Community Counseling

• COUN 500 – Research Methods 3 Credits
• COUN 505 – Quantitative Data Analysis 3 Credits
• COUN 515 – Introduction to Counseling Skills and Techniques 3 Credits
• COUN 531 – Philosophy and Theories of Counseling 3 Credits
• COUN 540 – Theories of Personality 3 Credits
• COUN 550 – Group Counseling 3 Credits
• COUN 560 – Career Development 3 Credits
• COUN 580 – Professional Orientation and Ethics 3 Credits
• COUN 600 – Psychological Tests and Measures 3 Credits
• COUN 610 – Developmental Psychology 3 Credits
• COUN 650 – Psychopathology 3 Credits
• COUN 660 – Family and Couples Therapy 3 Credits
• COUN 680 – Diversity Issues in Counseling 3 Credits
• COUN 685 – Practicum 3 Credits
• COUN 690 – Internship I 3 Credits
• COUN 695 – Internship II 3 Credits

The majority of MAC Community Counseling interns are offered a job at their internship site prior to graduation. Other benefits include networking and job placement; social responsibility; critical thinking; practice counseling techniques; collaboration and teamwork and written and oral communication. Internship opportunities include:

• Alternative Community Resource Program
• Indiana Child Guidance Center
• Hiram G. Andrews Center
• Conemaugh Hospital
• Home Nursing Agency
• Blair Family Solutions
• Pitt Johnstown
• Nulton Diagnostic and Treatment Center
• Discovery House Rehabilitative Services
• Outpatient Psychiatric Clinics
• Hospitals
• Federal and State Correctional Institutions
• College Counseling Centers
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centers
• Methadone Maintenance Facilities
• College Faculty

There is a high job placement rate in this industry and salaries vary depending on the setting in which the graduate chooses to practice. The demand for Mental Health Counselors is expected to rise 20% from 2014 to 2024, an increase of 26,400 jobs.

The average median wage for a Mental Health Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania is $43,800.

There is a need for Licensed Professional Health Counselors, according to the American Counseling Association:

• 1 million adults (19.9%) in the United States had mental illness in the past year. Of those, nearly 8.9 million (20%) also had a substance use disorder.
• 11 million adults (4.8%) had serious mental illness (SMI)—a diagnosable mental disorder that substantially interfered with or limited one or more major life activities— in the past year.
• Less than 4 in 10 adults with mental illness in the past year received mental health services.
• In 2009, 14.8 million people (6.5% of adults aged 18 or older) had at least one major depressive episode during the past year.
• In 2009, 2 million youths (8.1% of the population aged 12 to 17) had at least one major depressive episode during the past year.
• In 2009, an estimated 8.4 million adults (3.7%) age 18 or older had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. 2.2 million adults made suicide plans in the past year and approximately 1 million adults attempted suicide in the past year.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2010). Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H-39, HHS Publication No. SMA 10-4609). Rockville, MD.

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• analyze and articulate the theoretical, methodological, and applied aspects of community counseling and consultation;
• demonstrate advanced critical thinking skills in relation to conducting and evaluating scholarly research and its applications in counseling;
• evaluate how moral, ethical, personal, and professional perspectives influence research, theory, and applications in counseling, especially as reflected in the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice;
• integrate and apply best practice knowledge and skills to counseling techniques, particularly within the areas of group, community, marriage and family counseling, and career counseling;
• utilize detailed knowledge of human growth and development as well as wellness models to formulate case conceptualizations and create intentional interventions;
• facilitate helping relationships using evidenced-based skills with individuals, families, and groups; and
• exercise sensitivity, care, moral integrity, and professional skill in assisting clients from diverse backgrounds.