Our advanced certificate in mental health counseling is designed to bridge the gap between counseling related master's degrees and the New York State educational requirements for licensure. It focuses on providing you with the necessary skills to transform the lives of your clients and advance your career goals.
| Academic credential granted | Advanced Certificate (AC) |
|---|---|
| Credits required for completion | 15 to 27 |
| Time to completion | Varies by student plan of study |
| Course delivery | Online |
| Experiential contact hours | 600 clock hours (see program requirements) |
| Application deadline | The application is CLOSED for the 2024 - 2025 academic year. |
In today’s dynamic professional environment, continuous self-improvement is essential for career success. Advancements, competition and evolving landscapes require professionals to maintain current, industry-relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies. Advanced certificates can complement completed degrees or serve as standalone credentials. Regardless of your chosen path, an advanced certificate offers additional knowledge and opportunities to refine professional skills, facilitating career advancement. They offer a flexible, accessible and cost-effective educational route to pursue career goals and remain competitive.
Become a mental health counselor in professional settings such as:
CEP 521 Introduction to Mental Health Counseling
CEP 541 Human Growth and Development or CEP 615 Legal and Ethical Concerns in Counseling
CEP 586 Assessment in Mental Health Counseling
CEP 695 Psychopathology and Evidenced Based Interventions
If you have not completed a minimum of 600 hours of clinical internship experience under a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), or NYSED approved equivalent in a previous program, you are required to complete 12 credits in CEP 600 MH Internship – Mental Health Counseling (minimum of 600 clock hours).
If the internship requirement has been previously met during your master's degree, (i.e., their prior internship meets or exceeds all of the current NYSED guidelines for internships), 6 internship credits may be waived, thus allowing the Certificate to be earned with 18 rather than 24 credits.
New York State prides itself in the high quality of its licensed and certified professionals. For the protection of its citizens, each license and certificate has requirements that individuals must meet in order to be licensed or certified in New York State. SUNY’s academic programs leading to licensure or certification are carefully designed to meet and exceed these State requirements. This is a role SUNY plays in protecting the public. Other states frequently have their own requirements, so if your goal is to practice in another state, this disclosure will help you check to see what that state requires.
Enrolled students and prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact their state’s licensure entity using the links provided in the full disclosure document to review all licensure and certification requirements imposed by their state(s) of choice.
Submit your completed online application, which includes:
Former/Maiden Name: Please provide us with your former/maiden name if you have one. When requesting transcripts, please ask the sending institution to indicate your current name and former/maiden name.
Admissions Decision: The admissions decision will be communicated to you as soon as review is complete. The decision is based on a number of factors and is the result of a thorough and deliberate process. All decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
In order to qualify for the in-state residency tuition rate, you must provide residency documentation indicating you have lived in New York State (NYS) 12 months before your semester start date.
If accepted, you will need to upload three documents to qualify for the in-state tuition rate. See Required Documents for Residency Application for more information.
All financial forms and supporting documentation with required signatures must be uploaded with your application and dated within one year of your intended enrollment date.