Mental Health Counseling, Ph.D.

The PhD in Mental Health Counseling is designed to train leaders, teachers and researchers in the field of mental health counseling who can integrate the most advanced scientific resources of the field with a comprehensive understanding of human spiritualities and their impact on the health and wellness of the diverse populations composing society. The program consists of two tracks, each leading to a different professional field of service. The Advanced Clinical Practice track is designed to allow currently licensed mental health professionals to become leaders in the field of clinical practice by advancing their knowledge and skills to the doctoral level and by developing the specialty area of spiritually integrated counseling/psychotherapy in their practice. The Counselor Education and Supervision track is designed to prepare persons for careers in higher education and research with specialization in the role of spirituality in human life and development.

Admission to Belmont’s Mental Health Counseling, Ph.D. requires completion of a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.

For applicants whose master’s degree does not satisfy educational requirements for state license in a mental health profession, additional coursework may be required in order that the student is eligible for licensure upon graduation from the Ph.D. program. Depending on deficiencies, this could result in an applicant’s being required to take up to an additional 21 semester hours of coursework for the Ph.D. degree. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA to maintain enrollment in the program.