January 28, 2025

Bennington, VT: In response to the growing need for skilled mental health professionals, Bennington College is excited to announce the launch of its new low-residency Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This innovative program, designed for working professionals and those seeking to make a meaningful difference in the mental health field, offers a unique combination of flexible learning and hands-on training and prepares graduates for licensure and careers or continued professional or doctoral study in a rapidly expanding sector.

“I am enthusiastic about this program,” said Greta Enriquez, Program Director of the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Bennington College. “Family connection, community engagement, and stability are central to mental health and wellbeing. Our low-residency model allows students to engage deeply with the material and prepare to contribute to a field that is in extraordinary need of qualified practitioners while also participating fully in their important relationships, communities, and current careers.”

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, more than 150 million people live in federally designated mental health professional shortage areas. Within a few years, the country will be short between 14,280 and 31,109 mental health professionals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of mental health counselors, including substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors, is projected to grow 19 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations.

“I am very proud that Bennington is offering this program at a time of such great need for mental health services across the country,” said Laura R. Walker, Bennington College President. “With Bennington’s personalized and holistic approach to education, this program meets the specific needs and interests of each student while providing them with the practical experience necessary to succeed in their chosen path.” 

True to Bennington’s individualized plans of study, the program is highly personalized. Study plans include a course description and learning objectives but allow students the freedom to indicate how they will direct, demonstrate, and document their learning. Specialized tracks provide students with the opportunity to tailor their studies to their professional interests, including Expressive Arts Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression. 

“If we are going to fill the gap between the counselors that are needed and those qualified to provide care, we need to rethink mental health education,” said Enriquez. “It needs to fit better within people’s lives and interests.” 

Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, but no undergraduate experience in psychology is required. The program is designed to take five terms to complete and meets the educational requirements for licensure in nearly all states and internationally. Students will complete 600 hours of practicum and internships and gain essential hands-on experience in real-world settings. Graduates are qualified to begin supervised postgraduate experience according to the requirements in their state and can work in a wide range of careers, including work in private practice, community organizations, telehealth, hospitals, and schools and colleges both domestically and abroad. In addition, they can continue toward specialized professional certifications—like becoming a registered sex therapist, a certified narrative therapist, a registered expressive arts therapist, or a registered expressive arts educator—or toward doctoral study.

The low-residency MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program combines twice-yearly on-campus residencies. The campus, widely noted as one of the most beautiful nationwide, provides students with the opportunity to study intensely with classmates, build community, and enjoy Bennington College’s invigorating surroundings. Synchronous and asynchronous learning away from campus provides students with the flexibility to pursue their education while balancing personal and professional commitments.

“Being in person twice a year for intensive trainings and workshops gets the work of the term going and provides students with good personal connections with classmates and a close college community,” said Enriquez.  

Bennington’s commitment to social change is reflected throughout the program with an emphasis on culturally competent care, advocacy for mental health systems reform, and preparation for work in diverse and underserved communities. 

“Many programs are designed to be inclusive; this program goes a step further,” said Enriquez. “It is infused with an understanding of all of the ways counseling has marginalized and oppressed LGBTQ people in the past and is designed to develop clinicians who are competent and capable of serving the community well.”

Scholarships and financial aid are available to ensure that the program costs are manageable for the best qualified applicants. The application is now open, and interested individuals can request information about the program and its offerings by visiting bennington.edu/counselingma. 

Online information sessions are booked for 7:00 pm Wednesday, February 5 and noon Thursday, February 20, 2025. The deadline for priority admission is March 1, while the deadline for regular admission is May 1. The inaugural residency will begin late summer. 

For additional information or to schedule a consultation with an admissions advisor, please contact macmhc@bennington.edu.

ABOUT BENNINGTON COLLEGE
Bennington College is a leading liberal arts college in southwestern Vermont that has distinguished itself as a vanguard institution within American higher education. It was the first to include the visual and performing arts in a liberal arts education. Bennington students work intensively with faculty to forge individual educational paths around their driving questions and interests. It is the only college that requires its students to complete an internship, known as Field Work Term, every year. Rooted in an abiding faith in the talent, imagination, and responsibility of the individual, Bennington invites students to pursue and shape their own intellectual inquiries and, in doing so, to discover the profound interconnection of things. Learn more at bennington.edu.