NYU Online MA in Mental Health Counseling and Wellness

New York University (NYU) offers an online MA in Mental Health and Wellness (MHC) degree program through the Department of Applied Psychology. This program prepares students to work as mental health counselors with individuals and groups with a particular focus on issues of gender, race, culture, and sexual orientation. The goal of mental health counseling at NYU is the emotional growth and development of future clients.

The MHC program includes a three-to-four-day immersion at the campus in New York City, during which students practice skills in a supervised environment, attend small group sessions, and participate in faculty/peer discussions. As a part of the Group Dynamics: Theory and Practice course, the immersion trains students in group process theory and how to conduct group counseling with children, adolescents, and adults.

Counseling@NYU students also participate in a one-on-one, online counseling lab. With a partner, students role-play various counseling scenarios and practice skills in individual counseling. Lab practice prepares students for upcoming practicum and internship experiences.

Students may focus their applied coursework in a variety of areas and through other schools within NYU. Focus areas may include marriage and family therapy, women’s mental health, grief and bereavement counseling, career counseling, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender studies, music therapy, drama therapy, and art therapy. Academic advisors will help students develop an applied coursework plan that fits their passions and career aspirations.

The Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness program comprises 60 credits and can be completed in 21 months full-time or 30 months part-time. Cohorts begin in the fall, winter, and summer with seven-, eight-, and 10-term completion plans. Students complete a 100-hour practicum and a year-long, 600-hour supervised internship experience at an approved site near their community. Students must pass the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE) during the last term of the program in order to graduate. The exam may be taken twice if necessary.

Graduates will be prepared to work in various settings, including community agencies, mental health/counseling centers, hospitals, clinics, private practice, HIV and AIDS outreach programs, college and university counseling programs, rehab centers, and substance abuse treatment centers. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the National Counselors Exam to become nationally certified counselors. Residents of New York are eligible to apply for New York State licensure as a mental health counselor. Students in approved states outside of NY should check with their state for licensure requirements before beginning the program.

Brightspace is NYU’s online learning management system (LMS). Live, weekly classes offer opportunities for face-to-face interaction, breakout groups, collaboration, and question-and-answer sessions. Through NYU Brightspace, students can access course materials, track their grades, communicate with their cohort and faculty, and complete interactive assessments and assignments.

Mental Health Counseling and Wellness courses include Foundations of Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness; Individual Counseling: Theory and Process; Lab in Individual Counseling Skills; Human Growth and Development; Professional Orientation and Ethical Issues in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness; Abnormal Psychology; Cross-Cultural Counseling; Research and Evaluation in Behavioral Sciences; Dynamics of Vocational Development; Program Development and Evaluation; Interpretation and Use of Testing in Counseling Adults; Group Dynamics: Theory and Process; Practicum in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness; and Internship in Mental Health Counseling I-III.

New York University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). The MHC degree program is accredited by the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC).

Please Note: NYU cannot accept students from the following states at this time: Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Utah.