Post Master's Mental Health Licensure

The curriculum is based off the educational requirements specific to the CMHC licensure requirements outlined by the Utah Dept. of Occupational and Professional Licensing. The curriculum consists of existing coursework housed within the USU Master’s of Rehabilitation Counseling Program, a degree program accredited by CACREP (the largest and best recognized counseling accreditation body in the United States).

Graduates with this certificate will not be considered graduates of a CACREP accredited program but will complete coursework aligned with licensure requirements to become a clinical mental health counselor in the state of Utah. Although the curriculum aligns with Utah Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) requirements, DOPL is the final say in determining eligibility for licensure and ultimately in awarding the mental health license. We encourage you to work closely with Utah DOPL (or the licensing body for your state) to ensure all licensure requirements are met satisfactorily. 

The coursework will require a minimum of 22 credits, and a maximum of 28 credits (with REH 6250 Group Counseling and REH 6260 Human Growth and Development being electives and provided based on student deficiencies).

National Certification Exams

There is a national exam requirement which you must complete prior to obtaining your associate license (not required to complete the certificate). Prior to applying for your Associate-CMHC license in Utah, you will need to take and pass the National Counselor Exam (NCE) as a general counseling knowledge check (NCE: https://nbcc.org/examinations/nce#nce).

Additionally, prior to receiving your full mental health license, you will need to take and pass the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NCMHC) Exam (https://nbcc.org/exams/ncmhce). Students will take this exam while completing their 3000 supervised hours and then apply for the full Clinical Mental Health License.

Required Courses

Course Number

Course Title

Credit Hours

REH 6130	Counseling Skill Development	3
REH 6200	Theories of Counseling	3
REH 6210	Mental Health Assessment	3
REH 6240	Ethical Decision Making in Counseling	3
REH 6320	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM)	3
REH 6350	Treatment Approaches for Addiction Disorders	3
REH 6700	Clinical Internship in Counseling I	2
REH 6710	Clinical Internship in Counseling II	2

Elective Courses

Course Number

Course Title

Credit Hours

REH 6250	Group Counseling	3
REH 6260	Human Growth and Development	3

Fall

Course Number

Course Title

Delivery Type

REH 6200	Theories of Counseling	Live Broadcast - Zoom
REH 6240	Ethical Decision Making in Counseling	Live Broadcast - Zoom
REH 6320	DSM V-TR	Asynchronous
REH 6260	Human Growth and Development (if needed)	Asynchronous

Spring

Course Number

Course Title

Delivery Type

REH 6130	Counseling Skill Development	Live Broadcast - Zoom
REH 6210	Mental Health Assessment	Live Broadcast - Zoom
REH 6350	Treatment Approaches for Addictions Disorders	Asynchronous

Summer

Course Number

Course Title

Delivery Type

REH 6250

Group Counseling (if needed)

Live Broadcast - Zoom

Fall

Course Number

Course Title

Delivery Type

REH 6700

Clinical Internship (~350 hours)

Live Broadcast - Zoom

Spring

Course Number

Course Title

Delivery Type

REH 6710

Clinical Internship (~350 hours)

Live Broadcast - Zoom

*During this semester, apply for and take National Certified Counselor Exam to prepare for Associate CMHC Licensure Application upon completion of the certificate.