KOKOMO, Ind. —Are you interested in becoming a licensed mental health counselor?
Learn how to achieve that goal at Indiana University Kokomo, with an open house for its newly-launched Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling program. Enrollment is currently underway for the first student cohort, which begins in August.
The open house is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 12, in the Main Building Psychology Suite, Room 211. RSVPs are not required, but are appreciated, at rosddavi@iuk.edu.
Graduates of the two-year program will fill a need for mental health care in north central Indiana. In a survey conducted by the psychology department, 76 percent of organizations said it was at least somewhat difficult to obtain mental health care in a timely fashion, and employers noted they have difficulty finding licensed practitioners, and often have multiple jobs available.
“There’s a huge need for licensed mental health counselors,” said Rosalyn Davis, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of psychology, adding that she anticipates graduates will have many job opportunities after successful completion. “With the current shortage of providers, combined with the drug issues that have been prevalent, and the needs of our aging population, there are a lot of avenues to build a career with this degree.”
After completing the 60-credit hour program, graduates will be able to work in any counseling field, such as drug addiction and recovery, marriage and family, vocational rehabilitation, and many others. Salaries in the field range from around $40,000 to $60,000 per year, depending on location and type of practice.
It is a hybrid program, with about half on campus classes, and half online. All face-to-face classes for IU Kokomo students will be taught in Kokomo, with online classes taught by faculty not only from IU Kokomo, but also IU Southeast and IU East. Licensure requires 1,000 hours of clinical experience in addition to classroom work, and local mental health providers are on board to provide those hours.
The program is open to those with bachelor’s degrees in psychology, or who earned at least 15 credit hours in psychology while completing a bachelor’s degree in another field.
For more information about the Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling program, contact Davis at rosddavi@iuk.edu.
Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.