Master Of Arts In Clinical Mental Health Counseling Professional Counseling Online Degree
0
Credit Hours
Degree CACREP
Class Type Online* with required intensives
Next Start Date May 13, 2024
Transfer Credits Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Accreditation CACREP
Overview
Learning And Career Outcomes
Program Highlights
Military Benefits
Admission Requirements
Common Questions
Transfer Policies

Empower Others to Create Positive Change by Earning a Licensure-Track Master’s in Counseling Online.

Liberty University’s Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree online is designed to equip you with the specialized training you need to gain state licensure and become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).**

An LPC is a licensed mental health professional who is trained to work with individuals, families, and groups in treating mental health and behavioral problems. By earning this online counseling degree, you can enhance your understanding of human psychology through field-tested techniques and learn best practices for promoting the mental health and holistic wellness of clients in diverse communities.

Our master’s in counseling degree online can help you become an ethical, well-trained mental health counselor with the knowledge, values, and skills you need to empower others to make positive changes in their lives. Completing Liberty University’s counseling degree online prepares you for counseling practice through rigorous academic courses, dynamic interaction with mentors and faculty, and a carefully structured practicum and internship process.

*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.

**Individual state licensure requirements may vary, please verify licensure requirements for the state in which you reside.

 

 

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Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master’s in Mental Health Counseling?

Do you want to empower others to conquer their challenges and become healthy and productive? Liberty University’s online clinical mental health counseling degree can help prepare you for a rewarding career as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Learn evidence-based, field-tested skills from professors who not only have years of real-world counseling experience, but who are also committed to mentoring their students.

Counseling is a unique calling that requires a special kind of person. As a counselor, you’ll seek to help people overcome challenges that can seem insurmountable. At times, you will serve as a place of solace for your clients – a beacon of hope in a world that can seem ruthless, endless, and devoid of meaning. 

The clients you serve may have just come stateside from a long tour in the Middle East, from an impoverished area, or from the highest echelons of society. Indeed, mental health challenges don’t discriminate – they affect people from all walks of life. Your clients may be broken, disheartened, depressed, or angry. They may also appear to be high-on-life – but on the inside, masquerading deep, shut-away feelings of insecurity, mental duress, and regret. 

Fortunately for your future clients – and for you – people do not have to face their challenges alone. Just as your clients will depend on you, you can depend on Liberty University to help equip you with the skills, knowledge, experience, and credentials needed to offer hope to the hopeless and refuge to the restless. 

At Liberty, our professors can be a tremendous asset to you. You’ll have the opportunity to meet with some of them personally during your visits to Liberty’s beautiful campus, located in Central Virginia, for 2 on-campus intensives. You’ll also observe professional counselors in their own practices during your counseling practicum and start honing your counseling skills throughout a 2-semester internship.

Once you complete your master’s degree in counseling online and pass your state licensure exam, you’ll be equipped to pursue a fulfilling professional counseling career. You may be able to pursue roles in many areas such as healthcare, community agencies, education, social services, or private practice. Liberty University’s online master’s in professional counseling degree provides you with a flexible, effective pathway to licensure – while preparing you for a rewarding career.

What Are the Benefits of Liberty University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Online?

One benefit to Liberty’s online clinical mental health counseling degree is that it can help you prepare for in-demand careers. The U.S. Department of Labor projects a 23% growth for mental health counselors through 2030, which is faster than average for all occupations.* Insurance companies offer more coverage for mental health services than in the past. This change means that the federal government, community clinics, and local hospitals are expanding their mental health counseling staff to provide effective treatment for patients.

After completing Liberty University’s master’s in clinical mental health counseling degree online, you will have many opportunities to choose your preferred area of practice or specialize your field of expertise. This change can be completed later through state-specific alternate pathways.

Highlights that set Liberty’s clinical mental health counseling degree apart from others:

  • Our award-winning online learning environment means you can complete your coursework on a schedule that fits your life.
  • Our flexible, on-campus intensive options give you the opportunity to visit Liberty University’s beautiful campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia when it fits into your schedule. You also may be able to use financial aid to pay for a hotel room during your week-long intensive. For more information, contact academic advising at (800) 424-9595.
  • The practicum and internship provide hands-on, marketable experience working directly with hurting people in your community.
  • Our mental health counseling degree is taught by a cadre of expert professors with years of experience in the helping professions.

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, (Viewed online October 26, 2021). Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.

Importance of CACREP Accreditation

Our online mental health counseling degree is also CACREP-accredited. You may be wondering what this means for your degree and why CACREP accreditation is important. Here are a few reasons why:

  • The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) is the nation’s foremost accrediting group for determining the quality and rigor of a graduate-level counseling program. 
  • In order to earn CACREP accreditation, a graduate program must be evaluated by CACREP and found to meet or exceed national academic standards set by the counseling profession. Liberty’s MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling online degree fits that bill.  
  • CACREP accreditation also ensures that a degree program can help prepare you for licensure. Though licensure requirements may vary by state, earning a CACREP-accredited MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling can help you pursue a career as a licensed mental health professional. 
  • Though it may be possible to pursue a career as a licensed mental health professional without a CACREP-accredited graduate degree, CACREP is largely accepted as the standard that employers in counseling professions require. Becoming a professional counselor is much simpler with a CACREP-approved degree under your belt. 

If you’re looking for a CACREP-accredited mental health counseling degree online that allows you to prepare for a career as a licensed professional counselor and gain valuable skills from the comfort of home, look no further than Liberty’s master’s in clinical mental health counseling.

Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Military Benefits

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe. Whether you are a current service member, discharged or retired from service, or the spouse of a service member or veteran, we are here to support you every step of the journey. 

As a thank-you for your dedication and service to our country, Liberty is honored to serve and support you in your pursuit of online education by offering the following benefits:

  • Tuition discounts –$275 per credit hour for graduate courses
  • Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)
  • 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

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Admission Requirements for the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Online

A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with a 2.7 or above cumulative GPA is required for admission in good standing. Please visit our admission requirements page for more detailed admissions-related information.

All applicants must submit the following:

  • Admission application
  • Application fee*
  • Contact information for 2 recommenders
  • Personal statement
  • Agreement to Mission Statement and Diversity Statement
  • Official college transcripts
  • Unofficial college transcripts may be accepted with a completed official transcript request form**
  • Proof of English proficiency (for applicants whose native language is other than English)

*There is no upfront application fee; however, a deferred $50 application fee will be assessed during Financial Check-In. This fee is waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required.

**An official transcript is needed within 60 days of acceptance or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first.

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Highlights of Liberty University’s Online Counseling Degree

  • We are recognized by multiple institutions for our academic quality, affordability, and accessibility. Our commitment to excellence also helped us rank in the top 10% of Niche.com’s best online schools in America. Earning your online Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from others in your field.
  • Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.
  • Our MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Earning a degree with CACREP accreditation can help set you apart as a professional who is knowledgeable, prepared, and committed to excellence in counseling.
  • Through 2 required on-campus intensive courses, you will meet and collaborate with peers and professors while completing your online degree and progressing towards your counseling license.
  • Liberty University is regionally accredited by SACSCOC, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
  • Be mentored during a hands-on counseling experience through the online counseling degree’s 2-semester internship, providing necessary state-reported hours for licensure and valuable field experience.
  • Complete your coursework on a schedule that fits your life with Liberty’s world-class online learning environment.

Program Information for Our Online Degree in Counseling

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What Will You Learn in Our Master’s in Counseling Online?

Our master’s in clinical mental health counseling degree online provides a foundational series of courses designed to cover the most essential studies in human behavior. These courses are designed to train you in ethical and legal issues in counseling, multicultural counseling, theories in counseling, and many other areas of study for evidence-based best practices. To meet private counseling practice requirements and become a licensed clinical counselor, your online counseling classes meet specific advanced counseling content areas. Our program is designed to help you receive the hands-on training you need.

Our online LPC degree focuses these critical knowledge areas into group counseling, psychopathology, and other important assessment and practical skill areas. With these skills, you can become equipped for another part of the degree program: your practicum and internship requirements.

The practicum and internship requirements embedded into our LPC online program allow you to gain valuable, real-world experience under the supervision of a professional counselor. At Liberty, we believe in the value of real-world experience because it allows you to see, experience, and learn things that may not be fully covered in a textbook or a lecture.

These courses are designed to give you the necessary skills and knowledge to be an effective mental health caregiver in your chosen field. By pursuing our clinical counseling degree online, you can earn a career-enhancing credential and confidently pursue careers in the helping professions. 

Our master’s in clinical mental health counseling may be right for you if. . .

  • You need flexibility. Liberty’s online mental health counseling degree is offered in mostly 8-week sections. You’ll be able to complete the vast majority of your degree from the comfort of home, and you’ll be able to complete your field experience requirements at a location near you. 
  • You want to gain experience. Our online mental health counseling degree features a practicum and an internship — allowing you to gain real-world experience, learn valuable skills, put what you learn into practice, and build professional connections. 
  • You want an online counseling degree that is CACREP-accredited. This means that you can have confidence that your online counseling degree from Liberty has met the highest academic standards. A counseling degree from Liberty can help you stand out to hiring managers, serve clients with excellence, or equip you with the confidence to start your own counseling practice. 
  • You want to study under industry experts. Our clinical counseling degree is taught by a group of expert professors with years of experience. Our instructors are passionate about the subjects they teach, but they’re even more passionate about helping you achieve your goals. By choosing Liberty for your MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, you choose professors who have a vested interest in your success.
  • You want to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. Our clinical mental health counseling degree online is designed to help you become a licensed mental health professional.
  • You want a Christ-centered education. Since 1971, Liberty’s mission has been to Train Champions for Christ. We don’t want to just train the next generation of clinical mental health counselors – we want to train principled, ethical professionals whose dedication to clients is preceded only by a love of Christ. 

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What Can You Do With a Master’s in Counseling Online?

Liberty’s online Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling provides the training, knowledge, and experience you need to become a professional counselor. With a professional counseling licensure and an LPC degree that is accredited by CACREP, your training and expertise can be recognized as meeting a high standard of excellence. There are opportunities for counseling in many areas, including:

  • Addictions and recovery counseling
  • Community counseling
  • Ministry-based counseling
  • Private counseling practice

Our online counseling degree assists students in pursuing required state licensure areas of knowledge and practice. This allows students to pursue state-regulated counseling positions to work in private, public, and nonprofit roles where counseling and human services skill sets are required. After completing Liberty’s online degree in counseling and satisfying state licensure requirements, students may be able to start their own private practices in counseling.

As a licensed professional counselor (LPC), you may be qualified to work in the following types of treatment centers:

  • Hospitals
  • Inpatient mental health treatment facility
  • Mental health agency
  • Private practice

With additional licensure requirements, graduates may also pursue roles as school counselors, addiction counselors, marriage and family therapists, and many other counseling roles. Please review your state’s licensure requirements for more information about counseling licensure requirements.

    Frequently Asked Questions About Online Counseling Degrees

    What is professional counseling?

    How can you earn a counseling degree online?

    How long does it take to earn an online counseling degree at the graduate level?

    What is an LPC degree?

    How much do LPCs make?

    Can you get a counseling license without a master’s?

    Can I start my own practice with Liberty’s master’s in professional counseling?

    Is getting an LPC worth it?

    Can I earn a master’s in clinical mental health counseling online?

    Will I be required to attend any courses on campus?

    How long does it take to become a clinical mental health counselor?

    How much does it cost to get your online master’s in counseling?

    What is the difference between a life coach and a counselor?

    What is the difference between a lay counselor and a licensed professional counselor?

    How do our counseling degree’s field experience requirements work?

    Do I need a bachelor’s degree in psychology or counseling to be admitted?

    What makes a good professional counselor?

    Is Liberty University a good counseling school?

    What GPA do I need to graduate with honors or distinction?

    Transfer Policies

    At Liberty, we want to help you make the most of your prior education by allowing you to transfer in previously earned college credit. That’s why you can transfer in up to 50% of your total credits for a master’s or doctoral program!

    Some restrictions apply. Please visit our Transfer Policy page for more information.