Last Updated: November 29, 2025

Study Master’s in Counseling in Tennessee

A master’s degree in counseling offers you many career options. On the one hand, you might complete a school counseling program and begin a career as a counselor in a public or private school setting. On the other hand, you might finish a program that prepares you to work as a clinical mental health counselor in a community mental health, residential treatment, or private practice setting.

Of course, the beauty of an online program is that you can complete your coursework remotely. Doing so gives you greater flexibility for finishing your studies and can often be less expensive than participating in an on-campus program. Yet, online programs still provide you with real-world internship opportunities to hone your skills before graduation. It’s the best of both worlds!

The programs described below are popular choices for Tennessee students like yourself. Some of these programs are based in Tennessee; however, we’ve included out-of-state online options as well.

Best Accredited Online Masters in Counseling in Tennessee

Online Master’s in Counseling in Tennessee

Listed below are some of the popular schools offering online master’s in counseling in Tennessee:

  • University of Tennessee-Martin
  • Walsh University
  • Liberty University
  • Walden University
  • Southern New Hampshire University
  • Northwestern University
  • Pepperdine University
  • National University
  • Purdue Global

University of Tennessee-Martin

Online Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Tennessee-Martin is designed specifically for working students. The online format gives you the flexibility you need to complete your courses with minimal impact on your ability to remain employed in your current position. And with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio, you’re sure to get the individual attention you need from professors to be successful.

This specialization prepares you for licensure in Tennessee as either a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or a Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health Services Provider (LPC/MHSP). Though the licensure criteria are specific to Tennessee, you can likely qualify for licensure in other states, too, should you decide to work in another area upon completing the program.

The curriculum for this Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited degree is divided into several components. First, you’ll complete two foundation courses: Research in Counseling and Multicultural Issues in Education and Counseling. The former offers insights into research methodologies common to counseling (e.g., historical, survey, and experimental) while also giving you a survey of statistical methods. The latter focuses on issues such as diversity, equity, and self-awareness, each of which is an important part of being able to provide competent services to a wide range of clients.

Next, you’ll complete a sequence of eight concentration courses that introduce you to essential areas of counseling. For example, you’ll take Professional, Ethical, and Legal Issues in Counseling to get familiar with the professional landscape you’ll be part of as a counselor. You’ll also take Theories and Techniques of Counseling, which is a fundamental course that gives you a detailed review of major counseling theories and techniques to be used with children, adolescents, and adults. Other concentration courses include the following:

  • Career Development in Counseling
  • Group Dynamics
  • Principles of Crisis Intervention
  • Mental Health and Psychopathology
  • Individual Appraisal

The final concentration course is a Counseling Practicum. The practicum is a supervised clinical experience that you’ll undertake at an approved clinical mental health counseling facility. You are required to complete at least 100 hours of training, 40 of which must involve direct client contact time. The focus of this practicum is on building your counseling skills, improving your active listening skills, and enhancing your ability to be a reflective professional.

Next comes the 24-credit sequence of clinical mental health counseling specialization courses. These classes explore essential topics in this field, including Psychopharmacology, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling, and Clinical Mental Health Counseling. You’ll also take the following classes:

  • Growth and Development Across the Lifespan (Birth to Adult)
  • Introduction to Counseling
  • Psychopathology: Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Mental Health Services Management, Consultation, and Supervision

In each of the classes above, you’ll have opportunities to learn from lectures, case studies, and role plays. You may also have opportunities to participate in mock case conceptualizations in which you address how you would approach working with a specific client and get feedback from your professors and classmates about your conceptualization of the case.

The final piece of this program is the internship. The internship occurs in two parts over the course of the program’s final year. You must complete at least 600 hours of supervised training during that time. Of the 600 hours, at least 240 must be in direct contact with clients in individual and/or group settings. Additionally, 30 hours of supervision are required.

You can apply online if this program seems like a good fit. The application requirements are as follows:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Submit three letters of recommendation from references who can speak to your potential as a counselor.
  • Provide complete answers to a four-question personal statement.
  • Provide a current resume.
  • Submit a signed Criminal Background Check acknowledgement form.

Walsh University

Online Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Development

Walsh University is based in Ohio, so geographically, it’s a close option for you as a Tennessee student. Of course, since its Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Development is offered online, you can complete your coursework from the comfort of your own home.

This isn’t just any graduate counseling degree, either. The specialty in School Counseling (which is CACREP-Accredited) prepares you for work in a K-12 environment where you can work with students of all ages with varying needs in many different settings. To do so, the program offers you a curriculum that focuses on the acquisition of core knowledge and the application of your learning in highly structured and supportive field experiences.

As is common with programs like this, 60 credits are required to graduate. Most students can complete these requirements in three years. Your first year will include coursework in core areas such as the following:

  • Introduction to Counseling and the Counseling Profession
  • Research Methods and Program Evaluation
  • Assessment in Counseling
  • Theories of Counseling
  • Lifespan Development

You’ll then expand your horizons by taking courses that focus on other specific applications of counseling. For example, Career Counseling examines modern and historical theories of vocational counseling for clients of all ages. You’ll look at the relationship between career and family as well as lifestyle and multicultural issues that may impact one’s work life.

As another example, you’ll take a course on Group Process, which equips you to provide counseling to small and large groups of clients. You’ll learn about theoretical perspectives of group counseling, how to assess group dynamics, and how to manage the group process, too.

You’ll supplement your studies in the areas discussed above by taking other specific courses that are applicable to the school environment. These classes include the following:

  • Social and Cultural Diversity in Counseling
  • Ethics and Issues in Counseling
  • Addictions
  • Foundations of School Counseling
  • Developmentally Informed Trauma, Crisis, and Grief Interventions

You’ll also take Counseling Children and Adolescents to help you develop improved child counseling skills. This class explores concepts like academic achievement, behavioral management, and substance abuse issues. You’ll learn how to incorporate play, as appropriate, in the counseling context, and will also become skilled in recognizing self-harm and suicidality issues in children and adolescents.

The Issues in School Counseling course is another required class that sheds light on critical issues in this field. You’ll explore concepts like achievement gaps, homelessness, and exceptional abilities in young children. You’ll also learn how to prevent children from dropping out of school, how to address at-risk behaviors, and how to design school-wide programs that promote academic success for all students.

This program requires you to take one elective class. You can choose from the following options:

  • Marriage and Family Counseling
  • Theory and Practice of Addictions Counseling
  • Assessment and Treatment Planning in Addictions
  • Evidence-Based Practice in Addiction Counseling
  • Trauma Assessment and Treatment

The final aspect of this program is experiential. On the one hand, you must complete a 100-hour practicum in counseling techniques in a supervised school counseling setting. Of the 100 hours you accumulate, at least 40 must be in direct contact with clients. You’ll also participate in regular supervision both individually and in group situations.

Then, you’ll complete a 600-hour school internship that is divided into two components. The internship may or may not be assigned to the same location as the practicum. Whatever the case, you must complete 240 or more clock hours working directly with students. These hours don’t have to be in a therapeutic situation; hours might be counted for academic or career counseling activities.

You must meet the following requirements to apply:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  • Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  • Submit two letters of recommendation.
  • Submit a notarized affidavit of good moral character.
  • Provide a current resume.
  • Provide a personal statement in which you discuss your reasoning for becoming a school counselor and your interest in this program.
  • Participate in a faculty interview.

Liberty University

Online Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Another out-of-state option you might consider is the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University.  The online nature of the program means you don’t have to be concerned about traveling to campus for class every day (though two on-campus intensive experiences are required).

This CACREP-accredited program requires 60 credits to graduate. As with the other programs in this guide, most students need three years of full-time studies to complete these requirements. The first courses you take are called Early Core Courses. As the name suggests, these classes are fundamental to your growth as a counselor. The courses cover topics such as Human Growth and Development, Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling, and Multicultural Counseling. Likewise, you’re required to take the following:

  • Orientation to Counselor Professional Identity and Function
  • Counseling Techniques and the Helping Relationship
  • Integration of Spirituality and Counseling
  • Theories of Counseling

Once you complete the early core portion of the curriculum, you’ll move on to more advanced topics. For example, you’ll take Psychopathology, which examines psychological disorders that occur throughout the lifespan. You’ll learn how to assess clients, diagnose them, and conceptualize their cases. Studies in the DSM-V classification system are a significant part of this class.

Another advanced class you can look forward to taking is Assessment Techniques in Counseling. You’ll focus on individual and group assessment approaches as well as multicultural assessment procedures. You’ll discuss standardized and non-standardized testing, norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests, and performance assessments of all types, too. Other advanced courses cover topics such as the following:

  • Theories of Family Systems
  • Career Development and Counseling
  • Research and Program Evaluation
  • Group Counseling

The remainder of your coursework focuses mostly on the clinical mental health specialization. For example, you’ll take Crisis Counseling to acquire the skills necessary to address clients’ mental health needs in the face of crises or other trauma-inducing events.

You’re required to take Substance Abuse Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention, too. Naturally, this class explores concepts like prevention, intervention, and treatment for substance use. A final course, Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, covers topics like mental status, risk assessment, and substance use.

The remaining requirements focus on demonstrating your learning and gaining real-world experience. You must pass two comprehensive exams, complete a practicum, and complete a two-part internship. The practicum requires you to accumulate at least 100 hours of counseling experience, 40 of which must be in direct contact with clients. You must document this time with audio and/or video recordings and present your experiences in written and oral form during the group supervision experience.

Meanwhile, the two-part internship requires you to complete at least 600 hours of counseling and related services, of which 240 must be in the context of direct client contact. Again, you must document your work with audio and/or video recordings and present case presentations in a group supervisory setting to get feedback on your development as a counselor.

Be sure you meet the following criteria before applying:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or higher.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended. Your transcripts must show that you’ve completed three or more credits of study in statistics.
  • Provide the contact information for two professional recommenders.
  • Complete and submit a statement of purpose in which you discuss why you want to become a counselor and explain the type of counseling certification you wish to seek upon graduation. You must also discuss multicultural experiences you’ve had and outline how you form effective interpersonal relationships with other people.
  • Complete a form in which you agree to the program’s mission and diversity statement.

Walden University

Online Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling-Addiction Counseling

Addiction is an unfortunate reality for many people, and Walden University’s Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling-Addiction Counseling is just the degree you need to help those who struggle with substance abuse. This CACREP-accredited program requires you to complete at least 100 quarter credits, which typically takes three years. Upon completing the program requirements, you’ll likely be eligible to apply for licensure as an LPC or a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC).

Like the programs described above, this one requires you to take some core courses to form a solid foundation of understanding of essential counseling principles. Among the early courses you’ll take include the following:

  • Professional Dispositions and New Student Orientation
  • Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • Techniques in Counseling
  • Theories of Counseling
  • Ethics and Legal Issues in Counseling

You’re also required to take Multicultural Counseling, which helps you improve your awareness and understanding of the differences that each client brings to the table. You’ll also work on improving your self-awareness and gaining a better idea of your own cultural identity. A significant portion of this course is dedicated to helping you identify your values, beliefs, biases, and prejudices, too.

Another important foundational course is Assessment in Counseling and Education. This class examines various types of tests and how to implement them in a counseling setting. You’ll learn how to read and interpret test results, analyze them, and use the data you collect to inform your approach to working with clients of all ages and needs.

The Diagnosis and Assessment class builds on what you learn in the course described above to give you an even better grasp of the importance of assessments in counseling. In this case, you’ll also learn about diagnostic criteria and how to use the DSM to assist you in identifying potential client disorders. This course has a strong multicultural component, too; you’ll learn how diagnosis isn’t a cut-and-dry process, especially when diversity and multicultural issues are taken into account.

Other skills-based classes you’re required to complete include the following:

  • Group Process and Dynamics
  • Research Methodology and Program Evaluation
  • Couples and Family Counseling
  • Career Counseling
  • Counseling Addictive Disorders

You’re required to take two specialization courses as well. The first is Theories, Treatment, and Case Management of Addiction. This class focuses on the processes of working with clients with addictions. You’ll explore topics such as models of treatment, relapse prevention, and recovery. You’ll also look at issues related to referrals, substance abuse policies, and regulatory issues in this field.

The second specialization course is Assessment in Counseling and Addiction. You’ll learn about numerous types of diagnostic tools and professional tests you can use to assist you in counseling clients with addictions. Likewise, this course explores sociocultural, legal, and ethical issues that commonly arise in addiction counseling.

In addition to coursework, you must complete two field experiences. The first field experience is a 100-hour practicum that takes place in a supervised addiction counseling setting, such as an inpatient addiction treatment center. During your time in the practicum, you’ll have opportunities to assess, diagnose, and treat clients under the direct supervision of an experienced addictions counselor. You’ll have opportunities to conduct individual and group therapy, and you’ll also participate in regular supervision to get feedback on your progress as a pre-professional counselor.

The program’s final component is the second field experience, which is a 600-hour internship. The internship is an intensive professional experience during which you work full-time in a supervised addiction counseling setting. You’ll provide therapy services to a range of clients and conduct other activities common to this job, such as case conceptualizations, assessments and diagnoses, maintaining case notes, and so forth. At least 240 hours of the time you accumulate during the internship must be in the context of direct service to clients.

The admissions criteria are as follows:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
  • Have a 2.5 cumulative undergraduate GPA or higher.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Provide the contact details of two referrers.

Southern New Hampshire University

Online Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

You can enroll in the 60-credit online Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Southern New Hampshire University to prepare yourself to meet the educational criteria required for licensure in many states. The program, accredited by CACREP through 2028, is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary for a rewarding career in clinical mental health counseling.

The program emphasizes developing a “counselor identity,” encouraging you to view the role of a counselor as integral to who you are, rather than just a profession. You’ll engage in self-reflection to understand your personality and integrate it into a counseling relationship. Through guided instruction, you’ll identify your strengths and areas for growth as a counselor.

The curriculum centers on four key themes: ethical reasoning, diversity appreciation, critical thinking, and the application of theory to clinical practice. You’ll learn to use counseling theories and strategies for client consultation, treatment, and intervention. The program also teaches you to select appropriate strategies for group counseling and work effectively with diverse clients in various settings.

Courses in the program include:

  • Human Development
  • Career Counseling
  • Theories of Counseling
  • Diversity in Counseling
  • Assessment and Evaluation in Counseling
  • Diagnosis of Emotional and Mental Disorders
  • Substance Use Disorders and Process Addictions
  • Prevention and Intervention of Crisis and Trauma

You’ll complete two five-day residencies as part of the program. These residencies, held in New Hampshire or other designated locations, provide opportunities to engage with peers and faculty in individual and group sessions. Under expert supervision, you’ll apply theoretical knowledge in a practical setting.

  • Residency I: COU-540 Helping Skills and Techniques focuses on foundational counseling skills and takes place during the first year.
  • Residency II: COU-690 Advanced Individual and Group Helping Skills and Techniques is completed before starting the practicum, allowing you to demonstrate your competencies in group counseling.

Each residency is part of a 10-week course with online components before and after the in-person sessions. Lodging and most meals are arranged by the university, with financial aid available to cover travel expenses.

The program also requires a 100-hour practicum and two 300-hour internships. These field experiences help you gain hands-on skills, and the university assists in meeting any additional requirements specific to your state.

To apply, you’ll need to submit:

  • A personal statement.
  • Two letters of recommendation.
  • A form acknowledging your understanding of program and state licensure requirements.

How Much Do Licensed Mental Health Counselors Make in Tennessee?

As of January 2025, the average annual salary for a licensed mental health counselor working in Tennessee is $71,238. More experienced and top earning licensed mental health counselors working in Tennessee make over $120,000 per year.

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