CMHC – Concentration in Substance Abuse/Addictions Counseling

The first few semesters of your 63-credit program you will be taking courses in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling track. During your last couple of semesters, you will be completing specific coursework in substance abuse/addictions counseling and will participate in an addictions-focused professional seminar. Students in this concentration must also complete an internship in a substance abuse or addictions-focused setting.

Advanced CMHC students may elect a Concentration in Substance Abuse/Addictions Counseling. Students in this concentration take two concentration courses in addictions treatment, professional seminars focused on addictions counseling, and additional coursework in psychopharmacology. They must also secure an internship in an addictions counseling setting and should work carefully with their advisors to plan the appropriate program. This program allows students to complete most of the academic requirements for certification as drug and alcohol counselors.

Certification and Licensure

Students who elect the Concentration in Substance Abuse/Addictions Counseling meet the academic requirements for licensure as clinical mental health counselors in most states, as well as the academic requirements for certification and licensure as alcohol and drug counselors in most states which have such certification or licensure.

Selected Student Practica and Internships

Students who elect the substance abuse/addictions counseling concentration must complete one of their two clinical years with a substance abuse/addictions focus. The wide variety of placements for students include: high school student assistance programs, residential placements, in-patient addictions units, community mental health centers, women’s centers, and prisons.

Program Delivery

• 63-credit CMHC program can be completed in as few as 5 semesters
• Begins in Fall or Spring
• On campus just one day/week during fall and spring
• Students engage in clinical work in practicum and internship placements

Mission of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program fosters the development of professional identity by encouraging an active, thorough, and continuing examination of the development of ones self in the role of a professional counselor (self-in-role). The program prepares professional counselors to work in a multicultural, global community, with individuals, groups, and social systems, to promote mental health and well-being.

Program Objectives

Community: The CMHC program educates professional counselors who are prepared to meet the needs of our diverse community.

Employers: The CMHC program trains ethical, competent, counselors ready to meet the challenges of the current contexts and contribute to the field and to the organizations within which they work. The CMHC program is a resource to the clinical mental health community, especially in New England.

Students: Graduates of the CMHC Program will have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to function as a professional clinical mental health counselor. They will be prepared for employment in a variety of settings and able to meet certification and licensure standards as mental health counselors, through education in a CACREP accredited program.

CMHC Student Learning Outcomes: Specifically, graduates will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge in the CACREP core and clinical mental health counseling areas.
2. Implement collaborative advocacy processes needed to address institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity, well-being, and success for clients.
3. Practice self-reflection and wellness as a mental health counselor in diverse environments and treatment settings.
4. Integrate into their practice of MHC the awareness of the influence of social and cultural contexts on individuals, groups, and systems
5. Demonstrate and apply their professional identity as a clinical mental health counselor through an individual philosophy of practice grounded in critical analysis and research
6. Adhere to and value the principles and standards of professional ethics in counseling
7. Be able to contribute to the professional community, through written and verbal communication, and through appropriate and ethical use of technology

The CMHC program is a 60 credit hour, CACREP accredited program of study preparing students to work as clinical mental health counselors is a wide variety of settings.  We value experiential education as a strong component of our program. The CMHC program typically takes students 2.5 to 3 years to complete, with students entering in either the fall or spring semesters.

First year students at AUNE attend their face to face classes on Wednesdays during the semester.  Second and third year students attend their face to face classes on Tuesdays. This schedule is to accommodate students juggling responsibilities of work and home around their class schedules. Initially, students take a number of common core departmental courses in both face to face and online formats. The initial courses help introduce students to each other, Antioch, and the field of clinical mental health counseling. Beginning with the fall semester of their second year, students will start experiential work in the field, with one semester of Practicum, and subsequently three semesters of Internship.

Course content areas include: Human growth and development, social and cultural diversity, foundational counseling skills, helping relationships, group dynamics, lifestyle and career development, trauma counseling/crisis intervention, assessment, research and evaluation, and professional orientation. There are also opportunities to take concentration courses during the third year, providing more emphasis on specific interest areas.

Photo Above: Clinical Mental Health Counseling student, Andrew Berger at his internship ServiceNet, Pathways program, Northampton, Mass.

Practice the Art of Counseling: Practicum and Internships

Practicum takes place in the third semester and introduces students to work in the field with 40 hours of direct service to clients as they learn the policy of the agency and the roles of the mental health counselor. The first internship semester continues at the same site as the practicum while the site for the final two-semester internship may change. The students provide 120 hours of direct service to clients during each internship semester.

Field training sites like those listed below offer a broad spectrum of positions which allow you to individualize your program at Antioch University New England. You can choose from many possible positions at traditional mental health counseling sites, community agencies, college counseling centers, and rape crisis services. Your faculty advisor will assist you in the process, matching your interests with potential sites in the community. For additional assistance, check out this article: The Art of Seeking an Internship Supervisor: Considerations for Counseling Students

Examples of Past Internship Sites

Clinical Mental Health Centers

• Monandnock Family Services, Keene NH
• Health Care Rehabilitation Services, Brattleboro, VT
• Clinical and Support Options, Inc., Greenfield, MA

Psychiatric Inpatient Units

• Cheshire Medical Center, Keene, NH
• Berkshire Health Systems, Pittsfield, MA
• The Retreat, Brattleboro, VT

Substance Abuse Services

• Keystone Hall, Nashua, NH
• Dartmouth Center for Addictions, Hanover, NH

College Counseling Centers

• Keene State College, Keene, NH
• Amherst College, Amherst, MA
• University of New England, Biddeford, ME

Social Service Agencies

• Family Strength, Concord, NH
• Luk Crisis Services, Fitchburg, MA
• Family Health Center, Concord, NH

School Guidance Departments

• Newmarket Junior/Senior High School, Newmarket, NH
• Westminster Center School, Westminster, VT
• Mascoma Valley Regional High School, Canaan, NH

CACREP Accreditation

As graduates of a CACREP accredited program, graduates of the CMHC program are eligible to obtain full certification as a National Certified Counselor upon graduation after passing the National Counselor Exam offered in April of their final year and completing the required applications. See the NBCC for information on this process. Applications will be available in the department.

The program is designed to meet the educational requirements for licensure as Clinical Mental Health Counselors and/or Clinical Professional Counselors in most states. Since these requirements vary, students are responsible for being aware of their state requirements and working with their advisor to meet them. There are additional post-Master’s requirements of supervised clinical hours and examination(s) before obtaining licensure. Graduates self-reported pass rate on the NBCC exam is 80%. For information on individual state requirements, see the NBCC State Licensure page.

To learn more, read What is Certification vs. Licensure.