Apply to the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Online
It's time to start your application!
You've done your research and you are ready to apply. This is an exciting next step and we want to make it as smooth as possible for you. We're here to answer all of your questions. Please email Admissions at info@williamjames.edu or sign up for an appointment with an Admissions Counselor at a time that is convenient for you. You can submit most documents, including your essay, letters of recommendation, and your CV, through our online application portal. Transcripts should be sent to the Admissions Office and need to arrive on or before the deadline.
Application Deadline for Fall 2023 (August Start)
Priority Deadline: Wednesday, December 7, 2022
General Deadline: Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Rolling Admissions: We are currently accepting applications on a space available basis.
Interviews
Schedule to be announced
All applicants who apply for the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling will be considered for a $10,000 scholarship.
Required Application Materials
- $60.00 Application Fee (non-refundable), $75.00 if applying to two programs paid through the online application before submission.
- Completed application form
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- Curriculum Vitae
- Application Essay
- Official transcript(s)
- Re-Application Statement*
- Change of Career Statement*
*if applicable
Admission Policies
Letters of Recommendation
Letter(s) of recommendation are required from people who are able to attest to your professional, academic, intellectual, motivational, interpersonal, and emotional qualities. References should not be provided by family members, friends, or others who don't know you in either a professional or academic context.
Both the recommendation form and letter must be submitted electronically through your online application account.

How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation
William James College uses letters of recommendation to get an outside perspective on your academic and/or professional experience. Letters of recommendation are an extension of your resume or application, providing insight into you as a student, employee, and person. It's a way for us to get to know you and understand how you may excel in one of our programs! Therefore, it is important to think about who would best be able to speak to your professional and academic readiness for this graduate-level program.
LEARN MORECurriculum Vitae
Please attach a current CV or résumé which includes the following: educational background, current activity, length and description of employment and/or training experiences, hours per week at each job or training site, names of supervisors at each facility, workshops and seminars attended, and any additional professionally-related material (e.g., presentations, publications, etc.). You may also include any extracurricular activities or interests that you deem relevant.
Application Essay
When composing your essay, please use a traditional font, one-inch margins and double line spacing on a letter-size document.
TIP: If you are applying to two programs, please note you are required to submit an essay for each program. Please check the admissions requirements webpage for both programs and review the essay prompts.
Please provide a 4-6 page narrative that thoroughly includes these items:
- Academic/professional background and career interests
- Strengths and abilities as they relate to the professional training that you seek at William James College and what you will offer to our community
- Tell us how seeking a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling aligns with your professional goals. What do you envision doing after you obtain this degree?
- How you navigate challenges and overcome obstacles
- Commitments to volunteerism and community service
- Circumstances in your life that reflect your perseverance, flexibility, resolve, and passion within diverse and multicultural contexts. Such dimensions may include age, socioeconomic status, disability, education, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, immigration status, language, nationality, race, sexual orientation, religious/spiritual orientation and veteran/military status.
5 Tips for Writing Your Graduate School Admission Essay
While your graduate school application provides the admissions team with information about your grades and experience, many programs at William James College also require an essay. The requirements may differ by program, but the goal is the same: to get to know you and your aspirations beyond the information on your resume and/or transcript.
LEARN MOREOfficial Transcript(s)
Please request an official academic transcript from each undergraduate and graduate institution that you have attended. Paper transcripts or e-transcripts should be sent directly to William James College from the issuing registrar's office. We recommend that you request these documents as soon as you decide to apply for admission and to allow at least ten business days for the issuing registrar to process your request. If you have completed a semester abroad and these corresponding courses do not appear on your home institution's transcript with a letter grade, then you must provide a separate transcript for this period of study.
Paper transcripts must be addressed to:
William James College
Office of Admissions
1 Wells Avenue
Newton, MA 02459
E-transcripts must be sent to admissions@williamjames.edu, and must arrive at William James College on or before the set deadline. Postmark on the deadline date is not acceptable.
All applicants who have attended a non-US institution of higher learning must provide an official translation and equivalency to US Higher Education of their academic record. William James College recommends that applicants contact World Education Services to request this service. For more information, please visit www.wes.org.
Re-Application Statement
A supplemental statement is required of all applicants who have previously applied for admission to a program. Your statement should reference the date of your prior application and the program to which you applied, as well as the circumstances that contributed to your decision to re-apply. You should also describe your personal and professional interim experiences that occurred following your past application.
Previous admission files are kept on hand for a period of two years. Reapplicants may utilize any, or all, of the original application. However, we strongly recommend that you take the time to strengthen your original application, update your statements and recommendations whenever possible.
Change of Career Statement
This statement applies to those applicants who have made a decision to change careers.
Please attach a statement regarding your decision to change careers. Describe the evolution of this career change and discuss the ways in which the experiences you have had and skills required by your previous career might relate to your graduate training at William James College.