Prospective ◊ Career Options

Counseling Ed.M. Career Options

The Ed.M. Program in Psychological Counseling is designed to prepare students for the position of psychological counselor in social agencies and organizations, schools, colleges, career, counseling, rehabilitation, and mental health centers, hospitals, and other community and government agencies. The Program is dedicated to preparing counselors who facilitate normal and optimal development for individuals, groups, and organizations. Students are also trained in the assessment, evaluation, amelioration and treatment of socio-emotional disorders and dysfunctions.  The objectives of the Program are to train counselors who:

• Focus on the personal, racial/cultural, and career development of individuals and groups
• Focus on clients' strengths and assets, and the importance of person-environment interactions
• Provide mental health services to client and client systems
• Are competent in providing workshops and psycho education to individuals, groups, and organizations
• Are self-aware and reflective about social and cultural constructions, and to issues related to identity group membership
• Are competent in evaluation and problem-solving research (e.g., surveys, follow-up studies)
• Develop identities as ethical counselors

These objectives will help prepare students to work as counselors with those who need assistance with adjustment issues both in their personal and/ or occupational lives. Counselors help people clarify their concept of self as well as help them discover their roles in the world of work. This is done through individual counseling, group counseling, program development, family counseling, psychoeducational workshops, implementing systemic change, etc. The role of a counselor is to help individuals from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds utilize internal and environmental resources in order to live more optimally. They are skilled in working with women and men with different sexual orientations, physical abilities, ethnic, racial, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds.  

In 2005, Teachers College received approval from New York State to offer a License-Qualifying Mental Health Counseling Program.  Along with completion of required coursework, students can become eligible for licensure when they complete 3000 hours of post-master's supervised experience in the practice of mental health counseling and pass a national examination.

Mental health counselors can work in a variety of settings (clinics, schools, hospitals, agencies, human resource units, private practice, etc.) in the delivery of mental health services to client and client systems.  The Education Law Article 163 describes mental health counseling as: 

• The evaluation, assessment, amelioration, treatment, modification, or adjustment to a disability, problem, or disorder of behavior, character, development, emotion, personality or relationships by the use of verbal or behavioral methods with individuals, couples, families or groups in private practice, group, or organized settings
• The use of assessment instruments and mental health counseling and psychotherapy to identify, evaluate and treat dysfunctions and disorders for purposes of providing appropriate mental health counseling.

For information regarding licensure, please contact the Office of the Professions, New York State Education Department (http://www.op.nysed.gov/mhp.htm).