related Disorders
     HCE 644 Crisis Intervention
     HCE 650 Basic Concepts in Couple and Family Counseling
     HCE 686 Internship in Counselor Education (6 credits - 600 hours in an in-patient/out-patient substance abuse treatment facility)

II. Rehabilitation Counseling Concentration

The rehabilitation counseling specialty requires a total of fifty-four credit hours of coursework. The specialty is intended to promote quality rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities through the education of rehabilitation professionals, providing services to rehabilitation organizations, and sponsorship of rehabilitation-related research and training. The graduate program's primary goal is to help students acquire the basic foundation, knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to enter the profession of rehabilitation counseling and practice effectively as rehabilitation counselors.

The program's mission is achieved through pursuit of the following objectives:

• To teach students the basic philosophic tenets of rehabilitation, specifically:
  • the value, worth, dignity, and capabilities of all people;
  • the right of all people to full societal participation with individuals in settings of their choice;
  • the treatment of persons with disabilities as equal partners in the rehabilitation process;
  • the emphasis on societal, community, and professional change as much as individual change;
  • the importance of hope, individual capacity, community inclusion, support, and education; and
  • the adherence to the Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors.
• To provide the practical knowledge and skills so that students become competent rehabilitation counselors in a wide variety of settings through:
  • the use of class and community experiences to acquaint students with rehabilitation philosophies, methods, and organizations; and
  • the exposure to varied, experiential, and field-based learning in rehabilitation counseling.
• To offer services, training, and research to area rehabilitation agencies, consumer groups, and professional organizations through faculty and students:
  • participation on local professional and consumer boards and committees,
  • presentation at local and regional conferences, and
  • provision of local in-service training and consultations.

This program is designed to provide students with the basic competencies to provide rehabilitation counseling to a broad range of individuals with disabilities in a variety of settings, such as state vocational rehabilitation facilities, independent living centers, rehabilitation hospitals, employment assistance programs, private industry, the veteran's administration, and private-for-profit rehabilitation companies. The rehabilitation counseling specialty holds accreditation from the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE).

The rehabilitation counseling specialty focuses on the medical, psychological, vocational, and societal issues that surround people with disabilities and the practice of rehabilitation. Students are also offered practicum and internship experiences in community agencies that promote equity and empowerment of people with disabilities. Upon completion of their degree, students are eligible to take a national exam that qualifies them as certified rehabilitation counselors (CRC). Graduates of this specialty become employed in public, private, and nonprofit rehabilitation agencies in Maine and across the country. The graduate program's primary goal is to help students acquire the basic foundation, knowledge, skills, and experiences to enter the profession and practice effectively and ethically as rehabilitation counselors.

Students are eligible to receive the MHRT/community certificate from the state of Maine upon completion of the degree program.

Core Courses (27 credits)
     EDU 600 Research Methods and Techniques
     HCE 605 Psychological Measurement and Evaluation
     HCE 620 Fundamentals of Counseling Theories
     HCE 621 Fundamentals of Counseling Skills
     HCE 626 Group Process and Procedures
     HCE 627 Group Counseling Practicum
     HCE 690 Individual Counseling Practicum Seminar
     HCE 691 Individual Counseling Practicum Laboratory
     HRD 668 Human Development

Required Specialty Courses (24 credits)
     HCE 510 Introduction to Rehabilitation Counseling and Services
     HCE 611 Medical and Psychological Aspects of Disability and Rehabilitation
     HCE 612 Multicultural Counseling: Family and Disability Issues
     HCE 514 Principles of Psychosocial Rehabilitation
     HCE 615 Vocational Counseling and Placement in Rehabilitation
     HCE 619 Myth, Madness, and Mental Illness
     HCE 686 Internship in Counselor Education (6 credits - 600 hours)

Electives (3 credits)

III. School Counseling Concentration

The school counseling specialty requires a total of sixty credit hours of coursework. Upon completion, students are eligible for certification from the Maine Department of Education in the area of school guidance and counseling, levels K-12. Certified graduates are qualified to become employed in elementary, middle, and secondary schools in Maine. Students are trained to become specialists in the planning and delivery of comprehensive developmental school counseling programs that reflect current research and validated paradigms. Graduates of this specialty are eligible to sit for the National Counselor Examination. The school counseling specialty holds accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP).

Core Courses (36 credits)
     EDU 600 Research Methods and Techniques
     HCE 500 Orientation to the Counseling Profession
     HCE 604 Career Development
     HCE 605 Psychological Measurement and Evaluation
     HCE 620 Fundamentals of Counseling Theories
     HCE 621 Fundamentals of Counseling Skills
     HCE 626 Group Process and Procedures
     HCE 627 Group Counseling Practicum
     HCE 690 Individual Counseling Practicum Seminar
     HCE 691 Individual Counseling Practicum Laboratory
     HRD 664 Culture, Tradition, and Diversity
     HRD 668 Human Development

Required Specialty Courses (21 credits)
     HCE 607 School Guidance Programs and Services
     HCE 609 The Practice of School Counseling
     HCE 622 Counseling Children and Adolescents
     HCE 642 Perspectives in Chemical Dependency
     HCE 644 Crisis Intervention
     HCE 686 Internship in Counselor Education (6 credits - 600 hours)

Electives (3 credits)

Note: To receive certification as a school counselor in the state of Maine, students must take an exceptionalities course. This may be an undergraduate or graduate course. If you choose to take a graduate course, we recommend HCE 606 Counseling Services for Students with Exceptional Needs.

For course descriptions, please click here: http://usm.maine.edu/sehd

Minimum Requirements

Applicant must have a bachelor's degree, from a regionally accredited college or university, and have earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) in a baccalaureate degree program; Applicants who do not have a 2.5 overall GPA must enclose a letter asking for special consideration, in which they provide evidence of an ability to complete graduate studies successfully. Without such a letter, applicants who fail to meet eligibility requirements may be automatically denied

Application Deadline

November 15

• Candidates should submit all application materials to the USM Office of Graduate Admissions, P.O. Box 9300, Portland, ME 04104-9300 by the application deadline.

Application must include:

• A submitted online graduate admission application;
• The application fee of $65.00;
• Two sets of official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended, including USM;
• Test scores from either GRE or MAT (see below);
• Three letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant's knowledge of current scholarship, capacity to connect theory and practice in posing and solving educational problems, achievement of excellence in educational practice, and demonstrated capability and motivation to engage in advanced graduate study. Recommendations must be received either directly from the recommender or forwarded by the applicant in sealed envelopes with the recommender's signature over the seal;
• Essay (see below);
• Certification of finances (international students only);
• Submission of official TOEFL or IELTS scores (if English is not first language);
• Program Selection Sheet; and
• Current resume.

Special Essay Question

In addition to the general requirements of the program, candidates for the counseling master's program should provide a narrative, preferably typed, in the form of a brief autobiography that relates the applicant's experiences that have led to an interest in counseling and application to the counselor education program.

Candidates are also asked to address the following statement: "As counseling professionals, we are constantly seeking areas in ourselves that bear examination and change. As future practitioners, you will be witness to a wide variety of client experiences." Please discuss areas in yourself that may block your ability to empathically listen to client experiences that are different from your own. The entire narrative, including the autobiography and the statement, should be limited to three typewritten, double-spaced pages which will be evaluated in terms of clarity of expression, grammatical construction, and other facets of English composition, as well as the quality of responses.

The admissions process requires a formal interview. Candidates to be interviewed will be rated on three areas of personal criteria:

• understanding of and commitment to the counseling field,
• self-awareness, and
• thinking skills/decision making ability.

As part of the interview, applicants will be required to provide a brief, spontaneous writing sample.

Testing Requirement

Applicants to the counseling program must take the MAT or GRE. One of the tests must be taken within five years of application. For those taking the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) you must have earned a score of 390 or above. For the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) you must have earned a score of 900 or above combined verbal and quantitative scores, or equivalent for candidates who take the exam after September 1, 2011 (this requirement is waived for applicants already holding a graduate degree). Please note: Starting August 1, 2011, the GRE® revised General Test will replace the current GRE General Test. Please consult the program Web site for information on score requirements from the revised GRE. You must have earned a score of at least 550 on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), 79 or higher on the Internet-based test, or 213 on the computer-based test, or an IELTS score of 6.5 or higher for students whose native language is not English.

Applicants who did not score 390 or equivalent, on the MAT or 900 combined on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE must enclose a letter asking for special consideration, in which they provide evidence of an ability to complete graduate studies successfully. Without such a letter, applicants who fail to meet eligibility requirements may be automatically denied.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of six credit hours may be approved as transfer credit, provided these credits were earned no more than three years prior to matriculation and grades of B or better were received. Additional transfer credit may be approved by the program chair in exceptional circumstances, including certificates of graduate study program courses.

Graduate students in master's level counseling programs at other accredited universities may transfer into the program if they take their final 21 hours, including the internship requirement, in USM's counselor education program.

Professional Licensure and Certification Notice

Students with a criminal record who are pursuing degrees leading to application for professional licensure or certification should contact the appropriate licensure or certification body prior to matriculation to ensure eligibility.