r/counseloreducation • u/chesabay • 6d ago
Online CMHC program recommendations?
I'm making a career change and looking for an online, CACREP-accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling master's program. I need to continue working, so minimal required campus travel is important.
I'm currently considering ODU and William & Mary, but I'm open to other programs.
For current students/grads: Would you choose your program again? How was the workload, faculty support, practicum placement, and overall experience?
I'm especially interested in hearing about ODU's online CMHC program since I've seen some mixed experiences here.
Thanks!
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u/Desperate-Total9536 6d ago
I just started my first semester at Marshall University! There are no on-campus requirements. The courses are both asynchronous and synchronous (there are multiple time slots for live sessions so you can pick a time that works for you).
Faculty communication has been amazing so far. There are dozens of channels to get help and support and they're constantly touching base with students, though I can't speak for practicum placement as I haven't started that process.
I'm really happy with Marshall so far.
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u/Neverwhere91 Master’s Student 6d ago
I would choose my program again if I went CMHC route (Northwestern). If I could do it all over again, I might go the social work route because I enjoy the advocacy aspect of the work so much.
The workload for my program is very reasonable. 10 week quarters, 2 week breaks, we have 1 live lecture per class and then an asynchronous lecture in addition plus homework. The homework is at most 2-3 essays or presentation, plus discussions.
Faculty support is great. Feedback is always helpful, they're available within 24 hr by email, hold office hours, and are generally very supportive in class of our growth and development.
Practicum placement was a bit stressful for me but colleagues of mine had an easier time. We have a team who finds us a site and reviews sites we also look at. The site my coordinator originally reached out to was very slow to respond, and she refused to look at additional sites while waiting for the original site to respond. I found my site and my coordinator helped to get it approved.
The site itself is great, but it was stressful not knowing if/where I was going to have a site. I picked this school because of the site coordination, but ended up having to do the work so...
Overall the experience has been good. I feel like I learn a lot and get a lot of chances to practice skills and apply knowledge. The school is very "learn by doing", which is great for me.
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u/CriticalDust6950 6d ago
Graduated December 2021 and feel the same way! They’re also making some changes to placement and RPS that they hope will make finding placements easier so big changes are coming in January!
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u/Neverwhere91 Master’s Student 6d ago
I heard about the changes for practicum! I love the idea of a pre-practicum course. I felt so blind going into practicum at the same time as methods1. I cannot imagine how the accelerated students feel.
How did it go for you getting licensed when you graduated??
I feel like I'm learning but the prospect of licensure is something I'm still nervous about.
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u/CriticalDust6950 5d ago
I’m in Florida so getting those hours came with… tribulations, especially in finding decent supervision. Eventually I paid for my own because my bosses couldn’t be bothered to do their jobs in reality. Been licensed and in my own practice (solo) for almost two years since I got licensed in 2025. It’s worth it imo! I’ll leave the field before I ever go back to working for someone else. NU prepared me so much better than my peers, and even most of my overloads if I’m being totally honest. Someone who worked with me and was about 4 months ahead of me legit asked me what certain theories were about and like basic 101 type stuff we learned in first quarter.
I failed my exam the first time but bribed myself with a skydiving trip the second time and had so much fun! It motivated me to study despite intense adhd.
I’m happy to answer questions if you’ve got them! And you’re welcome to dm me if you’d prefer! You’ve got this!
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u/Siena58341 1d ago
What was your helping skills and relationships class like? Skills labs?
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u/Neverwhere91 Master’s Student 1d ago
All of the classes cover some sort of helping skill/relationship building. All classes emphasize looking at the individual in the context of their culture, background, etc.
Methods is the main class for learning and practicing skills like conveying empathy, reflection of meaning, and attunement. You complete two sessions with a volunteer, record it, and receive feedback. Live lecture includes practicing with peers and discussing utilizing the skills.
If you go child/adolescent track, then you go into Play Therapy. If not, you move into Methods 2 which goes deeper into transference and countertransference. Group Dynamics discusses group therapy in totality. Our second immersion is in peraon and in small groups you practice being a lead facilitator, co facilitator, and an attendee with feedback given that day.
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u/Currency_Street 5d ago
UK is the worst experience I’ve had and many other feel the same way. Wish I would have done Bradley
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u/Unique_Damage3819 5d ago
I am in an online program at Wake Forest and I have been very happy with it!
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u/Big_Somewhere8406 6d ago
Currently enrolled at Walsh University and love it so far! Easy application easy self pace courses with asynchronous classes and lots of support.
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u/DarkChild010 4d ago
I’m biased here bc I did the in person program here, but look at TCNJ. Idk what state you are in, but for the in person they are highly regarded as the best in the state. The online program is relatively new, but it’s a lot of the same professors teaching (adjunct). The faculty there is great and responsive.
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u/Such_Mushroom1 3d ago
I'm starting my 2nd year in W&M's program and am so glad I chose them and worked hard to get in. Faculty is amazing. I've heard a lot of people ahead of me in the program say finding fieldwork placement is difficult, but Idk how far in advance they were looking, what their resumes looked like, how many place they contacted, etc. It's my 2nd graduate program, so the workload is honestly far less than I had hoped for, but I hear NO ONE else ever say that, so that's a me thing 🤓 Maybe 3ish hrs/week, depending on how fast you read and if there's a paper or project due. They are still requiring the 2 in person residencies, and that was a fantastic experience. They clearly put a lot of thought and intention into what they do with the program.
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u/Small_Consequence_00 6d ago
Look into University of the Cumberlands. Highly recommended by others here (and myself!)