Master of Arts in Community Mental Health

Semester 1 | Fall

Theories and Practice in Community Mental Health (3 units)

Human Development Across the Lifespan (Online) (3 units)

Community Trauma and Healing (3 units)

Semester 2 | Spring

Psychodynamic Foundations for Clinical Practice (3 units)

Therapeutic Communication (3 units)

Psychopathology and Psychological Assessment (3 units)

Semester 3 | Summer

Research Methods (3 units)

Psychotherapies with Families, Couples and Systems (3 units)

Professional Ethics and Family Law (Online) (3 units)

Semester 4 | Fall

Advanced Therapeutic Skills: The Clinical Relationship (3 units)

Diagnosis and Treatment of Co-Occurring Disorders (3 units)

Supervised Clinical Practicum- Group (2 or 3 units)

Human Sexuality (1 unit)

Semester 5 | Spring

Child and Adolescent Multi-systemic Therapies (3 units)

Multicultural Foundations of Family Therapy (3 units)

Supervised Clinical Practicum- Group (2 or 3 units)

Semester 6 | Summer

Trauma, Crisis and Recovery-Oriented Practice (3 units)

Group Facilitation and Group Therapy (3 units)

Supervised Clinical Practicum- Group (2 or 3 units)

Semester 7 | Fall

Advanced CMH Practice: Severe Mental Illness and Early Psychosis (3 units)

Integrative Seminar - Final Project (3 units)

Elective (2 units)

Online Admissions Application: Begin the application process by submitting an online application and paying the non-refundable $65 application fee.

Degree Requirement: An undergraduate degree (B.A., B.S., or the equivalent) from an accredited college or university.

Minimum GPA: A GPA of 3.0 or higher in previous coursework is required. However, a GPA below 3.0 does not automatically disqualify an applicant. CIIS will consider a prospective student whose GPA is between 2.0 and 3.0. These individuals are required to submit a GPA Statement and are encouraged to contact our Admissions Team to discuss their options.

Transcripts: Official transcripts from all accredited academic institutions attended where 7 or more credits have been earned. If transcripts are being mailed to CIIS, they must arrive in their official, sealed envelopes. Transcripts from institutions outside the US or Canada require a foreign credit evaluation through World Education Services (WES) or CIIS will also accept foreign credential evaluations that are in a comprehensive course-by-course format from the current members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).

Goal Statement: What do you envision doing, professionally, with a M.A. in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Community Mental Health? How do you envision spending your work time and energy? Please provide a one-page statement of professional goals and objectives.

Resume 

Admissions Essay: Please address the following two questions in a four-to-six page (typed, double-spaced) reflection:

1. What do you understand psychotherapy to be? In your own words (without jargon), please define psychotherapy and describe how you think that it works. In the context of psychotherapy, what is the process of healing and growth? (We are not seeking a textbook or academic definition, but rather a window into your thinking and perspective on psychotherapy).
2. Reflect on the considerations unique to providing psychotherapy for historically marginalized, under-represented, and/or oppressed individuals, communities, and populations? What qualities of a therapist or therapy do you think are most important in this context? Please give an example of one such quality that you possess or are working on cultivating.

Two Letters of Recommendation: Letters of recommendation will be accepted from academic advisors, professors, professional supervisors, or someone able to attest to your ability to undertake the work required for your program. Recommenders should use standard business format and include full contact information-name, email, phone number, and mailing address.

Candidate Selection

The Community Mental Health program considers the following factors to be desirable for admission: a background, interest, and demonstrated commitment to public and community mental health (work or volunteer), and evidence of a commitment to achieving positive health outcomes in these settings. 

Alternatively, experience in community planning, community organizing, and/or social justice in a paid or volunteer position is helpful, as is personal stability and energy to become an effective therapist and academic records that indicate probable success in completing graduate study. The statement of professional goals and objectives submitted with the application form should address these issues. 

The program also seeks individuals who exhibit the interpersonal communication skills required of psychotherapists. These include a congruence of feelings and action, an ability to listen and attend, a willingness to be self-reflective, and an openness to evaluating and changing behaviors and attitudes.

Because the program operates on a cohort model, students are interviewed about their goals, objectives, and experiences. These interviews aim to create a cohort of students who can support, motivate, and sustain one another during the seven semesters of study.

The Community Mental Health concentration is based on two core beliefs. One, according to our social justice and community psychology foundations, therapy is a partnership between the therapist and the individual or family engaged in care. Second, therapy delivered in community settings must be based on excellent clinical skills and sound theory.

Our Community Mental Health program prepares therapists to work from these foundations in either community programs or private practice. A strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity guides recruitment, teaching, learning, and professional practice.

The Community Mental Health program is a BBS-approved, 60-unit, weekend cohort program that allows working individuals to maximize educational outcomes and maintain a healthy work/life balance.

Courses are taught in blended in-person and online formats. Each semester includes five in-person weekend immersions (i.e., Saturday and Sunday). During Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters, students take classes with their cohort, allowing for deep and enriching relationships to form between students and with faculty.

All students work closely with a core faculty member, who serves as their advisor throughout the program.

In California the population is 48% Caucasian, yet the mental health profession is 78% Caucasian. Our program seeks to respond to this reality in the following two ways:

• We recruit, educate, and support graduate students who represent the communities of California. This requires a commitment to develop and offer courses and clinical experiences that reflect the cultures and communities of the students and the population of the state of California.
• We seek to equip all therapists who graduate from the program with enhanced awareness of the clinical needs of diverse populations and the ability to provide services that are culturally and linguistically effective.

CIIS encourages representation of diversity, including students from the LGBTQI community, as well as diversity in age.

We seek (and attract) creative, motivated, mature students who have already demonstrated a strong interest in community mental health or community service. Integrity, introspection, and dedication are all essential attributes.

The Community Mental Health program curriculum incorporates principles articulated in the Mental Health Recovery Model. Those principles include the following:

• A holistic view of mental illness that focuses on the person, not just the symptoms.
• New definitions of recovery, which state that recovery is not a function of one's theory about the causes of mental illness; recovery from severe psychiatric disabilities is achievable; recovery can occur even though symptoms may reoccur. Individuals are responsible for the solution, not the problem; recovery requires a well-organized support system.
• This model stresses the importance of consumer rights, advocacy, and social change.
• This model emphasizes applications and adaptations of theory and practice to better integrate issues of human diversity.

The professional practice of counseling is a regulated occupation in the state of California. Coursework in the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program at CIIS and each of its five programs is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) to fulfill educational requirements toward the marriage and family therapist license (LMFT).

Students also have the option to take additional coursework to fulfill the educational requirements of the professional clinical counselor license (LPCC). Students seeking the LPCC licensure also take courses for the MFT, enabling them to pursue either license and to work with couples, families, and/or children as an LPCC.

Students seeking licensure in California as an LMFT or LPCC must register with the BBS after graduation and successfully complete additional post-graduate supervised clinical associate hours and written examinations. See the BBS’ Statutes and Regulations PDF for additional information.

In many cases, our coursework and training is very similar or entirely portable to many states. However, each state has their own specific licensure requirements that include both academic coursework and clinical practicum hours that may differ from CA’s requirements.

In cases where this program does not meet the requirements for another state, additional coursework or practicum hours may be required. While licensure may be possible in another state, it is not guaranteed. Luckily, you will have the full support of the Director of MCP who will help you understand the specific licensing requirements.

Lastly, you should consult the licensing boards of the appropriate state of country for the most up-to-date licensing information outside of California.