• All core faculty members are counselors themselves. Their experience as practitioners informs the counselor education they provide.
• Our faculty are approachable, student-centered, supportive, and available to meet with you to discuss personal and professional goals.
• Faculty specialize in a range of areas related to mental health, including addictions counseling, play therapy, at-risk youth programming, multicultural/social justice issues, trauma, family counseling, and LGBTQ counseling.
• You may choose to participate in faculty-mentored research projects and present your work at local, national, and international conferences. Immaculata provides some funding to allow students to attend conferences. Recent student research projects have focused on parenting styles and self-regulation, autism and family support, and evaluating supervision feedback instruments. Our students have presented at the American Counseling Association National Conference and at Immcaulata University’s annual research posters event.
• Immaculata has a local chapter, Beta Mu, of Chi Sigma Iota, the international honor society for counseling students, professionals, and educators. Acceptance into the chapter will give you opportunities for networking, service, professional development workshops, and mentorship from experienced counselors as you begin your profession.
• All classes are taught in the evenings, allowing you to work during the day. Our students generally complete the program in three years.
• If you choose to pursue a specialty area within the counseling field, Immaculata offers a certification in PreK-12 School Counseling and a certificate in Addiction Studies and Therapeutic Practice.

IU Annual CACREP Evaluation Report (August 2018)

Immaculata offers over 100 practicum and internship experiences in a variety of settings, including psychiatric hospitals, outpatient mental health clinics, addiction treatment centers, veterans administration facilities, and correctional facilities. Many students are hired by the organizations where they completed their practicums and internships. Your 100-hour practicum experience provides an introduction to the field of counseling, allowing you to practice working with clients under supervision. Our faculty provides training to your on-site supervisors so that they are well equipped to support you as you begin your work. Your two internships, totaling 600 hours, provide in-depth counseling experience with on-site, faculty, and peer supervision.

The courses build upon one another from year to year. Year 1 courses are to be taken prior to beginning Year 2 courses, all Year 1 and 2 coursework must be completed prior to Year 3 and beginning Practicum.

How long will it take to complete the master’s degree in CMHC?

• Our CMHC master’s degree is a 60-credit CACREP accredited program. Most students take three classes (9 credits) per semester for a full-time status and to receive financial aid. Depending upon the students’ commitments beyond the program (i.e., family, work), some students choose to take two classes (6 credits) per semester, which qualifies for part-time financial aid. The program will generally take three years to complete, which is dependent upon student course load and life obligations and commitments. The program courses are rigorous and faculty do not encourage students to take more than three classes per semester.

Can I work while I am in the program?

• Generally speaking, most students work part or full-time while in the program. Classes are offered at 4:30 pm – 7:10 pm, as well as from 7:20 pm – 10:00 pm. Course schedules are designed to support students working.

Are classes offered online?

• Our program offers classes on campus in a classroom format. Immaculata University offers two GEN courses, required within the CMHC program curriculum, that can either be taken on-line or on campus.

How many students are in a class?

• Immaculata University prides itself on a smaller class size to support our student-focused approach to teaching. Classes other than Practicum will have a minimum of 10 students per class. Typically, class size ranges from 10-22, with Practicum and Internship being the exception. The CMHC program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and requires a student to faculty ratio of 6:1, while Internship student-faculty ratio is 12:1.

Can you tell me about the Practicum and Internship experiences?

• Practicum and Internship occur in your last year in the program. Practicum is considered a ‘gradual entry’ into the profession. Students complete at least 100- hours at their chosen site. Typically, students are on-site at least 10 hours/week where they focus on the application of counseling skills with actual clients. Internship I and II are each 300-hour experiences. Practicum and Internship typically occur at the same setting. Students will spend approximately 22-25 hours/week at their Internship setting.

What else should I know about your program?

• The CMHC program holds required events throughout the program to orient and support our students. We require all new students to attend the New Student Orientation, which is held on the first Monday of the fall and spring semesters. The orientation provides an overview of the program, course planning, discussion of the National Counselor Examination and state licensure, Practicum and Internship, the national counseling honor society (Chi Sigma Iota) as well as an opportunity to meet your assigned academic advisor in a small group setting.
• Practicum Tips is offered every fall and spring semester on a Monday night. This event is primarily a student-mentoring experience where Internship students serve on a panel to share their experiences and tips for finding the right setting for you. Panelists are reflective of various professional interests to include, but not limited to: working with children and adolescents; substance abuse settings; outpatient mental health settings. We have had panelists who have also worked in alternative school settings, juvenile detention facilities, and geriatrics, to name a few. Students attending the event have the opportunity to engage in small group discussion with a panel member to deepen the conversation, ask additional questions, and begin networking with one another.
• All CMHC faculty hold doctoral degrees in Counselor Education and Supervision from CACREP programs. We were taught how to teach students to become professional counselors as well as how to supervise student-counselors. We all hold a professional identity as Counselors, and therefore infuse our counselor identity and experiences into the classroom, and in our supervision of your counseling development.