School counselor consulting with female student

Academic Program

Counseling Psychology

Prepare for a career as a scientist-practitioner and help individuals in academic, international and general settings develop skills for living in a complex society.

Our Counseling Psychology program trains students to be effective mental health counselors and psychologists with the clinical practice knowledge and skills necessary to help people from a range of backgrounds in schools and community settings. Students learn from and are mentored by professors with experience and research expertise.

About

The Counseling Psychology programs are competency based and prepare students to function in professional roles that include three key ecological targets of intervention settings: the community, the school and the family. Our faculty seeks to produce counselors who can conceptualize and intervene in scientifically based preventative, developmental and therapeutic ways to assist a broad cultural cross-section of individuals to improve their understanding, adjustment, and daily functioning across the lifespan.

The master’s degrees in Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling prepare students to provide direct services to individuals and groups, conduct workshops, instruct classes, participate in consultation, and develop and implement prevention programs to assist in acquiring coping skills for living in a complex society. A graduate may be employed in a variety of settings such as mental health agencies, social service agencies, college counseling centers, elementary, middle and secondary schools. Additionally, a Master of Education in Mental Health Counseling can be completed fully online. 

The master’s degree in International Counseling prepares students for the unique roles and activities of counselors in international schools and agencies. Students complete the program using a hybrid model that leads to a certificate and/or a Master’s degree.

The Ph.D. program, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), prepares students to become effective counseling psychologists who are competent in the clinical awareness, knowledge and skills necessary to deliver mental health services to multicultural client populations in various settings.

It is the program’s goal to produce students who can intervene effectively with individuals or groups from diverse backgrounds within the context of that individual’s culture. The professional training to which students are exposed adheres to a scientist-practitioner model and presumes competent practice that is undergirded by sound principles and models of psychological science, social justice and transdisciplinary collaboration.

Accreditation

Our programs have met the rigorous criteria and standards designed by the following governing boards to provide a top education for our students.

  • M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling accredited by the Master’s in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC). 

  • Ph.D. program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA)

    APA Accreditation
    Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
    750 First Street NE
    Washington, DC 20002-4242
    https://accreditation.apa.org/contact

    Telephone: (202) 336-5979
    TDD/TTY: (202) 336-6123
    Fax: (202) 336-5978
     

Community Outreach

Outside the Community Voices Clinic at Broughal Middle School

An innovative model for counseling research and practice, the Community Voices Clinic (CVC) is a school-based mental health clinic located at Broughal Middle and Donegan Elementary Schools. The clinic provides mental health services to uninsured and underinsured families and communities in Southside Bethlehem and serves as a training site for master's and doctoral level counseling students.

Students and faculty are active in local communities, doing research on maternal child attachment and emotional regulation and in interventions such as Midnight Basketball working with inner city adolescents and at the Lincoln Leadership Academy in Allentown working on career development. 

The Counseling Psychology program also runs a summer institute on international counseling and conducts training of counselors globally. 

Counseling Psychology Spotlight

Elyse Ganss

Ganss Studies Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage

Counseling Psychology Ph.D. student Elyse Ganss recently published “Policy recommendations to address the behavioral health workforce shortage” in Psychiatric Services. Ganss conducted the study, along with Counseling Psychology assistant professor Vanesa A. Mora Ringle, fellow Lehigh graduate students Temma Schaechter and Kofi Adutwum; Torrey A. Creed from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine; and Cherry Du and Natalie Dallard from the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, City of Philadelphia.

Zhuozhi Lin

Lin Studies Link Between Chronotype and Mortality in Older Adults

Zhuozhi Lin recently published research looking at the "biological clock" (chronotype) of middle-aged and older adults to see if being a "night owl" vs. an "early bird" correlates with lifespan. Published in the Journal of Sleep Research, Lin, along with colleagues Matthew J. Reid, Darlynn M. Rojo-Wissar and Adam P. Spira, followed 2,261 participants and recorded 650 deaths during the study. A statistically significant link between chronotype and mortality was found in two of the three age groups studied.

Shannon Patterson

Patterson Looks at Eating Disorders through CBT Lens

Traditional eating disorder treatments have a blind spot, and College of Education (COE) alumna Shannon Patterson is shining a light on it.

Alongside fellow clinical psychologists Jennifer Averyt and Lauren Muhlheim, Patterson has released The Weight-Inclusive CBT Workbook for Eating Disorders. The workbook isn't just a guide; it’s a new approach that prioritizes healing over thinness.

Faculty & Staff

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