Counseling Programs offered at College of Staten Island
The Department of Psychology at the College of Staten Island houses a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program designed for students seeking licensure as mental health counselors. This 60-credit program spans approximately 2.5 years and holds accreditation from the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) for the period of August 2016 through August 2026. New York State has registered the program as a licensure qualifying program that meets the educational criteria necessary for professional practice.
Mental health counseling represents a specialized field within professional counseling practice. Counselors in this field work with individuals, families and groups to address and treat emotional and mental disorders while promoting overall mental health. These professionals practice in hospitals, private and public outpatient facilities, schools, agencies, employee assistance programs, advocacy organizations, substance abuse treatment facilities, criminal justice systems and private practice.
The curriculum consists of 16 courses combined with one practicum and three internship courses, totaling 700 hours of fieldwork experience. First-year students participate in a weekly Pro-Seminar. Complete examinations occur after the second year of classes. This demanding structure blends academic coursework with clinical internship training and teaches students to apply mental health approaches to contemporary practice, assessment and treatment.
Faculty members who teach and supervise student progress focus on the challenges and difficulties inherent in the human condition. The curriculum reflects these concerns while achieving New York State requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor. Cultural and social problems receive continual attention as they emerge and change. Instruction emphasizes professional responsibilities that promote social justice. Students learn to work with children, adolescents, adults, families and groups using highly developed cognitive and affective skills.
Students satisfy the educational requirements for licensure after program completion. Graduates of this school then need 3,000 hours of supervised experience under a limited permit in an appropriate workplace setting before becoming eligible to sit for the state examination required for licensed mental health counselor status.
What counseling programs does offer?
College of Staten Island offers a focused counseling program through its Department of Psychology. The heading suggests multiple programs, but the institution concentrates its resources on a single offering: the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This specialized approach allows the college to maintain depth and quality in counselor preparation rather than spreading resources across multiple tracks.
The college of Staten Island masters in mental health counseling admits students only in fall, with applications due by March 10. This annual intake cycle enables cohort-based learning, where students progress through the curriculum together. Professor Frances Melendez serves as the program contact. You can find her in Building 4S, Room 106, and reach her at 718.982.3960 or via email at Frances.Melendez@csi.cuny.edu.
College of Staten Island’s counseling programs currently do not offer an online option for students seeking flexibility in their learning format. You must complete coursework through traditional in-person instruction, which supports the hands-on nature of clinical training and supervision requirements. This on-campus requirement ensures direct faculty interaction during both academic courses and clinical supervision sessions.
Recent program data reveals the composition and output of the college of Staten Island mental health counseling track. The program awarded 21 master’s degrees in mental health counseling to qualified graduates during the 2019-2020 academic year. Women represented a majority of degree recipients and made up 76.2% of that year’s graduating class. The program also showed diversity, with racial-ethnic minority students comprising 33.3% of master’s degree recipients in 2019-2020.
The program’s philosophy centers on preparing counseling professionals with a lifelong learning commitment that supports continual questions about new ways to help people. Faculty members believe this dedication to ongoing professional development distinguishes effective counselors throughout their careers. Students learn to view their education as the foundation for decades of growth rather than a terminal endpoint.
This singular program provides a clear pathway for those seeking to enter the mental health counseling profession. The concentrated focus means resources, faculty expertise and clinical partnerships line up with mental health counseling practice rather than diluting across multiple counseling specializations.
Internships/Practicum at CSI – CUNY
Fieldwork training begins with a practicum course that integrates theoretical concepts with actual counseling techniques. You work in a program-approved field placement for at least 100 hours. Forty of those hours are with direct contact with clients to develop your mental health counseling skills. An approved site supervisor administers one hour per week of individual or triadic supervision. You also participate in an average of 1.5 hours per week of group supervision led by a faculty member.
You advance through three internship courses after the practicum. These courses build upon your original clinical experience. Each internship placement occurs in a program-approved hospital, clinic, or community-based mental health fieldwork setting where you complete 200 clock hours. At least 80 hours are direct contact with actual clients. The three internship courses account for 600 clock hours of program fieldwork in conjunction with PSY 781 and PSY 783. This is what you need for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor in New York, and 240 hours consist of client-contact experiences[84].
The supervision structure provides multiple layers of support throughout your fieldwork experiences. Site supervisors offer weekly individual or triadic sessions focused on your direct clinical work with clients. Faculty-led group supervision sessions allow you to process experiences with peers facing similar challenges at the same time. This dual supervision model ensures you receive both site-specific guidance and broader theoretical integration from academic faculty.
You must get appropriate student liability insurance and sign field placement contracts before beginning any placement[84]. These administrative requirements protect both you and the placement sites during your clinical work. You gain familiarity with the ACA Code of Ethics and act in accordance with it at all times throughout your fieldwork[84]. Acceptance into the Master’s in Mental Health Counseling Program, completion of PSY 781, and permission from the Program Director serve as prerequisites for advancing to later internship courses.
The demanding combination of academic coursework and clinical internship training teaches you to apply mental health approaches to contemporary practice, assessment, and treatment. Your fieldwork placements expose you to diverse client populations and clinical settings. This prepares you for the varied environments where licensed mental health counselors practice throughout New York State.
What sets College of Staten Island apart?
Accreditation from the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council distinguishes the college of Staten Island mental health counseling program among graduate counseling offerings in New York. This credential, valid through August 2026, confirms that the program meets rigorous standards for counselor preparation. People often overlook that the CSI Counseling Center itself holds separate accreditation from the International Association of Counseling Services and became the first CUNY Counseling Center to receive this recognition. This dual accreditation structure demonstrates the institution’s commitment to excellence in academic preparation and student support services.
Program size and student outcomes provide another measure of distinction. The college of Staten Island masters in mental health counseling ranks #18 among the most prominent mental health counseling programs in New York. The program awarded 19 degrees in 2020-2021. This enrollment level indicates sustained student interest and maintains manageable cohort sizes for tailored attention during clinical training.
The Counseling Center serves a dual function that sets it apart from typical academic programs. It provides free, confidential counseling services to enrolled students and operates as a training site for students in the Master’s program in Mental Health Counseling. This arrangement gives you access to supervised clinical experience within your own institution. You won’t need to secure external placements for your hours. The Center reported approximately 6,000 student visits during the 2010-2011 academic year, a 66% increase over the previous three years.
Location also distinguishes the counseling programs at College of Staten Island. The program sits on Staten Island where community mental health services remain scarce and addresses a genuine need for qualified mental health professionals in the borough. Students gain exposure to underserved populations during their training. This prepares them for practice in communities where mental health resources are limited.
Next steps
The College of Staten Island provides you with a complete pathway to becoming a licensed mental health counselor through its MPCAC-accredited program. The 60-credit curriculum combines academic coursework with 700 hours of supervised fieldwork and prepares you to meet New York State licensure requirements. You gain practical experience while serving underserved communities in Staten Island. This establishes a foundation for your professional counseling career.