The need for helping professionals in schools and rural communities continues to grow. To address this growing need, the University of Iowa will begin admitting students to a new degree: Counseling and Behavioral Health Services (CBHS).

The new non-licensure major is built with the student experience in mind, providing undergraduates with a strong foundation in assessment, mental health advocacy, and helping skills. “There is a critical need for an expanded behavioral health workforce in Iowa and across the nation,” says Martin Kivlighan, professor of Counseling Psychology and departmental executive officer (DEO) of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, the department under which the CBHS degree is housed. The CBHS program was also created to meet considerable student demand for this type of degree. “There are few undergraduate programs in counseling throughout the country,” says Kivlighan. “We are excited about this new opportunity for students to take applied psychology and counseling courses and participate in experiential learning opportunities.”

The CBHS program will also prepare students for their graduate studies, which can lead to a career as a licensed mental health professional. CBHS students will obtain a strong foundation to continue their education with a terminal, licensed-oriented counseling/mental health-related graduate degree in a variety of fields, including school counseling, rehabilitation and mental health counseling, counseling psychology, school psychology, and more.