The Counseling Department offers a Transition to Mental Health Counseling Certificate for students who have a prior master's degree in community or school counseling.
Admission Requirements
- Submission of a FGCU Post-Baccalaureate Non-Degree Certificate Application to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
- Master's degree in counseling awarded after the completion of a minimum of 48 credits from an institution that maintains accreditation by a U.S. Department of Education sanctioned accrediting body (https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html) or equivalent foreign institution, as documented by official transcripts.
- An official transcript of all completed post-bachelor's coursework.
- International graduate applicants are required to submit a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based test) or 213 (computer-based test) or 79 (internet-based test), or a minimum IELTS score of 6.5.
- Documentation of any counseling certification or license held in Florida or any other U.S. state, if applicable.
- Submission of a written statement of career goals including a description of professional experience as a counselor and a description of how the program will support attainment of professional goals.
- Prior completion of the following courses or their equivalents:
- MHS 6428 Psychosoc/Cross-cultural Couns (3)
- MHS 6700 Legal & Ethical Iss. in Coun. (3)
NOTE: Counseling Criminal Record Policy Statement: All applicants are advised that in order to complete the program they must complete internships. Most internship facilities do background checks and will not permit the placement of counselor interns with criminal records. The department reserves the right to deny program admission to any applicant if it appears that applicant is unlikely to be able to complete the internship requirement due to a criminal record, thus inhibiting their ability to complete the program.
Deadline: Applications for admission are considered on a continuing basis but applicants should consider that required courses may only be offered once per year and that internships are completed at the end of the program.
Additional Graduation Requirements
- Students must satisfactorily complete the minimum number of credits specified by the certificate program in specific courses or approved substitutes.
- A grade of B or higher must be earned in all graduate courses used as prerequisites and in each required course.
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all coursework and Satisfactory (as appropriate) for all field experiences in the certificate program.
Program Requirements
Required Courses (24 credits)
MHS 6021 Intro to Clin Mental Hlth Coun (3)
MHS 6070 Mental Disorders (3)
MHS 6445 Intro to Couple/Fam Counseling (3)
MHS 6450 Issues in Addictions and Abuse (3)
MHS 6466 Crisis/Trauma Counseling (3)
MHS 6470 Human Sexual Issues Counselor (3)
MHS 6830 CMHC Counseling Internship (1-6)*
*Six total credits of MHS 6830 are required for graduation; these are typically accrued over multiple semesters, while taking one credit for each 100 clock hours of internship to be completed in the semester.
Transfer or course substitutions may be considered on an individual basis.
At the completion of the program students may apply to the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling directly for license or registered intern status.
Total Semester Hours Required: 24 Hours
