Information Packet for the
Master of Science in
Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC)
Specializations in addiction-mental health counseling and rehabilitation counseling
"Our country is on the verge of a crisis: an inadequate supply of workers trained in substance abuse treatment... not unlike the nursing shortage, addressed by Congress in the last session"
- Therapeutic Communities of America (Workforce Issues Policy Brief).
"We can not improve services to those with mental health and substance use disorders without an adequate number of appropriately trained, licensed, experienced and fairly compensated professionals."
- National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) Executive Director Lewis Gallant, Ph.D., testifying before the Health, Education, Labor, Pensions Subcommittee on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services.
· The Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MS CMHC) is offered and administered by the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology.
· The Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MS CMHC) has two specialty areas: 1. addiction-mental health counseling and 2. Rehabilitation counseling.
o Currently, all students admitted into the program must meet requirements for both specialty areas
§ Please note that both specialty areas are met within the 60-credits
§ Classes, practicum, and internship combine and address both areas
* You may be asking, “why do these specialties go together?. The simplest answer is that addiction-mental health (aka co-occurring disorders) are recognized as “disabilities” within the fields of rehabilitation and psychiatric rehabilitation. Also, a high percentage of clients experiencing co-occurring disorders have concomitant physical and medical issues. So our students are trained to address a wide-range of issues.
· The degree is comprised of 60 credit hours and can be completed in 23 months if full-time student status is maintained. Students may complete the program on a part-time basis.
Our program is dedicated to training professional counselors in evidence-based and emerging-best practices in clinical mental health counseling and the integrated treatment of addiction and co-occurring mental health issues and rehabilitation.
Our program synthesizes rigorous academic coursework with extensive clinical training in “real world” settings and applied research experiences toward the development of science-practice integration in all of our graduates.
The 7Cs Clinics provide a unique environment for students to not only be trained in evidence-based practices and emerging best-practices, but to also participate in research aimed at developing and evaluating these practices. The affiliations with the Integrative Neuroscience Research Center, the Center for Addiction and Behavioral Health Research, and the Department of Biomedical Sciences also provide unique and important research and clinical opportunities.
We give special emphasis to working with marginalized and under-served populations including racial/ethnic minorities, people who are poor, and people who are homeless. This is evidenced by the long-standing clinical and research partnerships with community-based organizations that are dedicated to working with marginalized and under-served populations.
Why did we develop this program?
The relevant accrediting bodies for the M.S. in CMHC are the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) http://www.cacrep.org/index.html and the Council on Rehabilitation Education http://www.core-rehab.org/ .
In 2009, CACREP adopted and enacted new accreditation standards for graduate programs in counseling. The 2009 CACREP Accreditation Standards no longer include Community Counseling as a specialty area within the standards. Under the 2009 CACREP Standards Community Counseling has essentially been combined with the Mental Health Counseling specialty establishing a new specialty – the 60-credit “Clinical Mental Health Counseling”.
[It must be stressed that this program is NOT currently accredited by either CACREP or CORE. However, the department does intend to pursue these accreditations]
Although Wisconsin only requires a 48-credit masters program in counseling to be eligible for licensure as a Professional Counselor, 38% (19) of the states in the United States require 60-graduate credits for licensure as a Professional Counselor (or similar title; American Association of State Counseling Boards, AASCB). The AASCB reports that 14 states require CACREP-accredited (or equivalent) programs (IA, MI, MN, AR, CT, CO, FL, LA, NE, OR, SD, TN, UT, WV).
It is likely that WI will change the 48-credit requirement for licensure as a professional counselor to 60-credits, but this is not likely to happen for at least 3-4 years. Obviously, we cannot predict with certainty about the timeframe or that the change will indeed take place, We recommend that you contact the WI Department of Regulation and Licensing to get a “second opinion”.
· The Addiction-Mental Health Specialty is an approved program under the WI Department of Regulation and Licensing and the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC & RC; http://icrcaoda.org/ .
o Our graduates who obtain the Wisconsin DRL certification for Substance Abuse Counselors benefit greatly by the fact that this certification has extensive possibilities for reciprocity through the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC).
o The IC&RC boards are located in 44 states, the District of Columbia, 2 US territories, and 12 global jurisdictions. IC&RC certification boards also include those affiliated with the Indian Health Services, and the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities. Over 35,000 certified addiction professionals currently belong to IC&RC Member Boards.
What’s the Job outlook? Very good indeed – remember our graduates will be a “combined force” qualified to become LPCs, and substance abuse counselors, and rehabilitation counselors!
U.S. Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/
Occupational Outlook Handbook http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Counselor – Job Outlook http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos067.htm#outlook
Employment for counselors is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2016. However, job growth will vary by location and occupational specialty. Job prospects should be good due to growth and the need to replace people leaving the field.
Employment change. Overall employment of counselors is expected to increase by 21 percent between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. However, growth is expected to vary by specialty.
Employment of substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors is expected to grow 34 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. As society becomes more knowledgeable about addiction, it is increasingly common for people to seek treatment. Furthermore, drug offenders are increasingly being sent to treatment programs rather than jail.
Employment of mental health counselors is expected to grow by 30 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. Mental health counselors will be needed to staff statewide networks that are being established to improve services for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and for their families. Under managed care systems, insurance companies are increasingly providing for reimbursement of counselors as a less costly alternative to psychiatrists and psychologists.
Jobs for rehabilitation counselors are expected to grow by 23 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The number of people who will need rehabilitation counseling is expected to grow as advances in medical technology allow more people to survive injury or illness and live independently again. In addition, legislation requiring equal employment rights for people with disabilities will spur demand for counselors, who not only help these people make a transition to the workforce but also help companies to comply with the law.
Job prospects. Job prospects vary greatly based on the occupational specialty. Prospects for rehabilitation counselors are excellent because many people are leaving the field or retiring. Furthermore, opportunities are very good in substance abuse and behavioral disorder counseling because relatively low wages and long hours make recruiting new entrants difficult. For school counselors, job prospects should be good because many people are leaving the occupation to retire; however, opportunities may be more favorable in rural and urban areas, rather than the suburbs, because it is often difficult to recruit people to these areas.
U.S. Veterans’ Administration
Our veterans’ unmet needs for medical, mental health, rehabilitation continues to increase at alarming rates. The VA system began recognizing and hiring Licensed Professional Counselors in 2008.
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs http://veterans.house.gov/news/
VA Stumbles in Providing Vocational Rehab to Veterans http://veterans.house.gov/news/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=460
National Healthcare for the Homeless Council http://www.nhchc.org/
Addiction and mental illness—which are frequently co-occurring—often lead to and prolong homelessness and tend to be exacerbated by the experience. Among surveyed homeless people, 39% report a mental health problem, 38% report alcohol use problems, and 26% report problems with other drugs.1 In a 2008 survey conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 26% of homeless individuals had a serious mental illness, compared to 6% of the U.S. population. The top three causes of homelessness among singles identified by the 25 cities responding to this survey were: substance abuse (cited by 68% of cities), lack of affordable housing (60%), and mental illness (48%).2 Among homeless veterans, the need for mental health and substance use treatment continues to grow. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 45% suffer from mental illness, and half have substance abuse problems.
There are over 54 million Americans with disabilities, a full 20 percent of the U.S. population. Almost half of these individuals have a severe disability, affecting their ability to see, hear, walk, or perform other basic functions of life. (8)
Americans with disabilities have a lower level of educational attainment than those without disabilities. One out of five adults with disabilities has not graduated from high school, compared to less than one of ten adults without disabilities. National graduation rates for students who receive special education and related services have stagnated at 27% for the past three years, while rates are 75% for students who do not rely on special education. (8)
Arguably, addiction is the number one public health issue in the United States today. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), approximately 22.2 million people aged 12 or older needed treatment for an alcohol or illicit drug problem in 2003. Of those 22.2 million people – almost 10% of the US population - only 1.2 million received treatment for their disorder. Combine the epidemiological rates and consequences of addiction with other co-occurring mental health issues and the repercussions are staggering.
Excerpts from The Healthcare for Communities Survey.
In the U.S., approximately 1.3 million people are in State and Federal prisons, and 4.6 million are under correctional supervision in the community. Remarkably, approximately 13 million people are jailed every year, with about 631,000 inmates serving in jail at one time. The rate of serious mental illnesses for this population is about three to four times that of the general U.S. population. This means that about 7% of all incarcerated people have a current serious mental illness; the proportion with a less serious form of mental illness is substantially higher. People with serious mental illnesses who come into contact with the criminal justice system are often:
• Poor,
• Uninsured,
• Disproportionately members of minority groups,
• Homeless, and
• Living with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report Regarding the Inadequate Workforce
One problem is the co-occurring workforce shortage. The IOM report, echoing an earlier SAMHSA report, stated, “One of the most significant program-level barriers noted by consumers and family members as well as providers…is the lack of staff trained in treating co-occurring disorders.”
The State of Wisconsin Administrative Rule HFS 35 (Outpatient Mental Health)
One of the explicit Guiding Principles of the newly enacted Administrative Rule HFS 35 is: The rule will promote integrated treatment for people with co-occurring disorders. The rule will promote the integration of treatment for people with co-occurring disorders by assuring that clinics maintain adequate staff for the treatment of co-occurring conditions, and processes to streamline treatment such as assessment for mental health and substance use disorders and use of dually certified practitioners, wherever possible. In clinics where dually certified practitioners are unavailable, processes will be in place to assure that on-going coordination and integration of treatment will be in place.
The State of Wisconsin Administrative rule HFS 35 provides a strong market force to increase employment opportunities for our graduates from this program.
An Action Plan for Behavioral Health Workforce Development (excerpted from the SAMHSA Report 2007)
There is overwhelming evidence that the behavioral health workforce is not equipped in skills or in numbers to respond adequately to the changing needs of the American population. While the incidence of co-occurring mental and addictive disorders among individuals has increased dramatically, most of the workforce lacks the array of skills needed to assess and treat persons with these co-occurring conditions. Training and education programs largely have ignored the need to alter their curricula to address this problem and, thus, the nation continues to prepare new members of the workforce who simply are under-prepared from the moment they complete their training.
It is difficult to overstate the magnitude of the workforce crisis in behavioral health. The vast majority of resources dedicated to helping individuals with mental health and substance use problems are human resources, estimated at over 80% of all expenditures (Blankertz & Robinson, 1997a). As this report documents in its complete version, there is substantial and alarming evidence that the current workforce lacks adequate support to function effectively and is largely unable to deliver care of proven effectiveness in partnership with the people who need services. There is equally compelling evidence of an anemic pipeline of new recruits to meet the complex behavioral health needs of the growing and increasingly diverse population in this country. The improvement of care and the transformation of systems of care depend entirely on a workforce that is adequate in size and effectively trained and supported. Urgent attention to this crisis is essential.
Evidence regarding why the proposed specialty can be positioned in the “quality” sector of the market
As discussed above, The Master of Science program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Addiction-Mental Health –Rehabilitation specialty is desperately needed in the addiction and mental health professions in Wisconsin, the United States, and frankly, throughout the world.