Bellarmine University plans to offer graduate degree in psychology to address state’s mental health care needs
Kentucky Health News
Bellarmine University plans to offer its first graduate degree in psychology—a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology—beginning in the fall of 2025.
This would be the first such standalone program in Louisville and only the fifth in Kentucky, according to a news release.
The program aims to address a critical need in the state.
A 2023 report by Mental Health America estimated that although 21.9% of Kentucky adults were identified as having a mental illness, compared to 20.8 % nationally, more than half of them did not receive treatment. In addition, MHA found that more than three-fourths of young people experiencing depression do not receive behavioral health services.
“In Kentucky, there are 390 individuals for every one mental health provider,” Dr. Felicia Smith, assistant professor of psychology, who will oversee the new degree program, said in the release. “With a growing demand for mental health services, the need for well-prepared providers cannot be overstated.”
National and state data support the importance of training individuals in this field, Smith said.
According to the release, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that national employment for behavioral and mental health counselors will grow 18% from 2022 to 2032, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The demand for behavioral and mental health counselors in Kentucky will increase by over 20% in coming years, according to Kentucky Educational Television’s education data.
In addition, the release notes that a 2024 change in Kentucky’s licensing law means that individuals with a master’s in clinical psychology will be able to practice independently three years sooner than before. The Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology can now license individuals with a master’s degree following two years of professional supervised psychological services, rather than five.
“This new regulation will make the master’s degree in psychology a more attractive degree for those seeking to provide mental health services,” Smith said.
Bellarmine’s Master of Science in Clinical Psychology degree, which is pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, would be a two-year, 60-hour program with classes conducted in person. Graduates would meet the requirements for certification as a licensed psychological practitioner in the state of Kentucky, and the program corresponds to the American Psychological Association’s Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology Master’s programs. Click here to learn more and request more information about the program.