Counseling
New Mexico Highlands University’s counseling program offers three exciting concentrations in our master’s programs, tailored to suit your passion: clinical mental health counseling, clinical rehabilitation counseling, and school counseling.
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, commonly known as CACREP, is an independent accrediting agency that assures graduate counseling programs throughout the United States and the world meet standards within the counseling profession.
CACREP accreditation indicates that a program’s content and quality have been evaluated and meet strict, consistent standards set by the profession. Choosing a CACREP-accredited program also means the curriculum contains the academic knowledge necessary for professional licensure in many states.
Program at a Glance
Ready to explore some options? The Department of School of Education offers a master of arts program in counseling, which lets you specialize in one or more of four concentrations in addition to the core curriculum.
Concentrations are listed below:
Clinical mental health: 60 credit hours
Clinical rehabilitation counseling: 60 credit hours
School counseling: 60 credit hours
Vision, Mission, and Program Objectives
Vision
To be a premier counselor education program that prepares counselors as agents of social change who transform the lives of individuals and communities they serve.
Mission
The mission of the Highlands’ counselor education program is to train entry-level counselors who are prepared for positions in community service agencies as mental health counselors, in school systems as school counselors, and in rehabilitation settings as rehabilitation counselors. We are committed to continuous improvement of quality and excellence that fosters critical reflection, integrates theory and practice, and promotes advocacy through a culturally responsive and inclusive approach.
Program Objectives
The Highlands’ counselor education program is designed to prepare students to be effective, proactive professionals who can develop, organize, and implement outstanding and comprehensive counseling services and programs. The program prepares students who:
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- Demonstrate the ethical practice of counseling aligned with a professional counseling orientation in accordance with the standards and credentials of the counseling profession;
- Understand multicultural and pluralistic characteristics within and among diverse groups nationally and internationally while developing strategies for identifying and eliminating barriers, prejudices, and processes of intentional and unintentional oppression and discrimination;
- Demonstrate knowledge of factors associated with human growth and development across the lifespan;
- Understand career development theories and strategies for personal growth and vocational opportunities in a global economy;
- Utilize theoretical foundations of individual counseling, and skills in essential interviewing, counseling, and case conceptualization to promote client understanding of and access to a variety of community-based resources;
- Utilize theoretical foundations of group counseling and group work to plan ethical and culturally relevant strategies for designing and facilitating groups;
- Utilize methods of effective assessment relevant to academic, educational, career, personal, and social development;
- Understand the importance of research in advancing the counseling profession, including how to critique research to inform counseling practice; and,
- Exhibit a capacity for self-reflection and an openness to feedback to evaluate and improve personal and organizational practices.
Class Modalities
Work towards your goal of becoming a professional counselor! You’ll take a combination of online real-time sessions through Zoom, as well as online asynchronous courses. These modalities offer more accessibility to our diverse students that on-ground classes cannot match. We are able to serve students across the large state of New Mexico (and beyond). NOTE: For ALL students entering Fall 2026 and after, there will be two (2) on-campus residency experiences required in alignment with the 2024 CACREP Standards.
Some history: The NMHU Department of Counseling offered courses with students and instructors physically in the same classroom exclusively until 2002. Using student feedback from program evaluation, the Department began digital education in 2003 and in earnest in 2010.
Annual Reports & Outcomes Assessment Reports
NMHU’s counseling program is evaluated annually through several assessments with the aim of improving and maintaining the program. These evaluations reflect students’ ability to utilize comprehensive counseling knowledge, skills and theory in their practice.
Counseling Program Annual Reports
Outcomes Assessment Reports
Department Chair:
Anna Koch: amkoch@nmhu.edu
Office phone: 505-891-6941
Graduate students are assigned to a faculty adviser within their area of study. The faculty adviser will help the student complete a program of study to satisfy the specific course requirements within their area, outlined in the Graduate Catalog. The courses listed must satisfy the course requirements prescribed in the catalog of record. The academic adviser will provide guidance in completing your program of study.
The NMHU Counseling Program has three Certificate options for applicants who have already earned a Master of Arts in Counseling and wish to pursue additional licensure or certification.
Professional Counseling Certificate (LMHC) Requirements are 18 credit hours in addition to exam. The credit hours are included in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master’s Program track. Rehabilitation Counseling Certificate (CRC, PED K-12) requires 18 credit hours in addition to experience as well as supervision. School Counseling Certificate Program (PED K-12) requires 12 credit hours and PED exam. The in-depth requirements for the certifications and additional information can be found here.