Welcome to the Department of Counseling!

Passionate about helping others? Tarleton’s faculty of practicing licensed professional counselors share their best-practice expertise to prepare you to become an LPC in Texas. Over 200 counties in Texas have been designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas for Mental Health, offering various opportunities for students interested in pursuing a counseling program and becoming a mental health professional or an advanced counseling practitioner, researcher, and educator.

Tarleton’s Department of Counseling offers four programs of study—a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Counseling, a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC), a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in School Mental Health Counseling (SMHC), and an undergraduate minor in Counseling. With a rigorous CACREP-accredited and aligned curriculum and faculty with both clinical and research experience, our counseling department prepares you well for a rewarding career as a clinical mental health counselor, school mental health counselor, or doctoral-level counselor educator, advanced practitioner and clinical supervisor, and researcher.

Department Mission Statement

The Department of Counseling seeks to prepare professional counselors who have developed sound counseling skills through a variety of experiential learning, acquired a comprehensive theoretical knowledge base, and developed a strong professional counselor identity.

The Department’s intent is for graduates to be holistic, moral, and ethical thinkers, multiculturally competent professionals, scholars, and leaders who demonstrate civility and integrity, while contributing meaningfully and responsibly to the counseling profession.

Department Vision Statement

The Department of Counseling seeks local, state, regional, national and international prominence as a collaborative and transformative community engaged in exemplary research, education, and service that benefit the profession of counseling and the public it serves.

Master’s Programs

Our Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is accredited by CACREP, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Tarleton’s clinical mental health program satisfies the academic requirements and the internship and practicum opportunities to become a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate in the State of Texas.

The CACREP-accredited M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is offered in person at Tarleton’s Fort Worth-Chisholm Trail, Waco, and Stephenville campuses.

Our Master of Science in School Mental Health Counseling is aligned with CACREP accreditation standards for entry-level programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and allows students to apply clinical mental health counseling approaches to school and community environments that serve children and adolescents. Tarleton’s school mental health program satisfies the academic requirements and the internship and practicum opportunities to become a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate. It also satisfies coursework and school field experiences requirements to be eligible to take the TExES school certification test.

The M.S. in School Mental Health Counseling is offered in person on our Fort Worth-Chisholm Trail and Waco campuses.

Courses in both of our master’s programs are taught primarily in person, and late afternoon and evening classes accommodate your busy schedule while allowing you to earn your master’s degree in 3 to 4 years. Our counseling courses prepare professional counselors who:

• Achieve sound counseling skills through hands-on learning
• Acquire a comprehensive and theoretical knowledge base
• Develop a strong professional counselor identity
  

Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling

Our Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Counseling is aligned with the 2024 CACREP accreditation standards for doctoral programs in counselor education and supervision. Our Ph.D. in Counseling is designed to develop Three-Dimensional Experts: counselor educators, advanced practitioners, and skilled researchers who make meaningful contributions in both academic and clinical settings.

The Ph.D. in Counseling is offered in person on our Fort Worth-Chisholm Trail campus.

Undergraduate Minor in Counseling

We also offer a minor in Counseling for undergraduate students as a helpful cluster of courses for students majoring in the College of Education or those planning to pursue a graduate counseling program in the future.

These courses are offered online with a mix of synchronous Zoom and asynchronous class options.