Graduates of the CACREP accredited MAE Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree are equipped with entry-level skills to work as counselors in a variety of community and agency settings such as counseling centers, drug and substance abuse centers, career counseling centers, employee assistance programs in business and industry, adult probation offices, MHMR agencies, corrections, and private counseling practice. Completing the master's degree in clinical mental health counseling provides the graduate with the coursework requirements to obtain the Nebraska Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Nebraska Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP). Nebraska DHHS requires 60 credit hours of academic coursework to be eligible for licensure as an LPC or LMHP. In addition, the program requires successful completion of the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) and Graduate e-Portfolio. Counseling students have a maximum of seven (7) years to complete the MAE degree. The state regulates all licensure requirements for the LPC and LMHP.

View the Clinical Mental Health Counseling curriculum.

View the School Counseling curriculum.

The CAEP-accredited MSEd in School Counseling degree provides the academic training to apply for endorsement as a school counselor in Nebraska. The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) finalizes the school counseling endorsement. We have two options leading to endorsement as a school counselor.

• Option 1: students must have at least two years of teaching experience and a valid teaching certificate or
• Option 2: students without a teaching degree may complete this option, which requires additional graduate coursework in teacher education.
• Students will complete internships for a Nebraska Pk-12 endorsement, allowing them to work as public and private school counselors at the PK-12 grade levels. This will provide the academic training for graduates to apply for endorsement as a school counselor in Nebraska at the (PK-12) level, which requires a 900-hour internship (450 hours in an elementary setting and 450 in a secondary setting). This program provides the academic course requirements for Nebraska Certification Endorsement as a School Guidance Counselor (Rule 24, Nebraska Policy). The CAEP-accredited program aims to prepare professional school counselors in accordance with NCATE standards.

MSEd School Counseling-Option 2

The State of Nebraska provides a path to endorsement for students seeking a school counseling endorsement without a previous degree in education or teacher certification. This option will provide students with the state-required background in education to become endorsed as school counselors in the State of Nebraska. This option requires the completion of the following:

1. All courses required for the MSEd in School Counseling.
2. The following 15 credit hours in Education:
   • EDUC 530: Integrated Classroom Methodologies
   • EDCI 635: Curriculum Development
   • READ 535: Reading and the at-Risk Student or
   • READ 638: Seminar in Reading
   • EDUC 639: Advanced Methods of Performance Assessment
   • SPED 230*: Introduction to the Exceptional Learner or
   • SPED 532: Survey of Special Education
     And:
3. The Praxis Subject Assessment for endorsement in Professional School Counselor (5422).

Note: Graduate students cannot enroll in SPED 230; this course can only be applied toward the degree when taken as an undergraduate before your graduate degree enrollment. 

School Counseling Program Curriculum

The School Counseling MSEd - Option 1 requires completing 42 credit hours of academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree. The School Counseling MSEd - Option 2 involves completing 39 credit hours of the school counseling specialty courses and additional graduate teacher education courses. Please note that many other states and accrediting organizations, such as the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP), require a significantly larger minimum number of academic credit hours for school counseling endorsement. Please review your state standards for specific policies. This specialty includes four major components: Counseling Core, School Counseling Specialization, Assessment and Research, and Clinical Experience.

Professional Licensure, Endorsement, & Employment

The Counseling Program faculty will consider requests for four recommendations: (a) Provisional Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP), (b) Endorsement as a School Counselor Pk-12, (c) Provisional Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor (PLADC), (d) and employment letters of recommendation. The faculty will only endorse students for those professional certifications, endorsements, licenses, placements, and employment recommendations for which they have been adequately trained and have demonstrated both the academic and non-academic attributes required for competence. To ask faculty to support licensure or certification for which the student has not been trained is to ask the faculty to engage in unethical behavior.

Provisional Nebraska Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP)

Counseling students seeking a Provisional Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (PLMHP) or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with Nebraska DHHS must complete a degree program consisting of 60 credit hours of academic counseling coursework. The CSC program is designed to meet the licensure requirements in Nebraska. In addition to academic training, post-master’s supervision is also required for licensure. Students are responsible for obtaining copies of the counselor licensing law and license board regulations for their intended state of licensure in the United States. The DHHS Board in Lincoln grants licensure for the state of Nebraska. Students planning to be licensed in Nebraska should contact the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) Licensure Unit, PO Box 94986, Lincoln, NE 68509-4986, 402-471-3121. Licensing requirements vary by state.

Nebraska School Counselor Endorsement

Upon completing a Master of Science in Education (MSEd) degree in School Counseling, students receive the academic training necessary for endorsement as a school counselor.

MSEd in School Counseling-Option 1

Under the requirements of the Nebraska Department of Education, all prospective school counselors must have:

• Master’s degree in School Counseling
• A valid Nebraska Teacher Certificate
• Successful completion of the Praxis Subject Assessment for endorsement in Professional School Counselor (5421).

MAE in School Counseling-Option 2

The State of Nebraska provides an alternative certification route for students seeking the School Counselor endorsement without a previous degree in education or teacher certification. This option will provide students with the state required background in education to obtain initial certification to become endorsed as a school counselor in the State of Nebraska. Under the requirements of the Nebraska Department of Education, all alternative option prospective school counselors must have:

1. All courses required for the MSEd in School Counseling.
2. A master’s degree in School Counseling
3. The following 15 credit hours in Teacher Education:
   1. EDUC 530: Integrated Classroom Methodologies
   2. EDCI 635: Curriculum Development
   3. READ 530: Reading & Writing in the Middle and Secondary Schools,READ 532: Reading in the Content Fields, or
      READ 535: Reading and the at-Risk Student
   4. EDUC 639: Advanced Methods of Performance Assessment
   5. SPED 230: Introduction to the Exceptional Learner or
      SPED 532: Survey of special education
4. Successful completion of the Praxis Subject Assessment for endorsement in Professional School Counselor (5421).

The Praxis Subject Assessment

The Praxis Subject Assessment endorsement in Professional School Counselor (5421) must be completed for each endorsement application. You'll need to register online. Please follow the Praxis Subject (5421) Assessment Link for more specific information. It is highly recommended you study for the exam. You will find an ETS study guide here. Further information on school counselor endorsement may be obtained from Chadron State College’s Certification Officer.

Provisional Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor (PLADC)

A Provisional Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (PLADC) is an individual who provides the 12 core functions of: screening, intake, orientation, assessment, treatment planning, counseling (individual, group and significant others), case management, crisis intervention, client education, referral, reports and record keeping and consultation with other professionals regarding client treatment and services. For more information please visit the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services website.

Undergraduate Students seeking licensure as an PLADC may complete the following undergraduate courses, or Minor degree offered by the CSC Counseling program, to apply for Provisional Licensure as an Alcohol & Drug Counselor (PLADC) in Nebraska:

• COUN 127: Lifespan Development
• COUN 133: Clinical Addiction Treatment Issues
• COUN 225: Addiction Counseling with Groups
• COUN 235: Alcohol/Drug Assessment, Case Planning, & Management
• COUN 321: Addiction Counseling Theories and Techniques
• COUN 323: Addiction Counseling Ethics and Diversity
• COUN 331: Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Alcohol/Drug Use, Abuse, and Addiction
• COUN 390: Counseling Internship (this course is not required to complete the minor)

Spring 2022 Syllabi

• COUN 225 Addiction Counseling with Groups
• COUN 331 Medical Psychosocial Aspects of Alcohol/Drug Use, Abuse, & Addiction.
• COUN 531 Counseling & Communication Skills
• COUN 532 Treatment Issues in Addictions
• COUN 535 Multicultural Counseling
• COUN 545 Essentials of Addiction Counseling
• COUN 632 Career and Lifestyle Development
• COUN 634 Group Counseling
• COUN 635 School Counseling
• COUN 637 Advanced Human Development