Counseling Programs offered at CUNY Brooklyn College
Counseling Programs at CUNY Brooklyn College provide detailed pathways for aspiring counselors to build professional expertise in multiple specializations. You can choose from accredited programs designed to prepare you for diverse roles like school counseling, mental health counseling and specialized certificate tracks. The Brooklyn college counseling program is competitive and receives more qualified applicants than available openings. This reflects its strong reputation in training counselors for ethnically and racially diverse populations. On top of that, mental health counseling certificate programs offer advanced credentials that bridge existing training with specialized skills. You become eligible for licensure examinations after completing degree requirements and 3,000 hours of supervised experience. This piece explores available programs, practical training opportunities, distinctive features and your next steps toward a counseling career.
What counseling programs does CUNY Brooklyn College offer?
Brooklyn College offers three distinct graduate counseling programs through its Department of School Psychology, Counseling, and Leadership and Psychology Department. Each program covers specific professional pathways in the counseling field.
The Mental Health Counseling M.A. program is a 60-credit degree that trains you to work in medical, community, and private practice settings. You complete the program on a full-time basis within 21 months as part of an entering cohort that functions as a peer support group. The curriculum requires a minimum of 48 credits from the Psychology Department. The program director approves the remaining credits. The program focuses on clinical work with adults and families. You gain in-depth exposure to psychodynamic, experiential/humanistic, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Students perform intake evaluations and psychotherapy at the college’s counseling center in addition to the internship. You must pass a complete examination after completing 48 credits.
The School Counseling M.S.Ed. program provides CACREP-accredited training in 60 credits. This program prepares you to work with ethnically and racially diverse populations in New York City public and private schools. You develop skills to promote socio-emotional, academic, and career growth for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade from a social justice-oriented approach. Instruction methods include lectures, discussions, application exercises, experiential methods, presentations, supervision, and fieldwork. Blackboard helps with instruction. Faculty members review your progress and recommend continuation or withdrawal after you complete approximately 12 credits. You must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00. Earning six credits below B- results in program dismissal. The degree provides graduates with New York State Initial Certification as school counselors.
Those seeking bilingual specialization within school counseling need 66 credits total. The bilingual specialization mandates that all internships occur in bilingual settings under supervision of a bilingual school counselor who possesses the bilingual extension. You must pass the language proficiency test administered by the NYS Education Department in a second language to receive NYS Bilingual Certification.
The Mental Health Counseling Advanced Certificate offers an 18-credit bridge program for students matriculated in School Psychologist or School Counseling Graduate Programs, or those holding comparable 60-credit graduate degrees from other institutions. This advanced certificate prepares you to work as mental health counselors within medical, community, and private practice settings beyond your school-based training. Students must complete a full-year 600-hour internship in an approved mental health counseling setting under supervision of a licensed provider.
Internships/Practicum at CUNY Brooklyn
Practical training experiences are the foundations of hands-on learning within Brooklyn College counseling program curricula. Mental Health Counseling students participate in a structured internship requiring a total of 600 hours, with at least 240 hours devoted to providing direct counseling services. This unpaid experience unfolds during your second year and spans both fall and spring semesters. The Brooklyn College MHC Director of Clinical Training must approve all placement sites before you begin and evaluates them based on breadth and depth of experience offered.
A licensed mental health professional with at least three years of appropriate professional experience provides on-site supervision. You receive a minimum of one hour per week of individual supervision from your site supervisor. You maintain weekly logs that document your hours, activities and clinical work details besides on-site mentorship. These logs go to your Brooklyn College internship supervisor monthly alongside a Supervisor Verification of Internship Hours Form. Your site supervisor completes formal evaluations at the end of each semester. You review and sign these along with your Brooklyn College internship course instructor.
Students complete internships at a variety of settings that include mental health agencies, clinics, hospitals and counseling centers. Specialized programs address domestic violence and substance abuse. The program maintains an approved site list yet encourages you to apply to additional locations that match your interests. SPCL 7591X requires 45 hours of coursework representing at least 300 hours of fieldwork with 120 direct service counseling hours in Mental Health Counseling courses. PSYC 7592G continues this training with 270 course hours that include another 300 fieldwork hours and 120 direct service hours. Both terms must occur at the same site, or you complete no fewer than seven consecutive months and 450 hours at a single location.
School Counseling students participate in SPCL 7807T, with 30 hours of lecture, 15 hours of supervision and 100 hours of fieldwork. This practicum requires 40 hours of direct counseling services and 60 hours of indirect or collateral services at an approved school. You co-lead groups and conduct individual counseling sessions within school settings. Group seminar supervision, case conferences and triadic supervision support your work.
Undergraduate psychology students access field training through PSYC 4800. This combines two hours of lecture with six hours of supervised fieldwork weekly. You observe and participate in psychological treatment techniques at hospitals, mental health clinics and community centers that provide mental health services. Applications require departmental approval and submission by specific deadlines.
Financial support exists through the Magner Career Center. It awards nearly 100 students with more than $100,000 in stipends annually to fund unpaid career experiences. Both undergraduate and graduate students qualify for these stipends and gain greater flexibility in choosing internship opportunities. Brooklyn College ranks among the 32% of colleges that offer such financial assistance.
What sets CUNY Brooklyn College apart?
Affordability is a main advantage at CUNY Brooklyn College. New York residents pay gross costs under $9,000 for tuition and books each year. Non-residents face gross academic costs of nearly $17,000. The picture changes a lot once financial aid applies scholarships and grants. The average net price for students drops below $5,000 and includes living expenses. This number plummets to $1,500 for the lowest income households. It only rises to $13,000 for families earning $110,000 or more. The median net price for a year of studies stands just over $7,000.
Quality indicators reinforce the Brooklyn college counseling program’s value proposition. The retention rate reaches 82% for first-time, full-time students. A 17 to 1 student-faculty ratio provides individual attention despite the large student population. Graduate outcomes show the program works. 54% of students receive diplomas within six years and an additional 23% transfer to other institutions.
Career prospects vary by specialization. Computer and information sciences graduates report entry-level median salaries of $57,000. Accounting students start at $41,000. College graduates achieve early career salaries of $52,500 and average salaries of $68,428. Mid-career salaries reach $99,800. The student loan default rate remains low at 4.5%, compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Recognition verifies program quality. Brooklyn College ranks #38 in Regional Universities North and #6 in Top Performers on Social Mobility. The mental health counseling certificate programs ranked #9 in the 2023 Most Well Attended Mental Health Counseling/Counselor Major in New York. The program awarded 31 degrees in 2020-2021. The School Counseling program maintains CACREP accreditation through March 31, 2027 and meets all specialized practice area standards satisfactorily. The Mental Health Counseling Program stands out by providing in-depth exposure to three principal counseling approaches rather than focusing on a single methodology.
Next steps
Brooklyn College’s counseling programs combine affordability, academic rigor and practical training to prepare you to succeed professionally. With CACREP-accredited curricula, complete internship experiences and exposure to a variety of therapeutic approaches, you receive the foundation needed to become eligible for licensure. The program’s strong retention rates and individual-specific attention position you to make contributions in schools or clinical settings. Focus on serving a variety of populations strengthens your preparation. Your experience toward becoming a skilled counselor begins with choosing the pathway that lines up with your professional goals.