A number of different institutions now offer online counseling psychology degree programs. These programs teach people how to counsel others in a variety of situations. The focus is on talking therapies, helping people to find solutions for their problems. During the courses, students are taught how to apply counseling for various kinds of people who need it. There are a number of specializations in counseling psychology as well, and students are recommended to first think about the type of people and problems they would like to work with. Some opt to study general counseling psychology, while others prefer to have a very specific focus. Drug and addiction counseling, mental health counseling and family & marriage counseling are particularly popular specializations, but there are many others. It is is very important that you choose to study with an institution that is fully accredited so that you can become a licensed practitioner at the end of it.
Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Capella University is a fully online private institution. They focus on working professionals. They have been awarded a number of highly prestigious awards for their focus on professional standards. They offer three specializations: Addiction Treatment and Recovery, Child and Adolescent Counseling, and General Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Tuition
$497 per credit
Master’s of Arts in Counseling-Clinical Mental Health
This university is committed to excellent. Their philosophy is “Pro Humanitate,” which means it is for humanity. This is reflected in the quality of their programs and the school’s overall reputation. They focus on educating human services professionals and caring counselors to help people who are going through hardships. The university only started to offer an online program in 2012, but it has proven to be incredibly popular.
Tuition
The annual tuition is estimated to be $33,000.
Master of Science in Counseling
GCU is a private Christian school that offers both online and classroom-based programs It is ranked 63rd in the country for its online programs. Furthermore, Fortune Magazine recognized it as one of the five best online schools. Their focus is to create global citizens who are responsible leaders and critical thinkers in the field of behavioral science. They offer two degree programs in relation to counseling. These allow students to apply for a National Board of Certified Counselors license (LASAC or LPC). They are the MS in Addiction Counseling ad the MS in Professional Counseling programs.
Tuition
Tuition currently is $495 per credit hour. However, if students take part in a four credit course, they are given a 25% discount.
#4 University of Massachusetts
Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling
The University of Massachusetts has been at the forefront of developing online programs, always striving to be the best. They currently offer an MS in Mental Health Counseling in such a way that people are able to afford it, as their focus is on ensuring the entire community is able to achieve good quality education. Those who want to become counselors are recommended to take part in this degree program as it is known to be one of the highest quality courses of its kind in the country. Their excellence in online teaching has been recognized by the Sloan Consortium. In terms of their overall ranking, they are placed 97th in the country. Additionally, they are one of the world’s 20 best universities according to the U.S. News and World Report.
Tuition
Currently, UMass offers the online MS in Mental Health Counseling at $475 per credit. This means it is one of the most affordable degree programs in this field in the country.
Master of Science in Counseling
Walden University has been educating people for over 40 decades. They are a fully online institution, private and for profit, and currently has over 46,500 adult learners. They are ranked 80th in the country for their online program according to the U.S. News and World Report. The school is dedicated to providing education programs that are contextually and culturally relevant, based on the model of scholar-practitioner. The university, which is fully CACREP accredited, offers a number of different specializations in counseling psychology. These include addiction counseling, career counseling, marriage (couple) & family counseling, school counseling and mental health counseling.
Tuition
Every quarter credit hour costs $455. Furthermore, each quarter also requires a payment of $110, which is a technology fee.