About Us
The MS in Counselor Education Program at WCSU is a three-year online program with a residency component offering candidates two concentrations of study, School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling. The program trains students to work in K-12 School Counseling settings or in a variety of Clinical Mental Health settings. Asynchronous and digital synchronous learning is used for all our courses and supervisory activities except on-campus clinical labs (see details below). The Master of Science in Counselor Education is accredited by the Council on the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
Clinical Mental Health Concentration
The Clinical Mental Health concentration is 60 credits and satisfies all educational requirements by the Connecticut Department of Health for graduates to become Licensed Professional Counselors. We meet all requirements for graduates to become Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors in New York. All candidates are also eligible to take the National Counselor Exam or the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Exam in their last semester of study. Students applying from other states should contact the program coordinator to make a plan that meets requirement for that state.
School Counseling Concentration
The School Counseling concentration is 60 credits effective summer 2023 to meet new CACREP accreditation standards. The program is approved by the Connecticut State Department of Education and prepares candidates to be eligible to receive the Initial Educator Certification with a School Counseling endorsement (068). Candidates from New York cannot be certified by Connecticut to be school counselors in New York State. However, they can receive certification in Connecticut, and they can meet most of the requirements and complete required fieldwork that allow them to apply for certification in New York. Students should review additional New York State requirements with the program director or their faculty advisor. Students applying from other states should contact the program coordinator to make a plan that meets requirement for that state.
Clinical Labs
In lieu of a summer residency, our skills courses (EPY 602, EPY 603, EPY 604/605, and EPY 606) have an on-campus clinical lab component associated with the online course. The Clinical Lab component offers the opportunity for students to apply the clinical knowledge learned in the courses to hands on activities during the 3 Saturday on-campus lab. In this time students will have the opportunity to interact with their cohort and faculty in-person, and practice skills in role plays, and counseling scenarios. Each student will be assessed and will receive feedback on the skills practiced in the session. Dates are published in advance at the time of enrollment. Students who need an alternative option for clinical labs due to religious or health reasons, or other special situations must notify their instructor at the start of the semester.
