Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling

Getting Started

Where You Can Get A Degree

The Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling program is available at the following Alvernia University campus:

• Reading

Program Requirements

Students with any bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university are eligible for entry into the program. There are three mandatory prerequisite courses: Introduction to Psychology, Psychopathology, and a course in Statistics or Quantitative Methods of Research, which students must complete prior to beginning coursework.  Graduate testing is not required for the MACC application process.

In the event an applicant maintained an undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0, an academic plan describing how he or she will maintain the MACC program requirements must be submitted with the initial application. This plan will be reviewed by the MACC Committee along with the other admissions materials.

The Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling program matriculates students during the fall term of each academic year *. The program curriculum rotates on a three-year cycle, and classes are designed to build on previous coursework. Coursework begins by enrolling in Introduction to Counseling (MCC 500). Students wishing to begin classes prior to the fall term are permitted to take the interdisciplinary core course Ethics and Moral Leadership (COR 520) during the spring and/or summer terms. Otherwise, students are expected to follow the recommended course sequence or they may encounter delays in future course selection or practicum and internship assignments.

The capstone internship course is required and provides students with the opportunity to practice professional counseling with the support and supervision of on-site supervisors and Alvernia University faculty.

Application Instructions

• Complete your graduate application.
• Submit your transcripts.
• Complete your financial aid paperwork.
• Register for classes.

Financing Your Education

There are options to assist in financing your education and making the tuition affordable. Visit our financial aid page for a detailed overview of the process, including a link to complete the FAFSA application, as well as more information about the tuition payment plan and the tuition deferment program we offer. Alvernia’s Title IV code for the FAFSA is 003233. The Office of Student Financial Services is available to help with any questions you may have. Call 610-796-8201 or email sfs@alvernia.edu.

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Program Overview

Mission

The Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling is designed to provide the necessary knowledge, values, and skills required of competent master’s level counseling practitioners working in community setting with clients experiencing both mental health and co-occurring substance abuse issues. The program is designed to develop professionally ethical practitioners trained within the Franciscan tradition of Alvernia University to promote social justice, dignity, and respect for all human life within the community.

Curriculum

Required Interdisciplinary Course (3 credits)

COR 520: Ethics and Moral Leadership

Required Courses (57 credits)

MCC 500: Introduction to Counseling (3 credits)
This course is required for all clinical counseling students as an introduction to the basic counseling and communication skills necessary when counseling clients with mental health and addiction disorders. Introduction to the history and evolution of the counseling profession, development of a professional counselor identity, the role of professional counseling organizations, and licensure will be examined. Skills and techniques focusing on oral, written, and technological competencies in interpersonal relationships and counseling agencies will be developed. This course will involve practicing the skills involved in relationship building, interviewing, role playing, simulation, and micro-counseling.

MCC 510: Human Development Across the Life Span (3 credits)
This course will examine the theory and research of human development from conception to death from a social-psychobiological developmental perspective.  Human development will be examined from both historic and contemporary perspectives including the physical, intellectual, psychological, emotional, cultural, and social patters that are woven by a unique combination of heredity and environment. The impact of addictive behavior across the life-span will be explored.

MCC 520: Counseling Theories (3 credits)
This course examines the spectrum of traditional and contemporary theories in counseling ranging from traditional psychodynamic, humanistic, learning, behavioral theories to cognitive behavioral, spiritually-based, creative arts, multiculturally-sensitive and current approaches to counseling theories and techniques. Techniques and issues in counseling such as transference and counter transference, resistance, self-disclosure, active listening, the use of silence, confrontation and the value of metaphors are among those that are examined. Students are able to assess the appropriateness of the various interventions in dealing with clients with both mental health and addiction disorders.

MCC 530: Multicultural Issues in Counseling (3 credits)
This course explores the social and cultural contexts of helping relationships. The ways that culture and ethnicity interact with human behavior are examined. Theories related to cultural identity, age, gender, sexual orientation, family values, coping, attributions, attitude formation, social power, addictive behavior, spiritual values, and socioeconomic conditions as they relate to impact counseling with diverse groups are examined. Current research regarding issues such as client/counselor match are analyzed. Ethical guidelines for counseling diverse groups provided by the American Counseling Association and similar professional organizations are studied. Students participate in experiential exercises and analyze case studies to apply theories and concepts to “real world” situations.

MCC 535: Counseling Children and Adolescents (3 credits)
This course focuses on unique counseling theories and techniques applicable to counseling early childhood and preschool children and their families. Play therapy, puppet therapy, doll therapy, creative arts therapy, in vivo therapy and other therapy modalities are explored. This course focuses on unique counseling theories and techniques applicable to working with adolescent youth, exploring issues of identity, peer acceptance, conformity and deviation, sexuality, experimentation with substances, youth culture and issues of youth in the contemporary society.

MCC 540: Addiction and Society (3 credits)
This course analyzes the behavioral, pharmacological, historical, social, legal and clinical perspectives that surround the use, abuse and addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Current methodologies are examined as to their effectiveness in both the prevention and treatment of addictive disorders. Other addictions and related high-risk behaviors are analyzed from an addiction model of behavior.

MCC 545: Family Therapy Concepts & Methods (3 credits)
A study of established systems of contemporary family therapy. Each approach will be examined in terms of leading figures, theoretical formulations, normal family development, impact of addiction on the family system, development of addiction and behavior disorders, goals of therapy, conditions for change, techniques, and evaluations of theory and results. Role playing will involve both system specific and core techniques.

MCC 550: Practicum (3 credits)
Students spend 100 hours assigned to a placement facility observing and being exposed to activities in a professional counseling venue over the course of a semester. Students are required to obtain the following clearances before interviewing for any field experience: Act 151 (PA Child Abuse Report History), Act 34 (PA State Criminal History Record), and FBI Criminal History Report and fingerprinting. If you have lived in Pennsylvania for fewer than 2 years, you must then complete Act 169 (Older Adults Protective Services Act) clearance. Students must comply with agency and university regulations regarding all clearances and health checks before being permitted to work with clients in a particular agency. Students are responsible for the costs associated with these screenings.

MCC 560: Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling (3 credits)
This course is designed to provide the counselor in training with an understanding of the major ethical and legal issues involved in the practice of mental health and addictions counseling. The ethical code of the American Counseling Association and the Pennsylvania Certification Board will be explored. Legal issues involved with mental health and addictions counseling will also be addressed. The case study format will be used to develop and practice the process of ethical decision making in counseling situations.

MCC 600: Advanced Counseling Theories and Techniques with Individuals (3 credits)
Students in this course compare and contrast various intervention theories and counseling models in working with individuals with both mental health and addiction disorders. Students examine the unique dynamics of the therapeutic/interpersonal counseling relationship and how change is effected by that interaction. Students learn how to do clinical assessments for diagnostics, develop treatment plans, goals and objectives and evaluate outcomes as they apply to clinical practice with individuals in community counseling care settings.

MCC 610: Advanced Counseling Theories and Techniques with Groups (3 credits)
Students learn to apply group theories and techniques of counseling as they work with an increasingly diverse constellation of groups (both formally and informally constructed groups) in contemporary society. Theories include group theory, student survey, Yalom, Corey, Carroll, and others. Students learn how to conduct assessment of families and groups for the purposes of diagnosing problems and dysfunctions, developing intervention strategies and evaluating the outcomes.

MCC 620: Research Methods and Program Evaluations (3 credits)
Students survey research methods in the behavioral sciences so that they can critically evaluate research that is published in the field. Students are able to differentiate different research methodologies in the behavioral sciences and will develop an applied knowledge of basic descriptive statistics through basic inferential statistics using correlation analyses and ANOVA. Students are required to do a research project.

MCC 630: Appraisal, Tests and Measurements (3 credits)
Students learn to evaluate reliability, validity, standardization methods and test construction of instruments used in the treatment of mental health and addictive disorders. In addition, students learn to discern the appropriateness of objective and projective tests and measurements of tests to meet specific client needs. Students practice administration; scoring and interpretation of tests appropriate for use by Master level clinicians.

MCC 640: Psychopathology (3 credits)
This course examines special theories and practices of the complex area of assessing, diagnosing and treating individuals and families where mental health and addiction problems exist and influence one another. This course surveys mental disorders as classified by the latest version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostics and Statistics Manual. Students develop a professional operational knowledge of all forms of mental disorders and are able to distinguish Mood and Affective Disorders, Organic Disorders from Personality Disorders from Phase of Life Disorders and from normal developmental issues and psychopathology and addictive patterns.

MCC 645: Crisis Counseling (3 credits)
This course will examine the various crisis intervention models and basic principles of crisis intervention strategies. An emphasis will be placed upon serving persons with different types of psychological trauma, such as sexual assault, partner violence, chemical dependency, and personal loss. The course will examine crises in various settings, such as schools and the workplace. An examination will be made of hostage negotiation and disaster response as well as the issues of compassion fatigue and burnout. Multicultural issues will be addressed separately and throughout the course.

MCC 650: Career Counseling (3 credits)
This course surveys the theories (including but not limited to Hoppock, Hoyt, Herr, and Kramer) and research on vocational development as well as methods to assess vocational choice. This course looks at the psychosocial, mental health lifestyle implications of vocational choice, and look at the various personality, skills and interests, and attitudinal variables that go into healthy career decision making. Students survey the various vocational development career assessment instruments (aptitude, skills and interest inventories and vocational personality instruments), research databases and technology for vocational decision-making.

MCC 670: Internship I (300 hours) (3 credits)
Students practice professional counseling in a venue where professional community counseling takes place under the supervision of a faculty member and licensed professional counselor. Students are required to have a minimum of 300 hours direct client contact, with weekly supervision of 1 hour in an individual, dyadic or triadic format by an on-site licensed supervisor, with an average 1.5 hours per week group supervision performed by a licensed faculty member. The internship experience provides students with the opportunity to: assess and treat clients, follow client progress, keep records, have supervision, attend staff meetings, participate in service training and other professional activities. Students present their work using audio or videotape for formal professional critique by supervisors and other interns. A formal evaluation for fitness to practice is made upon completion of the internship experience.

Students are required to obtain the following clearances before interviewing for any field experience: Act 151 (PA Child Abuse Report History), Act 34 (PA State Criminal History Record), and FBI Criminal History Report and fingerprinting. If you have lived in Pennsylvania for fewer than 2 years, you must then complete Act 169 (Older Adults Protective Services Act) clearance. Students must comply with agency and university regulations regarding all clearances and health checks before being permitted to work with clients in a particular agency. Students are responsible for the costs associated with these screenings.

MCC 675: Current Issues in Clinical Counseling (3 credits)
This course will examine a variety of topics pertinent to the practice of counseling in a changing environment.  Specific issues to be addressed are the changing regulations in counselor licensure, the impact of CACREP on the profession, HIPPA, advocacy, and organizational and systemic aspects of counseling including service delivery, relevant policy, program development and evaluation, advocacy, management, and clinical supervision.

MCC 680: Internship II (300 hours) (3 credits)
Students continue to practice professional counseling in a venue where professional community counseling takes place under the supervision of a faculty member and licensed professional counselor. Students are required to have a minimum of 300 hours direct client contact, with weekly supervision of 1 hour in an individual, dyadic or triadic format by an on-site licensed supervisor, with an average 1.5 hours per week group supervision performed by a licensed faculty member. The internship experience provides students with the opportunity to: assess and treat clients, follow client progress, keep records, have supervision, attend staff meetings, participate in service training and other professional activities. Students present their work using audio or videotape for formal professional critique by supervisors and other interns. A formal evaluation for fitness to practice is made upon completion of the internship experience.

Students are required to obtain the following clearances before interviewing for any field experience: Act 151 (PA Child Abuse Report History), Act 34 (PA State Criminal History Record), and FBI Criminal History Report and fingerprinting. If you have lived in Pennsylvania for fewer than 2 years, you must then complete Act 169 (Older Adults Protective Services Act) clearance. Students must comply with agency and university regulations regarding all clearances and health checks before being permitted to work with clients in a particular agency. Students are responsible for the costs associated with these screenings.

MCC 685: Advanced Clinical Internship (400 hours plus weekly seminar)
This course is designed to offer students advanced diagnostic and therapeutic skills in effective treatment interventions with the supervision of a licensed practitioner. Students understand and critically analyze both the theoretical constructs and practical skills that are effective when therapeutically engaged with individuals, families or groups. Students are required to have a minimum of 400 hours of direct client contact, with weekly supervision of 1 hour in an individual, dyadic or triadic format. Students present their work using audio or videotape for formal professional critique by supervisors and other interns. Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to function independently as a licensed practitioner. (Required for specialization in Mental Health).

Students are required to obtain the following clearances before interviewing for any field experience: Act 151 (PA Child Abuse Report History), Act 34 (PA State Criminal History Record), and FBI Criminal History Report and fingerprinting. If you have lived in Pennsylvania for fewer than 2 years, you must then complete Act 169 (Older Adults Protective Services Act) clearance. Students must comply with agency and university regulations regarding all clearances and health checks before being permitted to work with clients in a particular agency. Students are responsible for the costs associated with these screenings.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

• Attending professional conferences offered through the American Counseling Association and the Pennsylvania Counseling Association. These activities offer the opportunity to network with other professionals at the state and national levels.
• Complete counseling internships among many public and private agencies in Reading, Philadelphia, Lancaster, Pottsville and the surrounding areas.

Accreditation Statements

• The Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling (MACC) is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs.
• Alvernia is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Career Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors is projected to grow 22 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than average for all occupations. The median annual wage in 2021 was $48,520.

• Professional Counselor
• Certified Addiction Counselor
• National Certified Counselor with specialties as a Certified Mental Health Counselor or a Master Addiction Counselor

Post-BACC Program Curriculum

Required Interdisciplinary Course (3 credits)

COR 520: Ethics and Moral Leadership

Required Courses (57 credits)

MCC 500: Introduction to Counseling (3 credits)
This course is required for all clinical counseling students as an introduction to the basic counseling and communication skills necessary when counseling clients with mental health and addiction disorders. Introduction to the history and evolution of the counseling profession, development of a professional counselor identity, the role of professional counseling organizations, and licensure will be examined. Skills and techniques focusing on oral, written, and technological competencies in interpersonal relationships and counseling agencies will be developed. This course will involve practicing the skills involved in relationship building, interviewing, role playing, simulation, and micro-counseling.

MCC 510: Human Development Across the Life Span (3 credits)
This course will examine the theory and research of human development from conception to death from a social-psychobiological developmental perspective.  Human development will be examined from both historic and contemporary perspectives including the physical, intellectual, psychological, emotional, cultural, and social patters that are woven by a unique combination of heredity and environment. The impact of addictive behavior across the life-span will be explored.

MCC 520: Counseling Theories (3 credits)
This course examines the spectrum of traditional and contemporary theories in counseling ranging from traditional psychodynamic, humanistic, learning, behavioral theories to cognitive behavioral, spiritually-based, creative arts, multiculturally-sensitive and current approaches to counseling theories and techniques. Techniques and issues in counseling such as transference and counter transference, resistance, self-disclosure, active listening, the use of silence, confrontation and the value of metaphors are among those that are examined. Students are able to assess the appropriateness of the various interventions in dealing with clients with both mental health and addiction disorders.

MCC 530: Multicultural Issues in Counseling (3 credits)
This course explores the social and cultural contexts of helping relationships. The ways that culture and ethnicity interact with human behavior are examined. Theories related to cultural identity, age, gender, sexual orientation, family values, coping, attributions, attitude formation, social power, addictive behavior, spiritual values, and socioeconomic conditions as they relate to impact counseling with diverse groups are examined. Current research regarding issues such as client/counselor match are analyzed. Ethical guidelines for counseling diverse groups provided by the American Counseling Association and similar professional organizations are studied. Students participate in experiential exercises and analyze case studies to apply theories and concepts to “real world” situations.

MCC 535: Counseling Children and Adolescents (3 credits)
This course focuses on unique counseling theories and techniques applicable to counseling early childhood and preschool children and their families. Play therapy, puppet therapy, doll therapy, creative arts therapy, in vivo therapy and other therapy modalities are explored. This course focuses on unique counseling theories and techniques applicable to working with adolescent youth, exploring issues of identity, peer acceptance, conformity and deviation, sexuality, experimentation with substances, youth culture and issues of youth in the contemporary society.

MCC 540: Addiction and Society (3 credits)
This course analyzes the behavioral, pharmacological, historical, social, legal and clinical perspectives that surround the use, abuse and addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Current methodologies are examined as to their effectiveness in both the prevention and treatment of addictive disorders. Other addictions and related high-risk behaviors are analyzed from an addiction model of behavior.

MCC 545: Family Therapy Concepts & Methods (3 credits)
A study of established systems of contemporary family therapy. Each approach will be examined in terms of leading figures, theoretical formulations, normal family development, impact of addiction on the family system, development of addiction and behavior disorders, goals of therapy, conditions for change, techniques, and evaluations of theory and results. Role playing will involve both system specific and core techniques.

MCC 550: Practicum (3 credits)
Students spend 100 hours assigned to a placement facility observing and being exposed to activities in a professional counseling venue over the course of a semester. Students are required to obtain the following clearances before interviewing for any field experience: Act 151 (PA Child Abuse Report History), Act 34 (PA State Criminal History Record), and FBI Criminal History Report and fingerprinting. If you have lived in Pennsylvania for fewer than 2 years, you must then complete Act 169 (Older Adults Protective Services Act) clearance. Students must comply with agency and university regulations regarding all clearances and health checks before being permitted to work with clients in a particular agency. Students are responsible for the costs associated with these screenings.

MCC 560: Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling (3 credits)
This course is designed to provide the counselor in training with an understanding of the major ethical and legal issues involved in the practice of mental health and addictions counseling. The ethical code of the American Counseling Association and the Pennsylvania Certification Board will be explored. Legal issues involved with mental health and addictions counseling will also be addressed. The case study format will be used to develop and practice the process of ethical decision making in counseling situations.

MCC 600: Advanced Counseling Theories and Techniques with Individuals (3 credits)
Students in this course compare and contrast various intervention theories and counseling models in working with individuals with both mental health and addiction disorders. Students examine the unique dynamics of the therapeutic/interpersonal counseling relationship and how change is effected by that interaction. Students learn how to do clinical assessments for diagnostics, develop treatment plans, goals and objectives and evaluate outcomes as they apply to clinical practice with individuals in community counseling care settings.

MCC 610: Advanced Counseling Theories and Techniques with Groups (3 credits)
Students learn to apply group theories and techniques of counseling as they work with an increasingly diverse constellation of groups (both formally and informally constructed groups) in contemporary society. Theories include group theory, student survey, Yalom, Corey, Carroll, and others. Students learn how to conduct assessment of families and groups for the purposes of diagnosing problems and dysfunctions, developing intervention strategies and evaluating the outcomes.

MCC 620: Research Methods and Program Evaluations (3 credits)
Students survey research methods in the behavioral sciences so that they can critically evaluate research that is published in the field. Students are able to differentiate different research methodologies in the behavioral sciences and will develop an applied knowledge of basic descriptive statistics through basic inferential statistics using correlation analyses and ANOVA. Students are required to do a research project.

MCC 630: Appraisal, Tests and Measurements (3 credits)
Students learn to evaluate reliability, validity, standardization methods and test construction of instruments used in the treatment of mental health and addictive disorders. In addition, students learn to discern the appropriateness of objective and projective tests and measurements of tests to meet specific client needs. Students practice administration; scoring and interpretation of tests appropriate for use by Master level clinicians.

MCC 640: Psychopathology (3 credits)
This course examines special theories and practices of the complex area of assessing, diagnosing and treating individuals and families where mental health and addiction problems exist and influence one another. This course surveys mental disorders as classified by the latest version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostics and Statistics Manual. Students develop a professional operational knowledge of all forms of mental disorders and are able to distinguish Mood and Affective Disorders, Organic Disorders from Personality Disorders from Phase of Life Disorders and from normal developmental issues and psychopathology and addictive patterns.

MCC 645: Crisis Counseling (3 credits)
This course will examine the various crisis intervention models and basic principles of crisis intervention strategies. An emphasis will be placed upon serving persons with different types of psychological trauma, such as sexual assault, partner violence, chemical dependency, and personal loss. The course will examine crises in various settings, such as schools and the workplace. An examination will be made of hostage negotiation and disaster response as well as the issues of compassion fatigue and burnout. Multicultural issues will be addressed separately and throughout the course.

MCC 650: Career Counseling (3 credits)
This course surveys the theories (including but not limited to Hoppock, Hoyt, Herr, and Kramer) and research on vocational development as well as methods to assess vocational choice. This course looks at the psychosocial, mental health lifestyle implications of vocational choice, and look at the various personality, skills and interests, and attitudinal variables that go into healthy career decision making. Students survey the various vocational development career assessment instruments (aptitude, skills and interest inventories and vocational personality instruments), research databases and technology for vocational decision-making.

MCC 670: Internship I (300 hours) (3 credits)
Students practice professional counseling in a venue where professional community counseling takes place under the supervision of a faculty member and licensed professional counselor. Students are required to have a minimum of 300 hours direct client contact, with weekly supervision of 1 hour in an individual, dyadic or triadic format by an on-site licensed supervisor, with an average 1.5 hours per week group supervision performed by a licensed faculty member. The internship experience provides students with the opportunity to: assess and treat clients, follow client progress, keep records, have supervision, attend staff meetings, participate in service training and other professional activities. Students present their work using audio or videotape for formal professional critique by supervisors and other interns. A formal evaluation for fitness to practice is made upon completion of the internship experience.

Students are required to obtain the following clearances before interviewing for any field experience: Act 151 (PA Child Abuse Report History), Act 34 (PA State Criminal History Record), and FBI Criminal History Report and fingerprinting. If you have lived in Pennsylvania for fewer than 2 years, you must then complete Act 169 (Older Adults Protective Services Act) clearance. Students must comply with agency and university regulations regarding all clearances and health checks before being permitted to work with clients in a particular agency. Students are responsible for the costs associated with these screenings.

MCC 675: Current Issues in Clinical Counseling (3 credits)
This course will examine a variety of topics pertinent to the practice of counseling in a changing environment.  Specific issues to be addressed are the changing regulations in counselor licensure, the impact of CACREP on the profession, HIPPA, advocacy, and organizational and systemic aspects of counseling including service delivery, relevant policy, program development and evaluation, advocacy, management, and clinical supervision.

MCC 680: Internship II (300 hours) (3 credits)
Students continue to practice professional counseling in a venue where professional community counseling takes place under the supervision of a faculty member and licensed professional counselor. Students are required to have a minimum of 300 hours direct client contact, with weekly supervision of 1 hour in an individual, dyadic or triadic format by an on-site licensed supervisor, with an average 1.5 hours per week group supervision performed by a licensed faculty member. The internship experience provides students with the opportunity to: assess and treat clients, follow client progress, keep records, have supervision, attend staff meetings, participate in service training and other professional activities. Students present their work using audio or videotape for formal professional critique by supervisors and other interns. A formal evaluation for fitness to practice is made upon completion of the internship experience.

Students are required to obtain the following clearances before interviewing for any field experience: Act 151 (PA Child Abuse Report History), Act 34 (PA State Criminal History Record), and FBI Criminal History Report and fingerprinting. If you have lived in Pennsylvania for fewer than 2 years, you must then complete Act 169 (Older Adults Protective Services Act) clearance. Students must comply with agency and university regulations regarding all clearances and health checks before being permitted to work with clients in a particular agency. Students are responsible for the costs associated with these screenings.

MCC 685: Advanced Clinical Internship (400 hours plus weekly seminar)
This course is designed to offer students advanced diagnostic and therapeutic skills in effective treatment interventions with the supervision of a licensed practitioner. Students understand and critically analyze both the theoretical constructs and practical skills that are effective when therapeutically engaged with individuals, families or groups. Students are required to have a minimum of 400 hours of direct client contact, with weekly supervision of 1 hour in an individual, dyadic or triadic format. Students present their work using audio or videotape for formal professional critique by supervisors and other interns. Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to function independently as a licensed practitioner. (Required for specialization in Mental Health).

Students are required to obtain the following clearances before interviewing for any field experience: Act 151 (PA Child Abuse Report History), Act 34 (PA State Criminal History Record), and FBI Criminal History Report and fingerprinting. If you have lived in Pennsylvania for fewer than 2 years, you must then complete Act 169 (Older Adults Protective Services Act) clearance. Students must comply with agency and university regulations regarding all clearances and health checks before being permitted to work with clients in a particular agency. Students are responsible for the costs associated with these screenings.

Career Opportunities

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors is projected to grow 22 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than average for all occupations. The median annual wage in 2021 was $48,520.

Professional Counselor

Certified Addiction Counselor

National Certified Counselor with specialties as a Certified Mental Health Counselor or a Master Addiction Counselor

Experiential Learning Opportunities

Attending professional conferences offered through the American Counseling Association and the Pennsylvania Counseling Association. These activities offer the opportunity to network with other professionals at the state and national levels.

Complete counseling internships among many public and private agencies in Reading, Philadelphia, Lancaster, Pottsville and the surrounding areas.