Rider’s clinical mental health program provides the foundational knowledge and training for aspiring counselors to obtain licensure and enter rewarding careers within the clinical mental health field. Learn from our faculty experts who possess diverse experience and gain practical experience at qualified field placement sites.
Data represents the 2018-19 Counseling Services program. Each year, Rider student performance on both the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) and the National Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE) has consistently been above the national average.
95%
National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) pass rate
100%
Employment rate within six months of graduation
89%
Program completion rate
The program prepares students for the eight-core content areas of the National Counselor Exam (NCE), required by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) in order to become a National Certified Counselor. Students completing this program will also have met the educational requirements for Board Certified Coach (BCC). Students may gear their elective choices so they also complete academic requirements for the Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) and the Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS). With some additional coursework, CMHC students may also complete educational requirements for the Student Assistance Coordinator (SAC) certificate.
Graduates of Rider’s clinical mental health program exit well trained for doctoral programs or counseling positions in community agencies, mental health agencies, hospitals, government facilities, institutions of higher education, industry and private practice. Students will meet the educational requirements for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in New Jersey and many other states.
During my time in the counseling program, I was introduced to some of the most caring and compassionate professors...I was able to recognize my potential and how much I was capable of as a leader, counselor, student and human being.
Our 60-credit program blends traditional classroom learning alongside student participation in at least 700 hours of counseling fieldwork in an agency. Courses emphasize active learning, case examples and personal exploration to build self-awareness. Fieldwork supervision is intensive, with individualized student/supervisor meetings. Every student receives supervision from at least two professionals: the supervisor on-site and the faculty supervisor at Rider. In addition, the CMHC program offers a diverse range of electives and every student picks two electives.
Rider’s clinical mental health program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP), the premier national accrediting body that ensures excellence in counselor preparation and training.
For a copy of the latest evaluation report, contact the CACREP coordinator at 609-896-5351.
Highly qualified undergraduate psychology majors are eligible to apply in their junior year for the accelerated BA-MA program in either School Counseling or Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This program enables students to take graduate courses during their senior year that count toward both the bachelor's and master's degrees.
Applicants for this accelerated program must have a GPA of at least 3.0 and must meet the same admission requirements as all other applicants.
Compare Rider's graduate programs in school counseling, school psychology, applied behavior analysis and clinical mental health counseling.
Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) is the honor society of the counseling profession. The local chapter exists to promote excellence in counseling and recognize the outstanding academic achievements of our graduate students in the Counseling Services program.
Our ambassadors can answer your questions about Rider, the application process, admission process and the curriculum. And they also can share their own personal experiences about life as a graduate student at Rider.
