Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine Program

Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine Program

Division of Graduate Medical Sciences

Boston University School of Medicine

72 East Concord Street, Suite B-2903

Boston, MA 02118-2526

TEL: 617-414-2320 | FAX: 617-414-2323

Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine Program

The Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine (MHCBM) Program is a two-year, full-time, 60 credit hours, master’s degree program in clinical mental health counseling accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and designed to meet therequirements for independent licensure. The program prepares graduates to practice as professionals in a variety of healthcare delivery settings. The program’s curriculum is also consistent with professional standards recommended by the American Mental Health Counselors Association and American Counseling Association.

Personalized Academic Training

Didactic experiences are offered within the academic medical environment of Boston University School of Medicine. The MHCBM Program emphasizes the personal and professional development of each student as s/he prepares to enter the field of clinical mental health counseling. All students are assigned a faculty advisor who mentors them throughout the program. During Year 1,studentsparticipate in a variety offoundational academic experiences that prepare them for clinical training and meet licensure requirements.

Students also begin their clinicaltraining in Year1 during a semester-long, 16-hour per week practicum when they are exposed to various treatment settings and engage in closely supervised experiences in conducting individual intakes and assessments. Some of the field placements also offer the opportunity to co-lead counselinggroups.

Exceptional Clinical Training

During Year2 of the MHCBM program, students are placed in a 9-month, 24-hour/weekclinical internship with increased autonomy as they conduct individual, group, and family counseling. Students are encouraged to apply to field placements that focus on their areas of specialization to best prepare them for their professionalcareers. Theyalso complete the academic component of the program and select elective courses. In all, students accrue approximately 900 clinical training hours across both years of fieldwork.

Clinically, students gain knowledge and skills that enable them to pursue mental health careers working in a wide range of healthcare settings and professional roles, includingprivate practice;medical settings as a key member of a mental health treatment team; consultant to individuals seeking to make lifestyle changes to address their health problems, such asnicotine addiction, obesity and related eating and exercise problems, and chronic illness; as well as public and private sector agencies providing a variety of mental health and/or substance use disorder services.

As graduates of the MHCBM Program, alumni meet the educational requirements for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as granted by the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professionals. They also meet many of the requirements in other states.

Facts at a Glance

• The only master’s-level clinical mental health counseling program housed in a medical school

• Master of Arts degree awarded by Boston University School of Medicine

• Eligibility for independent licensure as a clinical mental health counselor

• Clinical and research experience in a dynamic urban hospital and academic medical environment

• Interdisciplinary faculty with clinical and research expertise in a wide variety of content areas

• Development of a knowledge base inbehavioral medicine and health psychology, neuroscience, and pharmacotherapy

• Two clinical placements across the two-year program with a wide variety of settings, client populations, and presenting problems

• Extensive training in mental health assessment, group and individual counseling, crisis evaluation and intervention, and theoretical foundations of care

Required Courses

Counseling Theory

Professional Orientation and Ethics

Counseling Techniques

Group Dynamics

Psychopathology

Social and Cultural Foundations

Research and Evaluation

Human Growth and Development

Neuroscience for Mental Health Professionals

Basic Mental Health Assessment

Addictions

Behavioral Medicine and Applied Health Psychology

Orientation to Professional Counseling

Psychopharmacology

Career and Vocational Counseling

Electives

Human Sexuality

Marriage and Family Counseling

Theory and Practice of Child and Adolescent Counseling

Clinical Field Research Seminar (content varies; recent offerings included HIV, patient safety and care, and child development)

• Substance use disorders

Life and Education in Boston

Boston is a terrific place to live as a walking city rich in culture, history, sports, and innovation. Home to more than 30 colleges and universities as well as over 150,000 students, Boston is rife with entertainment appealing to young adults and hosts a variety of cultural activities and events year-round.

Boston Medical Center, located on the medical campus where the MHCBM Program resides, is one of the most diverse hospitals in New England and a site of many of the program’s clinical placements. The hospital serves a wide range of people with a high census of them who are disenfranchised, homeless or marginally housed, substanceabusing, and with trauma/PTSD, depression, anxiety, and/or comorbid medical illness. Combined with medical academics, the environment houses abundantly diverse clinical and educational opportunities.

For more detailed information about the MHCBM Program, please visit our website at