Psychological Counseling: Mental Health Counseling EdM

Master of Education in Counseling Psychology

Mental Health Counseling Track

The The Ed.M. in Mental Health Counseling is dedicated to preparing counselors who facilitate normal and optimal development for individuals, groups, and organizations. Students are also trained in the assessment, evaluation, amelioration and treatment of socio-emotional disorders and dysfunctions. The objectives of the Program are to train counselors who:

1. provide culturally relevant and psychologically appropriate services in a variety of settings;
2. use research and evidence-based strategies in clinical and professional practice;
3. are socialized into the profession and committed to professional ethics and standards;
4. effectively participate in organizations and communities to promote the cognitive, emotional, social and educational well-being of individuals and groups;
5. understand and respect diversity and work effectively in multicultural social contexts to promote equity and help individuals and groups utilize internal and environmental resources to live more optimally.

Program Highlights

In-depth infusion of racial-cultural and social justice emphases throughout program components. Although our curriculum features certain courses with words like "multicultural" in the titles, our multicultural-social justice instruction does not reside in just those courses. Rather, we conceptualize every course and program experience within the context of a social justice and racial-cultural framework. Not only is this orientation consonant with our belief that socially-just practice is ethical, effective practice, it also allows us to align our work with broader movement toward social equity.

A commitment to the crucial role of experiential training and self-awareness within the best counselor preparation. As a counselor or therapist, the instrument that you use to enact your professional work is you -- so the more aware you are of your own interpersonal style, skills, and biases, the more effectively you can use your instrument. Many students find that some of the most important, challenging, and transformational aspects of their TC training results from courses like Foundations, Group Counseling, and Racial-Cultural Counseling Lab, where students learn about themselves as they learn about the practice of counseling.

Research exposure and opportunities. As a license-eligible Ed.M. program, our first priority is to train caring, ethical, effective practitioners -- yet, at Teachers College, you have the opportunity to get first-rate practitioner preparation in the context of first-rate scholarship. Our faculty includes researchers whose work has shaped the counseling profession, and every faculty member maintains ongoing research teams to which students at any level of training may apply. To find out more about our faculty's research interests, please consult their individual pages on the TC website.

Our students are prepared to work in a variety of settings, including those that emphasize health (e.g., outpatient clinics, hospitals, nursing homes). Graduates will be able to apply their skills in clinical practice, administration, assessment, and research as well as to produce knowledge, to be leaders in policy development and implementation, and to work in independent practice.

With the help of a faculty advisor, students register for required and elective courses relevant to their needs and career objectives. Depending on their areas of interest and levels of training, graduates have found employment in colleges, adult education centers, hospitals, clinics, health centers, and community and government agencies. Many of our students also go on to study at the doctoral level.

To learn more about licensure requirements, please visit the New York State Education Department's Office of the Professions. If you are interested in eventually obtaining licensure in another state, you will need to research that state's requirements. View our Mental Health Counseling Program Data.

The Ed.M. in Mental Health Counseling is accredited by the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) for the period of February 2016 through February 2026.

Licensure as a Mental Health Counselor

2023-24 MPCAC Annual Survey

Master's Student Handbook - Mental Health

A student is engaged in conversation with one her peers at a study group at Teachers College.

Admission Information

Displaying requirements for the Spring 2025, Summer 2025, and Fall 2025 terms.

Master of Education

Points/Credits: 60
Entry Terms: Fall
Enrollment Formats: Full-Time Campus-Based

Certification

View Public Disclosure Notification

NY State Licensure: Mental Health Counseling

Application Deadlines

Entry Term Available	Priority Deadlines	Final Deadlines	Extended Deadlines
Spring	N/A	N/A	N/A
Summer	N/A	N/A	N/A
Fall	January 15, 2025	January 15, 2025	N/A

Select programs remain open beyond our standard application deadlines, such as those with an extended deadline or those that are rolling (open until June or July). If your program is rolling or has an extended deadline indicated above, applications are reviewed as they are received and on a space-available basis. We recommend you complete your application as soon as possible as these programs can close earlier if full capacity has been met.

Application Requirements

	Requirement
	Online Degree Application, including Statement of Purpose and Resume
	Transcripts and/or Course-by-Course Evaluations for all Undergraduate/Graduate Coursework Completed
	Results from an accepted English Proficiency Exam (if applicable)
	$75 Application Fee
	Two (2) Letters of Recommendation
	Supplemental application required (included in online application)

For admission-related inquiries, please contact CCPadmission@tc.columbia.edu.

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Requirements from the TC Catalog (AY 2024-2025)

Displaying catalog information for the Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 terms.

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The Ed.M.degree in Mental Health Counseling is granted after successful completion of a comprehensive examination, a special project, and 60 points of planned, sequential study beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which at least 42 points must be taken at Teachers College. Approval of transfer credits to the Ed.M. degree program must be conducted upon admission into the program; transfer credits will not be accepted thereafter. The Ed.M. degree could lead to the doctorate at Teachers College, and elsewhere–but usually with some loss of time and credits because of differences in emphases between master’s and doctoral programs. Students who apply to the program during or after taking classes at Teachers College as a non-matriculated student can transfer up to 12 points with no more than 8 points in the major if accepted as a matriculated degree student. Students who complete the Ed.M. degree are also welcome to apply for the M.A. en passant degree in Psychological Counseling which requires a minimum of 32 points along with the successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination. Additional information may be found in the Psychological Counseling Program Handbook.

The Ed.M. Program in Mental Health Counseling is designed to prepare students for the position of psychological counselor in social agencies and organizations, schools, colleges, career counseling, rehabilitation, and mental health centers, hospitals, and other community and government agencies. The Program is dedicated to preparing counselors who facilitate normal and optimal development for individuals, groups, and organizations. Students are also trained in the assessment, evaluation, amelioration and treatment of socio-emotional disorders and dysfunctions. The objectives of the Program are to train counselors who:

provide culturally relevant and psychologically appropriate services in a variety of settings;
use research and evidence-based strategies in clinical and professional practice;
are socialized into the profession and committed to professional ethics and standards;
effectively participate in organizations and communities to promote the cognitive, emotional, social and educational well-being of individuals and groups;
understand and respect diversity and work effectively in multicultural social contexts to promote equity and help individuals and groups utilize internal and environmental resources to live more optimally.

All students in the Mental Health Counseling Ed.M. program (COUM) must take specific required courses in the following content areas:

Required courses often are scheduled in the afternoon and evening, so it is possible for students with flexible schedules to attend on a part-time basis and complete the program; however, it should be noted that at times, required courses may be offered during the day and students must be prepared to make needed accommodations. Full-time students generally complete the program in about five semesters. The length of program completion for part-time students varies with the number of points in which they enroll each semester.

In addition to required core courses, students will be expected to select electives from the various areas of psychology and other appropriate disciplines that will provide breadth and depth to their preparation as counselors. Consult the Mental Health Counseling Student Handbook for further information about Ed.M. program requirements.

A special project is required in addition to the 60 points of coursework. Students should plan to complete their project in the same semester that they apply for the Ed.M. degree.

The Comprehensive Exam, which is a mandatory requirement for obtaining the en passant M.A. and the Ed.M., is generally taken in the semester in which 45 credits are completed.

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