Counseling

Overview

The program in Counseling at the University of Alabama at Birmingham offers concentrations in Clinical Mental Health; Marriage, Couples, and Family; and School Counseling at the Master's level.  At the master's level students acquire core knowledge and clinical skills, which enable them to enter the profession of counseling. 

All counseling concentrations (Clinical Mental Health; Marriage, Couples, and Family; and School Counseling) are designed to meet the course-work and field experiences requirements for professional licensure in the State of Alabama. A 15-credit Marriage, Couples, and Family certificate is offered to provide additional coursework for mental health and school counselors who would like to broaden their clinical expertise and knowledge in Marriage, Couples, and Family counseling. A 15-credit Clinical Mental Health Counseling certificate is also offered to provide additional coursework for school counselors and marriage, couples, and family counselors who would like to deepen their knowledge and skills in mental health.  The School Counseling Concentration meets the course work and field experiences required by the Alabama State Department of Education for certification.

The Counseling program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). All three counseling concentrations (Clinical Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, and Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling) are CACREP-accredited.

Admission Process

Consideration for admission to graduate study in Counseling will occur in the fall and spring semesters. 

For more information about admission to the Counseling program, please see the following link: https://www.uab.edu/education/home/graduate/counseling

Non-Degree Seeking Students

Potential students may take classes prior to admission to the Counseling Program as "non-degree seeking" students. However, non-degree seeking students are limited to 12 hours of coursework that may be transferred into the Counseling Program. Non-degree seeking students may enroll in elective courses with the permission of the instructor. It would be important for non-degree seeking students to make an advising appointment with a Counseling faculty member prior to enrolling in courses.  Non-degree seeking students are not permitted to take courses not designated as open to non-degree seeking students. It is also important to note that students taking coursework as a non-degree seeking student do so at their own risk. Enrolling and passing non-degree seeking coursework does not guarantee admission into the program as admission criteria (e.g., test scores, undergraduate GPA, and interview) are the primary factors considered when reviewing student suitability for the program

Evaluation of Candidates

Counseling candidates are evaluated throughout the course of their program via a series of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).  These KPIs are found throughout the course of study, including indicators such as specific course assignments in Area I coursework, CPCE exam, and midterm/final evaluations in internship.  Evaluation of the counselor-in-training is an on-going process. The faculty reserves the right to assess the candidate's appropriateness to be a professional counselor.

Dispositions

Counseling faculty individually review the professional dispositions (behaviors and attitudes) of students within each course in accordance with the Counseling Student Handbook.  Additionally, faculty will collectively review student dispositions and overall progress in the program at the end of each semester.  Dispositional areas identified as deficient could result in termination from the program.

Clinical Experience: Master’s Level

Before admission to the program, students in the school counseling concentration must submit to fingerprinting and a Background Review conducted by the Alabama State Department of Education at the student’s cost. For information on the cost and how to complete this requirement, go to http://background.alabama.gov/.  No school counseling student shall begin a clinical placement (Practicum or Internship in an education environment) in Alabama without a suitability letter from the Alabama State Department of Education demonstrating that the student’s criminal background  has been reviewed and cleared by the Department of Education.  Clinical Mental Health counseling students are not required to submit to fingerprinting or a background review upon admission to the Counseling Program.  However, Clinical Mental Health counseling students are required to complete clinical placements in order to obtain the master’s degree in counseling and many of the outside agencies/entities require fingerprinting and background reviews prior to accepting a student for clinical placement.  For all counseling students, the appearance of one or more felonies and/or several misdemeanors on a student’s background review may negatively impact placement potential and/or credential obtainment.

Per CACREP standards, before beginning the first semester of their clinical experience, students must obtain and submit proof of individual liability insurance. This is to be procured by the student at the student’s expense and must be maintained throughout the student’s clinical experience. Student must submit proof of current individual liability coverage at the beginning of each semester that student is enrolled in a clinical experience. This is a requirement for all counseling students, regardless of concentration. If proof of insurance is not provided, student will be administratively removed from the clinical course.

Prerequisites for the clinical experience include successful completion of required coursework, meeting the required outcomes and competencies in Area I, and successful completion of comprehensive exams. The practicum experience requires a minimum of 100 hours (including 40 hours of direct client contact) on-site at an appropriate setting to be determined by the Clinical Coordinator. The internship is 600 hours (including 240 hours of direct client contact) on-site over two semesters ( Each semester, students must have a minimum of 300 hours on -site and 120 hours of direct client contact.) Grading for the clinical experiences is on a Pass/Fail basis. To receive a Pass grade the counselor-in-training must be able to demonstrate basic counseling skills, behave in an appropriate professional manner consistent with the American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics, and satisfactorily complete the academic, dispositional and outcome requirements set forth in both the practicum and internship classes.