By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
On Nov. 5, Cazenovia College will host a virtual open house for its graduate level Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program.
The full-time, two-year program leads to a master’s degree in CMHC and is designed to provide students with the competencies, ethical background and practical experience required to meet the requirements for New York State licensure as a clinical mental health counselor.
Introduced in 2019, the rigorous program is the first graduate degree program to be offered at the college in its 195-year history.
Assistant Professor Christina Bobesky, MS, PhD and Professor Mary Handley, PhD, LMHC, CRC serve as the program directors, as well as instructors and student advisors.
Courses focus on human growth and development, counseling theories, group dynamics, cultural foundations, assessment and appraisal, couples and families, substance abuse, and clinical instruction.
Included in the curriculum are a practicum of 100 hours of supervised counseling experience and an internship of 600 hours of supervised counseling experience.
According to Bobesky, Cazenovia College has been working with agencies throughout Central New York for over 20 years to foster mutually beneficial internships.
“Current undergraduates in the helping professions have limited competition in securing internships with agencies,” she said. “These same agencies have expressed a need for mental health counselors in Madison County. This includes a need for both master’s level interns, as well as additional licensed professionals on staff.”
Bobesky also noted that with families spending more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CMHC field has experienced a rapid shift to teletherapy.
“[Our] graduate students were provided with additional training in tele-mental health strategies,” she said. “At least half of the current interns are using teletherapy to work directly with clients.”
Additional attractive aspects of the CMHC program include:
A structure allowing students to complete 60 credit hours of course work within two years.
An average cohort size of 15 students.
Courses held in the late afternoons and evenings, with some also held online/hybrid, to accommodate the schedules of working professionals.
No graduate-level standardized tests (GRE, GMAT) required to apply.
Federal financial aid available to eligible graduate students through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application.
According to Bobesky, clinical mental health counselors are currently in high demand, with approximately 6,000 jobs available statewide for those in the area of mental health, including licensed and unlicensed positions as counselors, administrators, program coordinators and discharge planners (as reported by indeed.com).
“Over the last 10 years, mental health has received more attention and validation as a needed profession,” Bobesky said. “This may be due to many factors, including nationwide reports of violence in schools, increased research on ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder and PTSD, as well as the understanding of the links between social injustice and anxiety and depression, and a larger aging population that needs support. The negative stigma of receiving counseling has lessened.”
Applicants to the program are evaluated based on their GPA, experience, interview, and “professional fit essay,” which prompts students to articulate their knowledge of the helping professions, research interests, self-care activities, and social and familial experiences.
“Empathic students are the best fit for this program,” Bobesky said. “Students who are willing to evaluate their own biases and form an understanding of the impact of their experiences on their worldview will become the most competent counselors.”
Many of the program’s current students already work in the field and are hoping to increase their credentials or gain the ability to go into private practice in the future.
“They draw from their work experience to build course projects based on needs they are seeing in the community,” Bobesky said. “For example, one student implemented a program in a local elementary school for children who struggle with regulating their emotions. Another graduate student led mindfulness meditation sessions each week for adolescents. Other students have familial and social experiences that have motivated their interest in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and in creating local programming. For example, one student developed a plan for a 6-week program in support of parents of children with disabilities.”
The online information session on the CMHC program will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
The event will include an overview of the program, the benefits of a small cohort approach to graduate education, the path to NYS licensure, application steps, and potential career outcomes.
Bobesky and Handley will lead the session along with Associate Director of Graduate Programs Charles Harcourt and Cazenovia College graduate students Brianna Wolf (2021) and Kelly Clookey (2022).
“The information session will be held as a ‘Q&A’ style discussion on Zoom,” said Bobesky. “Those who register are encouraged to leave their cameras on and ask questions throughout the session. For those who prefer to ask privately, the associate director of graduate programs will act as the moderator and pose questions as they come in through email or the digital chat function. [Brianna and Kelly] will share the progress they are making in the program, from course projects to internship placements.”
Working professionals and current students interested in furthering their expertise in the CMHC field can register for the session at cazenovia.edu/academics/programs/clinical-mental-health-counseling.
