M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Why Study Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Rivier?

Mental health counselors are committed to helping people address their issues with a range of mental health-related concerns—from depression and anxiety to substance abuse and addiction. Clinical Mental Health Counseling treatments combine psychotherapy with a practical, problem-solving approach to create actionable plans for change and problem resolution.

Rivier’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program offers the framework and professional training needed to start a rewarding career as a licensed mental health counselor.

Flexible Format

River’s M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program follows New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice standards in order to fulfill eligibility requirements for state licensure as a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC). Multiple term starts and competitive tuition rates are designed to help you start and finish faster.

• Next Start Date: January 19, 2021
• Est. Program Length: 2.5 years
• Credit Hours: 61
• Course Length: 7 and 14 weeks

Graduates of our program practice in a variety of clinical settings, including independent practice, community agencies, managed behavioral health care organizations, hospitals, employee assistance programs, and substance abuse treatment centers.

In this master’s program, you will:

• Develop the skills and knowledge necessary to help clients improve their mental health
• Develop strong analytical and critical thinking skills
• Become an effective communicator and collaborator

Licensure

The M.A. Program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) is designed to follow the standards of the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice (NHBMHP) to fulfill eligibility requirements for state licensure as a licensed clinical mental health counselor (LCMHC). Eligibility requirements for licensure as a CMHC in New Hampshire has three primary components of the pre-Master’s educational and practice guidelines as well as post-Master’s practice standards:

1. Applicants have a 60 semester hour master’s or doctoral degree in clinical mental health counseling from a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited institution pursuant to RSA 330-A: 19 or a school that is a regionally accredited institution of education meeting regulatory rules in Mhp305.01 (b).
2. Successful completion of the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (NCMHCE) taken after degree completion. Information about the NCHMCE is found here.
3. The completion of 3,000 hours of post-masters clinical work in a counseling environment that must occur over 2-4 years, supervised by a LCMHC, and pre-approved by the NHBMHP. Additional rules, forms, and details are found on the NHBMHP website.

Each state has its own licensure rules, although most follow this same general structure. It is the student’s responsibility to determine the licensure requirements for any state where they plan to apply for licensure. Students should contact the specific state licensing board directly to verify information.

For example, our program does not automatically align with MA. Each student who wants to be licensed as a counselor in MA needs to visit this page for contact information or contact Executive Director, 1000 Washington St Suite 170 Boston, Massachusetts 02118-6100, (617) 727-3080 (tel.) and (617) 727-1627 (fax).

Use the link provided above to identify the contact information for each state you seek to licensure.