Our unique M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling blends clinical skills with Christian faith and fortifies your commitment to serving the underserved at home and around the world.
Earn your graduate degree through rigorous coursework and a counseling practicum and internship.
Christian mental health counselors are in demand worldwide. Our alumni serve in more than 25 countries.
Acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to obtain your professional license and launch your career.
Or reach out to us anytime at graduate.admissions@wheaton.edu.
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AccreditationThe Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), has granted accreditation to the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.A.) at Wheaton College through October 31, 2024.
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"At Wheaton, your instructors treat you like colleagues and go the extra mile to help you develop into the best person and therapist you can be. I consider my relationships with professors to be the most formative and helpful facet of the CMHC program."
- Ethan Lacey, CMHC Graduate
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"As an international student, Wheaton College has introduced me to a different dimension of academic setting from my home country setting. I felt welcomed by professors who present themselves approachable by students, which is rare in my previous context."
- Lidya Tandayu, CMHC Graduate
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"As an international student, I appreciated the multicultural application emphasized in every class, the diverse experiences of my cohort and faculty, and the availability and warmth of our professors and staff. I felt championed and believed in as they supported my vision and personal development throughout my two years here."
- Regina Wong, CMHC Graduate
"Throughout practicum and internship, we receive incredible support. Unlike many programs, our professors help us find practicum sites and prepare us for each step. From meeting with different sites at PIE day to licensure applications, professors supported us through the entire process. Because of the encouragement of faculty members and fellow classmates, I feel more equipped as a clinician entering the workplace."
- Stephanie Olford, CMHC Graduate
"My expectation going into the program was focused on the academic rigor of the technical training, so I was pleasantly surprised by the equal ground given to areas of personal, emotional, and spiritual development. Not only were we trained to become competent clinicians, we were pushed to explore our own identities and who we are in the counseling room."
- Daniel Pak
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"Wheaton equips me to have empathy toward others with the emphasis of being in the presence of people, listening, and accepting…My goal is to help people who struggle with mental illness to live in a healthier way, to have self-awareness, gain self-esteem, and flourish in who they are."
- Angkarin (Tik) Pimpaeng, M.A. ‘18
The M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling curriculum meets or exceeds the educational requirements in most states for licensure as a clinical professional counselor and certification as a National Certified Counselor.
In addition to your counseling core, you'll also take courses in theological studies and complete on-site clinical training.
Please see the graduate course catalog for current requirements as well as the most up-to-date course numbers, titles, and descriptions.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling core and elective options include:
As a graduate student, you'll not only participate in rich, real-world experiences in mental health counseling settings — you also will develop personally, professionally and spiritually.
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Gain three semesters of hands-on clinical training in professional settings that fit your goals and interests. You'll find our students putting theory into practice in locations such as:
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Participate in research groups with faculty and students, such as at our Multicultural Peace & Justice Collaborative. You'll even have an opportunity to submit research for review to present at national academic and industry conferences.
You can also connect and collaborate with classmates and others in the counseling field through membership in professional organizations such as the American Counseling Association and the American Association of Christian Counselors.
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Our students are actively engaged on campus and in the local area. They participate in worship services, volunteer with community organizations, attend lectures (like our Scandrette Series), go on field trips, and much more.
They also join (and lead) student groups such as the Graduate Student Council and Graduate Psychology Student Association.
Learn from scholars and practitioners who are distinctly Christian in their focus, widely published in their field, and deeply invested in the academic, spiritual, and vocational growth of their students. Our faculty members have a strong interest in the intersection of ministry and mental health practice and actively explore this integration with students.
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While there are many similarities between Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) and Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC), our programs offer two distinct approaches:
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The Wheaton College Graduate School Student Financial Services team can help you understand how much your graduate studies will cost and what financial assistance may be available to you.
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— Christopher Bobkowski M.A., '22“I am confident that the deeply experienced, clinically gifted faculty, along with my talented, supportive cohort mates, all served to prepare me well to step into the therapeutic and redemptive role that God was calling me to as a mental health counselor.”
For more than 20 years, Christopher Bobkowski M.A. ‘22 served as a teacher in an inner city, public high school, and as a ministry volunteer at my church, but he had grown weary of bearing witness to the frontlines of trauma and crisis, anxiety and despair, broken hearts and broken families.
He prayerfully prepared to step through God’s open door to return to Wheaton Graduate School for a brand-new season of forming, shaping, and refining. Today he's a Licensed Professional Counselor at Stenzel Clinical Services.
Interested in becoming a clinical mental health counselor? Our accredited graduate program might be right for you. Request more information or start your application today.
