Lee University’s Graduate Counseling Program, now beginning its 12th year of operation, is undergoing a renovation. Under the leadership of program director, Dr. Trevor Milliron, the graduate program is being reinvented to better fit the needs of graduate students and the worldwide community.
Two degrees are currently offered: the Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling and the Master of Science in School Counseling. The program is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and currently has over 200 graduates serving all over the world.
Over the past 11 years of the program, Lee faculty and students have come to realize the brokenness of the mental health system. The graduate students entered the field hoping to help improve the lives of others, but were frustrated to find that many people in need do not have the resources to obtain help.
Students and faculty are rapidly changing their views of counseling to adapt to the needs of the community. Counseling, once seen as a typical career path to a clinical setting, is now transforming into a lifelong dedication to service and ministry.
In the past, Lee’s Graduate Counseling Program has focused on offering similar courses and tracks as other programs, but now Lee hopes to be the frontrunner for counseling graduate studies.
“We’re literally taking the lead,” says Dr. Milliron. “There is no other counseling program in the United States that is doing what we’re doing. We are offering the same caliber of training as other top schools in the region, but we are also adding further training in how to reach underserved populations.”
Dr. Milliron is referring to one of the elements of the program that faculty and students are most excited about: an optional third internship during students’ last semester in the program. After completing two required local internships, students then have the option of participating in a third internship that can be completed anywhere in the world.
“The idea is to purposefully train students to work in non-profit settings and to do more community-based interventions. There is no other masters program that’s doing this. And we’re excited about it,” says Dr. Milliron. “It has the potential to side-step what’s broken with the system.”
Throughout students’ experiences in the program, the faculty customizes coursework and internships to fit each student’s specific goals. The program also establishes a network of contacts and organizations for students. Each student completes the program with a specialized curriculum tailored to fit specific interests and goals.
The counseling program also currently runs the Lee University Play Therapy Center for local children suffering from behavioral problems and abuse. With faculty supervisors, Lee graduate students work in the center to provide counseling and other help to the children. After several years of the center’s success, Lee received a federal grant to allow the same methods of counseling in local schools, providing more opportunities to expand the counseling program.
The Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling degree trains students to diagnose and treat mental illness and requires 60 course hours. The students are instructed on how to work in clinical situations, but the program also provides education on how to offer services outside the traditional realm of mental health clinics.
The Master of Science in School Counseling focuses on reaching the needs of students beyond the traditional “guidance counselor” model; Lee’s program is modeled on the new national American School Counselors Association (ASCA) model.
Dr. Milliron said, “In the ASCA model, the school counselors are trained in both guidance and advanced counseling techniques. With all of the struggles that children go through in today’s society, having counselors with this type of cross-training will be of immeasurable value to these kids. The school counseling degree requires 48 course hours.
“If there is any place that can provide the training and understanding on how to offer authentic Christian help in a broken world, it’s Lee. This fall we have had our strongest graduate student enrollment ever – students are very excited about this new program.”
For more information on Lee University’s Graduate Counseling program, contact the Office of Graduate Enrollment at (423) 614-8059 or 1-800-Lee-9930.