The Necessary Steps Toward Becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) or a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC)

The educational objectives of the MA in Counseling Psychology are focused on the education and training of our graduates. We support our graduates in becoming many things, such as:

• Learners who are keenly aware of and invested in themselves as instruments. This allows students to create and follow robust plans of self-care utilizing mind-body-spirit techniques and components, as well as a curiosity and openness about the recognition that graduate school is a profound growth experience, and involves ongoing development and care of the self.
  
  
• Achieving the skills needed in the ethical and professional practice of mental health counseling, including a thorough understanding of one’s roles, responsibilities and the practice of ethical decision making.
  
  
• Becoming competent in working across cultural differences, including the cultivation of the awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary to work with those different than oneself across a wide range of social identities.
  
  
• Knowledgeable about human growth and development, including theories of both individuals and groups that support optimal development across the lifespan. Proponents of the knowledge that wellness and wholeness are about more than alleviation of pain and suffering, and are deeply rooted in love, joy, self-actualization and a life truly worth living.
  
  
• Skilled in the practice of mental health counseling with both individuals and groups, including the development of the therapeutic relationship, assessment, and clinical interventions, all informed by theory and research
  
  
• Being able to access and critically assess published research in counseling and psychology based on an understanding of statistics and research design.
  
  
• Qualified to pass national and state counseling exams.

Prerequisites for the Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology

Entering students must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with an average GPA of 3.0 or higher in their undergraduate degree. In addition, an introductory course in general psychology must have been completed with a grade of B or better within the last seven years.

Our most competitive applicants have experience, either paid or volunteer, in applied, face-to-face social services. It is strongly recommended that students gain experience in the social services field prior to applying for this program.

In addition, prospective students are highly encouraged to have experience with in-person psychology courses. The on-site, cohort model of this program requires that students be familiar with and comfortable in an intense face-to-face classroom setting.

Meeting the minimum admissions requirements is not a guarantee of acceptance into the program. This master's program has a competitive admissions process and only highly qualified applicants will be invited to campus for an interview.

Tuition and Financial Aid at Bastyr

The estimated average costs for the first academic year with a typical credit load in 2022-2023 for the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology is $728 per credit hour, $440 in fees, and an estimated $2800 in books and supply costs.

There are very few federal or state grant and scholarship programs designed for graduate students, however, Bastyr University is very conscious of the cost of financing an education. The primary job of our financial aid team is to work with students to help them plan for, and obtain, the resources needed to make a Bastyr education a reality. These include:

• Reducing consumer debt
  
  
• Check credit reports and repair adverse credit history
  
  
• Have some funding set aside for emergencies, if at all possible
  
  
• Consider the relationship between enrollment pattern and available aid
  
  
• Apply for Merit Scholarships (available by application deadlines)
  
  
• Check out our Outside Scholarship Search brochure to help identify possible outside scholarships that you may qualify to receive
  
  
• Check out our Online Resources page for good scholarship search websites

To learn more about your financial aid eligibility at Bastyr, review our Financial Aid page or read our blog post, Navigating the Bastyr Admissions Process: Tips & Tricks for Success.