Master’s Degrees in Holistic Counseling

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For more than 30 years, Salve Regina University's graduate programs in holistic counseling have integrated a mind-body approach to mental health with exceptional counselor education and training. We offer a 60-credit master's degree in holistic clinical mental health counseling as well as a 48-credit master's degree in holistic counseling. Both programs provide students with the knowledge and skills needed for professional practice in a variety of health care and alternative therapy settings.

Nurture a Holistic Approach to Mental Health

A counseling degree with a holistic foundation provides students with a unique view on their clients' lived experiences. A broad set of counseling skills and theoretical frameworks prepares students to foster the emotional growth and well-being of their future clients by establishing relationships based on respect and empathy. Aligned with Salve Regina's mission, we seek to understand each student and client's developmental growth, honor their personhood and recognize the importance of social justice.

Courses for the holistic counseling programs are offered at our Newport, Rhode Island campus, with select courses offered online. In addition to the master’s degrees in holistic counseling, Salve Regina offers graduate certificates in clinical mental health and substance use disorder foundations. Through our popular accelerated program, qualified Salve Regina undergraduates can begin their master's degree during their senior (fourth) year.

Our Counseling Faculty

With a deep passion for holistic mental health, Salve Regina’s counseling faculty are seasoned professionals with real-world expertise. We encourage students to connect with their instructors one-on-one for thoughtful discussions about professional aspirations and the qualifications needed for a counseling career.

Discover the Difference at Salve Regina

Elevate Your Career

Our graduates have the education and experience necessary to make an immediate impact in a wide range of helping professions. Additionally, students who complete the 60-credit clinical program are eligible to sit for the mental health counseling licensure exam.

Pioneering and Affordable

Salve Regina’s holistic counseling program is the oldest in the United States and the most affordable in the Northeast. Led by highly accessible, dedicated faculty, we offer a transformative education that emphasizes a holistic, whole-person approach.

Active, Engaged Learning

Offered in the evenings at Salve Regina’s Newport campus, our holistic counseling courses follow an experiential structure. Less than 50% of courses are lecture-based, allowing students to deepen their knowledge and practice their skills in intimate classroom settings.

Holistic Counseling Curriculum

The 60-credit master’s degree in holistic clinical mental health counseling combines coursework in traditional counseling and evidence-based holistic practices. Graduates are eligible to sit for the mental health counseling licensure exam in Rhode Island.

The 48-credit master’s degree in holistic counseling offers coursework in developmental psychology, holistic practices and social justice. Upon completion of this degree, graduates who wish to sit for the mental health counseling licensure exam in Rhode Island may apply to our clinical mental health certificate program.

Holistic Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.A.)

To earn this degree, students complete courses in counselor education and holistic studies along with 750 supervised clinical training hours in the field. This includes a one-semester 150-hour practicum and two semesters of 300-hour internships.

Required courses:

HLC500: Research Methods or HLC512: Evaluation Research
HLC504: Holistic Foundations
HLC505: Interpersonal Helping Skills
HLC506: Professional Orientation and Ethics
HLC507: The Body/Mind Connection
HLC508: Human Growth and Development
HLC509: Theories of Counseling
HLC510: Cultural Awareness in Counseling
HLC513: Couple and Family Counseling
HLC515: Assessment and Treatment Planning
HLC516: Group Counseling and Group Work
HLC517: Career Counseling
HLC518: Appraisal
HLC528: Understanding Trauma in Counseling
HLC540: Integrating Meaning
HLC550: Advanced Helping Skills
HLC551: Practicum in Counseling
HLC590: Internship and Seminar I
HLC591: Internship and Seminar II

Students also take five elective credits in holistic counseling or holistic leadership. Electives strengthen students’ abilities to serve specific client populations by fostering growth, adding skill development and opening professional vistas.

Upon graduation, the Rhode Island Board of Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists requires a candidate to complete two years (2,000 hours) of relevant counseling experience in the workplace, with 100 hours of clinical supervision from a board-approved supervisor, prior to taking the licensure examination.

Professional licensure disclosure

Holistic Counseling (M.A.)

Required courses:

HLC500: Research Methods or HLC512: Evaluation Research
HLC504: Holistic Foundations
HLC505: Interpersonal Helping Skills
HLC506: Professional Orientation and Ethics
HLC507: The Body/Mind Connection
HLC508: Human Growth and Development
HLC509: Theories of Counseling
HLC510: Cultural Awareness in Counseling
HLC513: Couple and Family Counseling
HLC515: Assessment and Treatment Planning
HLC516: Group Counseling and Group Work
HLC517: Career Counseling
HLC550: Advanced Helping Skills
HLC551: Practicum in Counseling

Students also take six elective credits in holistic counseling or holistic leadership. Electives strengthen students’ abilities to serve specific client populations by fostering growth, adding skill development and opening professional vistas.

Upon graduation, students who wish to sit for the licensure examination in Rhode Island may apply to the 12-credit certificate program in clinical mental health: concentration in holistic counseling, which is designed to help students reach the 60-credit eligibility requirement.

Holistic Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.A. Degree)

Time to complete: 3 years
Program format: Evening classes
Application deadline: March 1, July 1 or Nov. 1

Holistic Counseling (M.A. Degree)

Time to complete: 2-3 years
Program format: Evening classes
Application deadline: March 1, July 1 or Nov. 1

Learn More About Salve Regina’s Holistic Counseling Programs

Through a holistic, social justice and developmental perspective, our master's-level programs in holistic counseling train students to work in various settings utilizing traditional counseling techniques and systems thinking with awareness of neuroscience and evidence-supported integrative practices. By considering a holistic approach to mental health, our graduates are better able to help their clients thrive.

Connect with Salve Regina about pursuing your master’s degree in holistic counseling.

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Program Spotlight: Cultural Awareness

The course Cultural Awareness in Counseling takes an innovative and experiential approach to examining culture in the lives of counselors and their clients. Students explore personal thinking styles, biases, identity models, cultural counseling competencies, ethics and issues of justice and mercy though a creative and challenging lens. Each semester, students and the professor leave this course as a better version of their previous selves.

One of the important things I learned in this course is that everyone has biased attitudes and beliefs. We have to actively work to deconstruct these on a daily basis to develop a holistic thinking style.

Amirah Nelson ’18 (M), counselor, Stanley Street Treatment and Resources