Professional Counseling

Program receives CACREP accreditation in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through 2032

Professional Counseling M.Ed.

The Professional Counseling Program is committed to delivering quality in-person instruction and professional training to prepare students at the master’s level in clinical mental health counseling (LPC), school counseling (state certification) and addictions counseling (LADC).

Our program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) in the specialty area of clinical mental health counseling.

Program Overview

The Professional Counseling Program consists of 60 semester hours leading to the Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree meeting the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards in the specialty area of clinical mental health counseling. The Clinical Professional Counseling Program offers (1) a 60-hour track that meets the state of Oklahoma Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) requirements, (2) a 15-hour Drug and Alcohol counseling certificate (3) and a 15-hour School Counseling certificate. Both 15-hour certificates can be pursued independently or serve as a concentration in the Clinical Professional Counseling Program. The Drug and Alcohol Counseling certificate includes five specialized courses that have been approved by the Oklahoma Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The School Counseling certificate offers core classes in Counseling along with classes in Special Education and prepares students to become Certified School Counselors in Oklahoma.

LPC application materials, other forms, and rules and regulations governing licensure are available on the Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure website at: ok.gov/behavioralhealth. Students who wish to pursue credentials in other states must contact the appropriate authority in those states in order to determine those requirements.

Program Highlights:

CACREP accredited in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
All full-time and part-time faculty have earned doctorates in Counselor Education or Counseling Psychology and relevant credentials in counseling
- Advanced clinical experiences in counseling and counselor supervision
- Ongoing research, writing, publication, and presentation in the counseling profession.
- Membership in national, regional, and state counseling organizations
Cohort Experience; 2 or 3 year degree options
All students have a faculty advisor
Faculty and students subscribe to the ethical standards and values recognized by the counseling profession, the American Counseling Association (ACA), and the Oklahoma LPC Code of Ethics.
State-of-the-art counseling lab for skills training
Specializations available in:
- Clinical Professional Counseling
- Drug and Alcohol Counseling
  -Includes five specialized courses that meet academic requirements for Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor
- School Counseling
  - Courses are primarily offered in-person with some options available online depending on the course and term.

The 60-hour Clinical Professional Counseling track prepares graduates to counsel in clinical mental health settings, such as mental health agencies, drug abuse treatment centers, child protective services, child counseling clinics, hospitals, geriatric centers, family counseling centers and private practice.

OU Clinical Professional Counseling Program

Program/Student Outcomes

Academic Year	Admission	Total Enrollment	Graduates	Completion Rate	Licensure Pass Rate	Employment Rate
2021-22	14	30	11	100%	90.9%	100%
2022-23	24	40	15	100%	N/A	N/A

Our Philosophy

The guiding philosophy, goals, policies, and practices of the Professional Counseling Program are shaped by its central commitment: To develop socially-conscious professionals, facilitate a community of belonging, and engage in community-focused, ecologically sensitive research and practice.

Our Mission

The Professional Counseling Program is committed to developing and disseminating knowledge through research and scholarly activity, delivering quality instruction and professional training to prepare students at the master’s level in clinical mental counseling, school counseling, and addictions counseling to work as practitioners in a variety of settings including community mental health agencies and schools. The curriculum emphasizes the necessary competencies and clinical training for licensure as a professional counselor (LPC), with options for school counselor certification and licensed alcohol and drug counselor (LADC). The Professional Counseling Program values ongoing and open dialogue to build relationships toward healing and wellbeing in our communities and ourselves; a continuous and reflective learning experience for our students and ourselves; and a responsive approach critical of culturally encapsulated concepts within the counseling profession to contextualize the diverse needs, identities, and histories of individuals and communities.

Our Vision

The vision of the faculty in the Professional Counseling Program is to improve the capacity of the counseling profession to maximize effective service delivery through a nationally competitive, learning-centered, program of excellence to empower individuals and communities in Oklahoma, the nation, and abroad through a wellness perspective.

Our Objectives

The objectives of the Clinical Professional Counseling program are:

To produce graduates who are competent clinical professional counselors: Graduates demonstrate (a) initial knowledge of the foundational areas of counseling (b) initial knowledge and competence in understanding and evaluating research in the context of practice (c) initial knowledge and competence in assessment, diagnosis, treatment, supervision and consultation, and (d) ability to apply the knowledge base of counseling in a research and clinical-based, theoretically-driven manner.
To produce graduates who are committed to ethical practice in counseling: Graduates: (a) display professionalism in their relationships with faculty, staff, and peers necessary for success in multiple career settings, and (b) are knowledgeable of and adhere to ethical and legal guidelines and standards in all aspects of their professional work.
To produce graduates who have been exposed to multicultural competence and social justice values informed by science and practice: Graduates are knowledgeable about and able to engage in (a) culturally competent clinical and professional practice informed by current research and theory (b) social justice values and their application to practice and research in counseling.

Our Training Lab

The Professional Counseling program faculty and the program’s Professional Counselor Training Lab are located in the Department of Educational Psychology. These can be found on the third floor of Ellsworth Collings Hall, which houses the College of Education.

Our Faculty

Program Coordinator: Delini M. Fernando, Ph.D., LPC-S (OK), NCC

Byeolbee Um, Ph.D.

Cian L. Brown, Ph.D., LPC (OK), LPC-S (AR), NCC, CCAT, BCN

G. Michael Russo, Ph.D., LPC (OK), NCC, BCN

Reneé J. Wilson, M.S., ABD, LPC-S (OK)

Six people sitting in a circle in front of two windows talking