Program Requirements
The Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Community Mental Health is a Board of Behavioral Sciences approved, 2.5 year, weekend cohort program. You will work closely with a core faculty advisor throughout your course of study.
The program is offered in an online hybrid format. Students receive asynchronous online lectures, readings, and engagement on a weekly basis. Each semester, students are required to attend five in-person, full-weekend immersions.
During the weekend immersions, students take in-person classes at CIIS with their cohort, allowing for deep and enriching relationships to form between students and with faculty.
During the first year, students develop a theoretical foundation and engage in clinical coursework. In the second year, students enter a clinical practicum while continuing to take required courses. The program concludes with an integrative project in the final semester.
Course of Study
MFT (60 units total) | LLPC (67 units total)
Practicum
An integral part of the Community Mental Health program is on-site clinical training and supervision at a variety of placement sites.
Completion of the practicum requirement includes attendance in weekly classes plus 16-20 hours per week of documented training at an approved site.
Each student plays a key role in identifying sites for field work and clinical practicum. The Community Mental Health program and the MCP Field Placement Office are eager to help with placements. Once made, your placement choice must be approved by the Director of the program and the Director of Field Education.
A minimum of 225 qualifying BBS hours must be completed during practicum training to qualify for graduation. If you are pursuing your LPCC licensure, you must complete a minimum of 280 qualifying BBS hours during practicum training to qualify for graduation.
The Practicum Experience at CIIS | Hands-On Clinical Training for Counseling Psychology Students
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The Clinic Without Walls
The Clinic Without Walls (CWOW) is one of CIIS’ six award-winning community counseling clinics and an affiliated practicum site for the Community Mental Health program.
Situated in San Francisco low-income housing environments, CWOW aims to provide psychological therapeutic services available to underserved communities, particularly children, adults, and families who have been denied services on the basis of stigmatization, discrimination, and/or socioeconomic factors. All services are provided free of charge.
Practicum at CWOW
The student practicum at CWOW fosters development of essential clinical skills with an emphasis on multicultural awareness. Trainees acquire experience in individual, couple, family, and group therapy. The Clinic also incorporates "Therapy on the Margins," a frontier modality that offers an alternative to formal treatment and cultivates community engagement. Trainees lead workshops on topics ranging from self-care, to parenting skills and mindfulness. Student therapists receive weekly supervision and training from licensed clinicians.
A CWOW practicum is structured to provide a conceptual and experiential framework for community mental health as informed by multiple theoretical perspectives. CWOW aims to provide quality psychological services and to provide students interested in community mental health with a dynamic training opportunity rooted in social justice.
Curriculum Highlights
Questions? Contact us.
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