Counselor Education Department

Contact Us
Chairperson: Paul Deal
Phone: 518-564-5178
Email: pdeal001@plattsburgh.edu

Graduate Program Coordinator: Portia Turco 
Phone: 518-564-4167
Email: turco9866@plattsburgh.edu

The program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling prepares persons for work in a broad range of positions calling for counseling expertise in private and public agencies. This program embodies a community mental health orientation with courses in psychopathology and mental health counseling, psycho-pharmacology, and substance abuse. Students who wish to work with families, or children, may take electives specific to those concerns. The mental health counseling program is registered with the New York State Education Department and is recognized as a license-eligible program. Upon completion of the program graduates may take New York state’s licensure exam, the Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination. For more information, see Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Graduate Program Information.

Admission Requirements:

General university requirements and admissions procedures for graduate study must be met and openings in programs must be available. Specific additional provisions require that the applicant:

1. Has earned at least 12 credit hours in psychology, human services, education, or closely related areas and completed specific coursework in statistics;
2. Meets a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.8; and provides evidence through statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and personal interviews of potential for success as a professional counselor.

Monitoring of Student Progress

Upon acceptance into the program, each student is assigned an advisor who guides the student in selecting courses to fit the student’s program. Courses in the counseling programs are planned to give a balanced selection of academic and experiential education and to encourage each student to achieve maximum professional competence.

Academic and professional development evaluations are made of all students each semester to ensure compliance with program standards. If a student’s cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0, or they receive a failing grade in any course, the student may be dismissed from the program or prohibited from completing the clinical aspects of the program until the deficiency is made up. In addition, students who exhibit deficits in counseling performance and/or professionalism, regardless of grade point average, will be identified by the faculty and decisions for action will be specified. These decisions will be communicated to the student by either his or her advisor or the assembled faculty.

A “Handbook for Students and Advisors” is available to matriculated counseling students to explain further the options and procedures within the counseling program.

The entire period of a student’s matriculation in a graduate program is a continual professional development experience. Students are expected to behave during this time in a manner which is consistent with accepted standards of professional and ethical behavior of the department and of the American Counseling Association. Any deviation from these standards will be reviewed by the department for a recommendation of corrective action, including possible dismissal from this university.

Graduation Requirements

Candidates for the M.S. must satisfactorily complete a comprehensive assessment. Students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs may use one of the following to show their growth as a counselor: a formative and summative professional portfolio, the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE), written comprehensive essay questions or a thesis/research project paper. 

A counseling practicum in which the counselor candidate is engaged in the provision of supervised counseling to clients is required of all candidates; this experience must total a minimum of 150 clock hours, of which 47 must be in direct counseling services. Also, a six-credit, 600 clock hour internship must be completed prior to graduation, of which 240 must be direct counseling services.  As noted above, generally a full-time commitment is required. A grade of B or better is required in the Counseling Relationships and Skills, pre-practicum, practicum, and internship classes. These courses may be repeated.

Approval must be obtained from counseling faculty to enroll in the required practicum and internship courses. The criteria used to evaluate entrance into these courses include performance in the prerequisite courses, responsibility, maturity, and professional behavior.

Students matriculated in the counseling programs who are engaged in the provision of individual or group counseling services, either on campus or off campus, must be supervised by program faculty at all times; this includes obtaining written approval from supervising faculty for any counseling services offered outside of regular practicum or internship coursework. Counseling graduate students are required to carry professional liability insurance through membership in an approved professional association prior to participating in practicum and internship courses.

Credentialing

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), has conferred accreditation on the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program (effective 2021-2029). The catalog has been revised to remain current with the CACREP standards. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program continues to be recognized by the New York Education Department as preparing license eligible graduates.

Counselor candidates at SUNY Plattsburgh are eligible during the last semester of their academic programs to take the National Counselor Examination (NCE) of the National Board for Certified Counselors. Satisfactory completion of this examination and graduation from one of the counseling programs confer certification as a National Certified Counselor. At the time of this publication, many states administer the NCE for licensure purposes, but NYS is not one of them. In NYS the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Exam (NCMHCE) is required, and you sign up for this exam once you graduate.

A graduate of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program has satisfied all of the academic requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor in the state of New York. Graduates may apply for a limited permit by completing the Application for Limited Permit Form 5 as the first step toward mental health licensure.as the first step toward mental health licensure.

Associate Professors: 
Paul Deal (Ph.D., Loyola University)
 

Assistant Professors: 
Portia Allie-Turco (M.S., SUNY Plattsburgh)
Antoinete Cambria (Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University- Main Campus)
 

Lecturers: 
Chenaniah Henderson (M.A., University of Pennsylvania)

Programs

• Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.S.