Online Career-Focused Counseling Degrees

Flexible Coursework

GRE/MAT Not Required

Accredited Program

60-63 Credit Hours

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Programs Curriculum Careers

Lead from the Heart in Counseling

Sacred Heart University offers two online master’s in counseling graduate degree programs to put your passion and compassion for people and social justice into action:

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Advance your career to improve the lives of others and promote social justice with Sacred Heart University’s CACREP-accredited online Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Graduate ready to serve the nearly one in five U.S. adults living with a mental illness,1 experiencing significant stress and other mental health challenges.

Master of Arts in School Counseling

Become an ethical and data-driven school counselor with the online Master of Arts in School Counseling degree. You’ll graduate prepared to pursue school counseling positions and support PK–12 students in their academic development, social-emotional growth, and career/college readiness.

Through our online coursework and expert faculty, you’ll:

  • Enhance your learning and prepare for real-world counseling practice with two immersive residencies that bring your coursework to life through hands-on application
  • Learn alongside expert faculty who are practitioners in their field
  • Foster relationships with both faculty and counseling peers in small classes that boast a 15:1 faculty-to-student ratio.
  • Be part of a network of more than 61,000 SHU alumni from a total 72 countries upon graduation.
  • Complete practicum and internships in your own state
  • Confidently sit for licensure exams post-graduation

Sacred Heart’s flexible, online degrees enable you to balance your personal and professional responsibilities while gaining the skills and insights to create a positive impact for organizations in business, healthcare, education, and more.

  • Two in-person residencies to foster personal growth, strengthen clinical competencies, and set the foundation for your career
  • CACREP-accredited M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program
  • Nearly 90 percent of Americans place equal emphasis on mental health and physical health.2
  • Jobs requiring a master’s degree are the largest category of projected job growth.3

Programs Designed to Move You Forward

Whether you pursue a career in mental health counseling or school counseling, Sacred Heart’s online master’s degree programs in both disciplines prepare you for licensure* and give you the qualifications to assume a leadership position in your career. Regardless of where you choose to direct your talents, Sacred Heart will be behind you with career coaching, resume workshops, and an extensive network of professional alumni.

The program delivers a curriculum that meets the licensing requirements of many states to prepare students across the country for professional success. Through the Sacred Heart University’s online, CACREP-accredited Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, you will:

  • Learn in an online classroom designed to help you balance your education with your full-time personal and professional responsibilities.
  • Receive instruction from expert faculty with diverse counseling experience.
  • Engage a curriculum that meets educational requirements for licensure in many states.
  • Develop skills rooted in Sacred Heart University’s mission to embrace a vision for social justice and prepare students to make a difference in the global community.

Prepare to meet the diverse needs of PK–12 students across the domains of academic development, college and career readiness and social-emotional learning as a certified/licensed school counselor working in elementary and secondary schools. The program offers lectures from expert educators and a curriculum founded on the latest research and current best practices to ensure you graduate equipped for the next step in your career.

You’ll be prepared to step into school counseling roles and:

  • Practice in accordance with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) ethical standards while meeting state-level expectations.
  • Be self-aware in regards to social and cultural skills, clinical counseling skills and professional dispositions necessary in school counseling.
  • Promote social justice and minimize barriers between counselors and PK–12 students.
  • Understand and demonstrate culturally relevant strategies and theory to support prevention, intervention, consultant and collaboration with and on behalf of PK–12 students.
  • Implement knowledge of appropriate strategies for effectively forming and facilitating group counseling and group work in the educational setting.
  • Promote optimum emotional wellness and career preparedness for all students.

You Belong with SHU!

Our mission to prepare students for lives of professional success and personal and spiritual growth excludes no one. And it’s because of that mission — and the spirited way we live it — that students of different faiths, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds have made SHU the launching pad for their dreams and ambitions.

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Why Online Learning is Right for You

The advantages of online learning are obvious – you don’t have to pause your career or rearrange your life to earn the degree you need to take your career to the next level. Another key factor is fit – making sure a school feels right to you. Sacred Heart’s Center for Career & Professional Development will welcome you as if you had just walked through the door here in Fairfield. With an exclusive, online recruiting system of 10,000+ employers, one-on-one career counseling, resume workshops, and an active alumni network of more than 35,000, you can rest assured knowing that our campus reaches wherever you are.

How Our Curricula Boost Skills

Our online master’s degree programs in either Clinical Mental Health Counseling or School Counseling give you a deeper understanding of human behavior, human diversity, ethical approaches to mental health issues and more. Practice-based courses focus on clinical assessment and research methods, while electives enable you to dive deeper into the primary disciplines. You’ll develop the core competencies to build a lasting career in an area where your skills and compassion are needed.

M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Counseling Core Courses

Topics include human development, relationships, counseling theories, assessment techniques, career counseling, substance use issues, and crisis/trauma counseling.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Core Courses

Topics include professional issues and ethics, treatment planning and integrative models of care, and the practice of clinical mental health.

Elective Courses

Topics include couples and family counseling, human sexuality, counseling special populations, psychopharmacology and psychopathology, and organizational models in clinical health settings.

M.A. in School Counseling

Counseling Core Courses

Topics include human development, relationships, counseling theories, advanced assessment techniques, career counseling and group counseling.

School Counseling Core Courses

Topics include 21st century school counseling, leadership and advocacy, diverse student populations, counseling children and adolescents, intervention strategies, consultation and collaboration, and building a comprehensive school counseling program.

Pursue Your Passion for Helping Others

Mental health experts are in greater demand than ever, and earning your master’s degree illustrates your dedication to helping others. There’s no shortage when it comes to career options or the variety of environments in which a licensed counselor can work – private practice, public/private organizations, schools, government offices, hospitals, correctional facilities, and more.

Earn the counseling degree you need to make a difference with Sacred Heart.

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Sources and Disclaimer

  1. “Mental Illness,” The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Retrieved April 2021 from https://www.nimh.nih.gov.
  2. “Survey Finds that Americans Value Mental Health and Physical Health Equally,” Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). Retrieved April 2021 from https://adaa.org.
  3. “Online College Students | Comprehensive Data on Demand and Preferences,” The Learning House, Inc. and Asianian Market Research. Retrieved April 2021, from http://www.learninghouse.com.