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Program Goals, Objectives and Competencies

³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ Mental Health Counseling program (MHC) seeks to prepare students to be effective counselors in a diverse world and profession.  Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals. Consistent with the values of the counseling profession, the MHC program seeks to infuse multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills throughout the curriculum.  The program is structured to ensure that students will develop a professional identity as a mental health counselor and will master the knowledge and counseling skills needed to practice effectively.  Students will be trained for careers in community mental health and human service agencies, private practices, as well as government, business and industrial settings.  Based on the philosophy articulated in our Mission Statement and based on the CACREP standards, the Mental Health Counseling program Goals, Objectives, and Competencies are as follows: 

Goal # 1 Knowledge in Core Counseling Subject Areas

 Objectives for Goal #1: 

1. Become knowledgeable about the counseling profession and ethical practice in counseling
2. Become knowledgeable about social and cultural diversity
3. Become knowledgeable about human growth and development
4. Become knowledgeable about career development
5. Become knowledgeable about helping relationships, counseling theories and the counseling process from individual and family system perspectives
6. Become knowledgeable about group work
7. Become knowledgeable about assessment
8. Become knowledgeable about research and program evaluation 

Competencies Expected for these Objectives: 

1. Proficient knowledge base in each subject area
2. Proficiency in the application of subject area knowledge
3. Proficiency in oral and written communication related to subject area knowledge

Goal #2 Knowledge, Development, and Demonstration of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Skills and Practices

 Objectives for Goal #2: 

1. Develop and demonstrate foundational knowledge regarding the provision of mental health treatment services including treatment models, agency operations, and the principles of clinical mental health counseling
2. Develop and demonstrate skills in addressing issues of diversity and providing advocacy
3. Develop and demonstrate skills in clinical assessment, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment planning, and intervention 

Competencies Expected for these Objectives: 

1. Proficiency in developing counseling relationships, performing culturally competent counseling interventions, advocating for clients, and consulting with other professionals and systems
2. Proficiency in performing intake interviews and  mental status examinations, gathering biopsychosocial histories, assessing clinical information, documenting and reporting clinical information
3. Proficiency in conceptualizing cases, developing treatment plans, applying evidenced based practices, strategies, and techniques and evaluating treatment outcomes for a variety of mental health issues 

Goal #3 Knowledge, Development, and Demonstration of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Professional Dispositions 

Objectives for Goal #3: 

1. Develop and demonstrate intrapersonal awareness and an accurate understanding of the basic motivations of self, including the relationship between personal beliefs, thoughts, feelings, actions and professional functioning
2. Develop and demonstrate emotional sensitivity, interpersonal respect, and professional decorum in all professional interactions
3. Develop and demonstrate openness to personal and professional growth in the professional learning process
4. Develop and demonstrate ethical  responsibility, and the attitudes, demeanor, and maturity necessary to perform the duties of a professional counselor 

Competencies Expected for these Objectives: 

1. Proficiency in understanding and relating to clients in an emotionally sensitive and respectful manner.
2. Proficiency in behaving in a highly professional, ethical, and mature manner in interactions with clients, colleagues, professionals, and agency staff.
3. Proficiency in the ability to seek, reflect upon, and respond to supervisory feedback in a manner that enhances personal and professional growth and learning.

Licensure Requirements: 

The CACREP Accredited Mental Health Counseling Program at the University of Texas at El Paso fulfills the academic requirements for Licensed Professional Counselor (initially LPC Associate) licensure in Texas. To be fully licensed as LPC in Texas, in addition to the 60-hour master's program, a student must have three thousand (3,000) clock hours of supervised experience after their graduation.