BUCKHANNON, West Virginia – The Higher Learning Commission has granted approval for West Virginia Wesleyan College to begin its newest graduate-level program, a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Applications are now being accepted for the two-year, 60-credit hour program with the first cohort to start in January 2024. Prior to the start of each academic term, students will connect with their peers and instructors during in-person residencies on WVWC’s campus. Students will then complete their coursework through online learning with weekly opportunities for synchronous instruction.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Lynn M. Linder said, “We are pleased to have received formal approval from HLC and are very much looking forward to welcoming our first counseling graduate students in January.”

This new program is a collaborative effort made possible through a $1.2 million investment by Aetna Better Health of West Virginia and Community Care of West Virginia, with graduates eligible to receive employment opportunities through CCWV. This direct investment into our communities of trained counselors in West Virginia will help address the shortage of mental health providers statewide.

Since the Spring 2023 announcement, WVWC has hired program director Dr. Jen Randall Reyes, ALPS, LPC, who has worked in the field of mental health counseling for 20 years, and assistant professor Dr. Ariel Williams, LPC.

Randall Reyes said, “Having the capacity to officially launch this program is truly a testament to the power of community. Through our partnership with Aetna and Community Care, alongside the dedicated Wesleyan staff; we are really excited to share that we are ready to review applications for our first cohort.”

Full and part-time cohort models are available, along with the opportunity to earn a 15-credit Addictions Certificate.

Priority admission deadline is Nov. 1 for the Spring 2024 cohort. For more information, visit www.wvwc.edu/cmhc.