Northern California has graduate counseling programs from Arcata and Redding through Sacramento, Stockton, the Bay Area, Peninsula, and South Bay. The regional options include public universities, private colleges, specialized graduate institutions, hybrid degrees, low-residency study, and licensure-oriented online formats. Readers exploring other parts of the state can begin with the broader directory of California counseling schools.
This guide uses the California Department of Education’s Diagnostic Center Northern California service area as a reproducible boundary. That 35-county service area extends from Del Norte and Siskiyou counties through the Sacramento region and Bay Area, then south to Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey counties. Some geographic definitions place those southern counties in the Central Coast, but they fall within the official boundary adopted for this article.
The inventory covers 23 verified schools or program groups that prepare professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, or school counselors. Several entries contain multiple concentrations, credentials, or instructional locations rather than a single degree path. The guide excludes school psychology-only programs, academic psychology degrees, social work programs, teacher credentials, and undergraduate or community-college addiction counseling certificates.
Comparing Northern California counseling programs
The table provides a regional overview. Accreditation entries refer only to specialized programmatic accreditation verified in the research. A blank entry does not mean that a university lacks institutional accreditation or that its degree is unsuitable for California practice. Institutional accreditation, specialized accreditation, state educational alignment, professional registration, and licensure are separate categories.
| School | Program or program group | Northern California location | Principal pathway | Format | Verified specialized accreditation | Official program |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly Humboldt | MA in Counseling Psychology | Arcata | LMFT preparation | Primarily campus-based | None verified | Program |
| Simpson University | MA in Counseling Psychology | Redding | LMFT and LPCC preparation | Redding-based | None verified | Program |
| California State University, Chico | MS in Marriage and Family Therapy | Chico | LMFT preparation | Campus-based, full time | None verified | Program |
| California State University, Sacramento | MS in Counseling, four concentrations | Sacramento | Career, MFT/LPCC, rehabilitation, and PPS School Counseling | Face-to-face cohort | Four specialties listed as CACREP accredited through March 31, 2029 | Program |
| Jessup University | MA in Counseling Psychology | Rocklin | LMFT and LPCC preparation | Rocklin or synchronous remote study for California residents | None verified | Program |
| Alliant International University | MA in Marital and Family Therapy | Sacramento | LMFT preparation | Sacramento campus or online | Alliant states that the MA is COAMFTE accredited | Program |
| University of the Pacific | MA in Education, Counseling Psychology | Stockton | LMFT or LPCC preparation | Cohort-based Stockton study | None verified | Program |
| Sonoma State University | MA in Counseling | Rohnert Park | MFT/LPCC or PPS School Counseling | Primarily in person | CMHC specialization is MPCAC accredited through September 2030 | Program |
| Dominican University of California | MS in Counseling Psychology, MFT/PCC | San Rafael | Combined MFT and LPCC preparation | In person, full time or part time | None verified | Program |
| San Francisco State University | MS counseling programs | San Francisco | Career, college, clinical mental health, MFT, LPCC, and PPS pathways | Campus-based | Multiple specialties are CACREP accredited | Program |
| California Institute of Integral Studies | MA in Counseling Psychology program group | San Francisco | LMFT, with an LPCC pathway in Community Mental Health | San Francisco programs with specialization-specific hybrid elements | None verified | Program group |
| University of San Francisco | MA in Counseling Psychology, MFT concentration | Multiple regional sites | LMFT with optional PCC preparation | Site-specific two-year or three-year formats | None verified | Program |
| The Wright Institute | MA in Counseling Psychology | Berkeley | MFT and LPCC preparation | In person with varied scheduling | None verified | Program |
| California State University, East Bay | MS in Counseling Psychology | Hayward | MFT/LPCC or PPS School Counseling | Full-time campus study | None verified | Program group |
| Saint Mary’s College of California | MA in Counseling program group | Moraga | MFT/PCC, general counseling, PPS School Counseling, or dual preparation | Primarily in person | None verified | Program group |
| Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences | MS in Counseling, MFT concentration | Richmond and San Mateo | LMFT preparation | Hybrid | None verified | Program |
| Samuel Merritt University | MS in Marriage and Family Therapy | Northern California | LMFT preparation | Hybrid cohort | None independently verified | Program |
| Notre Dame de Namur University | MS in Clinical Psychology | Belmont | MFT or combined MFT/LPCC preparation | Online or in person | None verified | Program |
| San Jose State University | MA in Counseling and Guidance | San Jose | PPS School Counseling, PCC coursework, career, college, adult, and community counseling | Full time or part time | None verified | Program |
| Western Seminary | MA in Counseling | San Jose | MFT and LPCC preparation | Evening and weekend study with limited online credits | None verified | Program |
| Santa Clara University | MA in Counseling Psychology | Santa Clara | MFT, LPCC, combined, or nonlicensure study | Campus-based | None verified | Program |
| Palo Alto University | MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Palo Alto/Mountain View and online | LPCC, with optional MFT preparation | Online or hybrid | CACREP accredited through October 31, 2033 | Program |
| Sofia University | MA in Counseling Psychology | Palo Alto-based institution | LMFT, LPCC, or dual preparation | Online and low residency | Sofia states that the program is not COAMFTE accredited | Program |
Choosing the right counseling pathway
Degree titles do not reliably indicate the same professional outcome. An MA in Counseling Psychology may be designed primarily for marriage and family therapy at one university, professional clinical counseling at another, or both pathways. An MS in Counseling may instead emphasize school counseling, rehabilitation counseling, career counseling, or clinical mental health.
Start with the professional objective attached to the curriculum:
- LMFT preparation: Select a graduate curriculum designed around California’s marriage and family therapy educational requirements. After completing a qualifying degree, graduates generally pursue Associate Marriage and Family Therapist registration and supervised post-degree experience. AMFT registration is not independent LMFT licensure.
- LPCC preparation: Look for coursework and clinical preparation aligned with California professional clinical counseling requirements. Graduates normally begin the post-degree process through Associate Professional Clinical Counselor registration. APCC registration is not an LPCC license.
- Combined LMFT and LPCC preparation: Several regional programs incorporate both educational paths. This can limit the amount of additional coursework needed when a graduate intends to pursue both professional routes.
- PPS School Counseling preparation: California public-school counselors need a Pupil Personnel Services credential in School Counseling. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing requires a Commission-approved preparation program, post-baccalaureate study, supervised experience with school-age children, and an institutional recommendation.
- Career, college, or rehabilitation counseling: Sacramento State, San Francisco State, and San Jose State offer options that are more directly connected to colleges, career services, rehabilitation programs, and community agencies than a conventional MFT curriculum.
Readers focused on relationship and family therapy can compare the statewide guide to California MFT programs. The guide to school counseling programs in California covers the PPS route in greater depth.
North State counseling programs
The far-northern region has fewer graduate counseling schools than the Bay Area, but Arcata, Redding, and Chico each have a direct professional program. These locations provide alternatives for residents of Humboldt, Shasta, Butte, and nearby rural counties.
Cal Poly Humboldt: MA in Counseling Psychology
Cal Poly Humboldt offers a 60-unit MA in Counseling Psychology in Arcata. It is primarily campus-based, although some courses may be online. The university explicitly describes it as something other than a fully online degree.
Coursework addresses clinical theory, ethics, research, assessment, and counseling with individuals, couples, families, children, and groups. The curriculum is designed to meet California MFT educational requirements. Supervised practica include at least 150 hours of direct counseling, along with advocacy and support experience, and students complete personal psychotherapy.
This is a direct professional degree rather than an academic psychology master’s. Its North Coast location provides a regional route into MFT preparation without requiring regular travel to Sacramento or the Bay Area.
Simpson University: MA in Counseling Psychology
Simpson University offers an MA in Counseling Psychology in Redding. Its curriculum is designed around California LMFT and LPCC educational requirements, making it a dual-path option in the upper Sacramento Valley.
The reviewed official materials establish the Redding location and licensure-oriented curriculum but do not specify enough current delivery detail to classify the degree as fully campus-based, hybrid, or online. No specialized CACREP or COAMFTE accreditation was verified.
Simpson provides broader professional preparation than an MFT-only degree because its curriculum addresses both marriage and family therapy and professional clinical counseling.
California State University, Chico: MS in Marriage and Family Therapy
Chico State’s 60-unit MS in Marriage and Family Therapy follows a full-time, three-year campus sequence. The program emphasizes clinical service to rural and multiethnic Northern California communities.
Coursework includes family systems, assessment, diagnosis, multicultural practice, addiction counseling, couples therapy, and related clinical subjects. Training begins in on-campus practica and progresses to an off-campus community traineeship. Students complete at least 225 face-to-face clinical hours.
The program meets California MFT educational requirements. Its three-year structure is longer than the region’s accelerated options, but it incorporates a staged progression from campus practice to community clinical work.
Sacramento, Rocklin, and Stockton programs
The Sacramento and northern Central Valley area includes public, private, secular, and faith-integrated programs. It is also one of the few subregions with explicit career and rehabilitation counseling options. A closer local comparison is available in the guide to counseling programs in Sacramento.
California State University, Sacramento: MS in Counseling
Sacramento State offers a face-to-face, cohort-based MS in Counseling with concentrations in Career Counseling, Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, and School Counseling.
The marriage, couple and family concentration supports LMFT and LPCC educational eligibility. Rehabilitation counseling supports LPCC preparation while adding disability and rehabilitation content. The school counseling concentration addresses PPS preparation, while career counseling focuses on occupational and educational decision-making.
The curriculum includes a 100-hour practicum and 600 hours of internship or fieldwork, with concentration-specific requirements. All four specialties were listed in the CACREP directory as accredited through March 31, 2029 when researched.
Jessup University: MA in Counseling Psychology
Jessup University offers a 63-unit MA in Counseling Psychology through its Rocklin campus and live synchronous remote instruction for California residents. The published completion time is approximately 26 months.
The degree integrates Christian perspectives with counseling psychology and is designed to meet qualifying-degree requirements for California LMFT and LPCC pathways. It includes 280 direct client-contact hours during practicum and 20 hours of personal psychotherapy.
Remote students attend scheduled classes in real time rather than completing a wholly asynchronous curriculum. This format provides geographic flexibility while retaining regular live instruction.
Alliant International University, Sacramento: MA in Marital and Family Therapy
Alliant offers a 60-credit MA in Marital and Family Therapy at its Sacramento campus and through an online option. The curriculum includes family systems, couples therapy, parent-child relationships, group therapy, trauma, and crisis intervention.
The university describes 300 direct client-contact hours, 100 supervision hours, and at least 100 professional-development hours. Alliant states that the MA is COAMFTE accredited. That statement is reported as the university’s accreditation claim because an independent COAMFTE directory finding was not supplied for this review.
University of the Pacific: MA in Education, Counseling Psychology
University of the Pacific offers cohort-based counseling psychology pathways at its Stockton campus. Official materials use both “MA in Education, Counseling Psychology” and “MA in Counseling Psychology.” The available emphases are Marriage and Family Therapy and Professional Clinical Counseling.
The MFT emphasis is designed for California LMFT preparation, while the PCC emphasis addresses the LPCC educational route. Published tuition materials listed $1,244 per unit for fall 2026 and spring 2027. Total tuition varies by emphasis and required units.
Pacific gives San Joaquin County residents a Stockton-based alternative to commuting to Sacramento or the inner Bay Area for MFT or LPCC education.
North Bay and San Francisco programs
San Francisco and the North Bay contain public and private programs in clinical mental health counseling, college counseling, school counseling, somatic psychology, expressive arts therapy, drama therapy, MFT, and professional clinical counseling.
Sonoma State University: MA in Counseling
Sonoma State offers a 60-unit MA in Counseling at its Rohnert Park campus. Students select Clinical Mental Health Counseling or School Counseling.
The clinical mental health specialization supports California MFT and LPCC preparation. Sonoma State reports that it is accredited by the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council through September 2030, and the MPCAC accredited-program directory independently lists the same program and period. That accreditation applies to the clinical mental health specialization, not the school counseling specialization.
The school counseling path incorporates PPS preparation. Instruction is primarily in person, although limited individual courses may be online. Sonoma State therefore provides a public North Bay choice between therapist licensure preparation and school counseling credential preparation.
Dominican University of California: MS in Counseling Psychology, MFT/PCC
Dominican offers an in-person, 60-unit MS in Counseling Psychology in San Rafael. The curriculum integrates MFT and PCC preparation rather than requiring students to choose only one professional route.
Full-time and part-time schedules are available, with late-afternoon, evening, and weekend classes. The published completion time is approximately 30 to 36 months, and supervised fieldwork takes place through community agencies.
The program page listed tuition at $1,321 per unit when researched. Dominican’s schedule provides an in-person option for working adults who cannot attend a daytime-only sequence.
San Francisco State University: MS Counseling Programs
San Francisco State operates several counseling degree paths rather than one undifferentiated MS. The department’s offerings cover career counseling, college counseling, school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and marriage, family and child counseling.
Students complete at least 60 units and two academic years of supervised field placements. The general MS in Counseling curriculum meets most educational requirements for California LPCC eligibility, while individual degrees and specializations support different outcomes. The school counseling path prepares graduates for institutional recommendation for the PPS credential.
Multiple specialties have CACREP accreditation. SF State is especially relevant to applicants targeting college or career counseling because those areas appear as explicit fields of study rather than minor topics within a clinical therapy degree.
California Institute of Integral Studies: MA in Counseling Psychology Programs
CIIS offers five San Francisco-based MA in Counseling Psychology specializations:
- Community Mental Health
- Integral Counseling Psychology
- Somatic Psychology
- Drama Therapy
- Expressive Arts Therapy
The university states that coursework in all five fulfills California LMFT educational requirements. Community Mental Health offers a 60-unit MFT path and a 67-unit LPCC path. Hybrid elements differ by specialization, and the department maintains a field-placement office for clinical training.
CIIS provides the region’s broadest selection of named therapeutic modalities. Applicants can choose among somatic, expressive arts, drama therapy, integral, and community mental health orientations while remaining within a professional counseling psychology framework.
University of San Francisco: MA in Counseling Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy
USF offers its Counseling Psychology MFT concentration at several Northern California instructional locations, including Sacramento, Santa Rosa, the South Bay, and the East Bay. Availability and scheduling differ by site. The San Francisco site was not accepting applications for the fall 2026 cohort when researched, while other locations remained available.
The 60-credit curriculum emphasizes marriage and family therapy, community mental health, cultural responsiveness, and relationship-focused practice. Students may add coursework for PCC preparation and complete community-based or school-based fieldwork during the final year.
USF describes both an intensive two-year San Francisco structure and a less condensed three-year format. The instructional site therefore affects cohort access, schedule, and pace, not only commute distance.
East Bay counseling programs
The East Bay inventory includes programs in Berkeley, Hayward, Moraga, and Richmond. Available routes include MFT, LPCC, PPS School Counseling, and combined school and clinical preparation.
The Wright Institute: MA in Counseling Psychology
The Wright Institute offers a two-year MA in Counseling Psychology in Berkeley. Current institutional materials describe day, evening, and weekend scheduling.
The curriculum focuses on clinical work with individuals, families, and groups. Supervised training in community mental health agencies begins during the second year. The degree provides educational and clinical preparation for California MFT and LPCC pathways.
Its two-year structure is more condensed than the region’s three-year programs, and community mental health training is integrated into the graduate sequence.
California State University, East Bay: MS in Counseling Psychology
Cal State East Bay offers full-time concentrations in Marriage and Family Therapy and School Counseling at its Hayward campus.
The MFT concentration takes approximately two years and is designed for California MFT and LPCC preparation. Field placement begins in the second year. The School Counseling concentration can be completed in two years with summer study and prepares candidates for PPS School Counseling credential eligibility. School counseling students may add MFT fieldwork preparation.
The degree group provides a defined choice between therapy and school counseling while allowing some cross-path preparation. The university’s separate school psychology program is outside this inventory.
Saint Mary’s College of California: MA in Counseling
Saint Mary’s offers MFT/PCC, general counseling, and school counseling tracks at its Moraga campus. A dual School Counseling and MFT/PCC specialization is also available.
Classes meet primarily in the afternoon and evening, with some Saturday attendance. The school counseling curriculum follows California CTC requirements, and completers may qualify for institutional recommendation for the PPS School Counseling credential.
The dual specialization combines school-based preparation with a therapy-oriented curriculum. It involves a broader educational plan than a PPS-only route but supports a wider range of professional objectives.
Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences: MS in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy
Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences offers a two-year hybrid MS in Counseling with an MFT concentration. Program materials identify Richmond and San Mateo as locations.
The curriculum combines counseling instruction with observational and supervised clinical preparation in healthcare and mental health settings. It is designed to meet California LMFT educational requirements.
KPSAHS reports institutional accreditation and state regulatory approval. Those designations are not equivalent to COAMFTE accreditation, and no COAMFTE accreditation was verified for this program.
Samuel Merritt University: MS in Marriage and Family Therapy
Samuel Merritt offers a hybrid, cohort-based MS in Marriage and Family Therapy. The 60-unit program runs for five trimesters, approximately 20 months, and uses annual fall entry.
Students complete 300 clinical hours, including 150 relational hours. The curriculum is designed to meet California LMFT educational requirements and emphasizes integrated healthcare and community practice.
Samuel Merritt discusses outcomes in relation to COAMFTE standards, but the supplied evidence does not establish current COAMFTE accreditation. Its documented advantages are the accelerated sequence, hybrid delivery, clinical-hour structure, and healthcare orientation.
Peninsula and South Bay counseling programs
The Peninsula and South Bay offer the region’s widest range of delivery formats. Options include conventional campus study, online degrees, hybrid instruction, evening and weekend schedules, and low-residency programs.
Notre Dame de Namur University: MS in Clinical Psychology, MFT or MFT/LPCC
Notre Dame de Namur University offers an MS in Clinical Psychology online or in person at its Belmont campus, with full-time and part-time enrollment.
The 60-unit MFT concentration supports California marriage and family therapy preparation. The 67-unit combined concentration incorporates MFT and LPCC education. Both licensure-oriented paths include practicum and field experience.
Admissions materials identify introductory and abnormal psychology as prerequisites. A 3.0 GPA is preferred, although some applicants below that threshold may receive consideration. NDNU is one of the few regional institutions offering the same clinical psychology degree field online and at a Northern California campus.
San Jose State University: MA in Counseling and Guidance
San Jose State offers an MA in Counseling and Guidance with full-time and part-time schedules and fall or spring entry.
Options include a 48-unit MA, K-12 PPS School Counseling preparation, adult counseling, and PCC pre-licensure coursework. The curriculum encompasses adult, career, college, school, and community counseling rather than functioning as an MFT program.
The combined MA and school counseling route requires at least 60 units and can be completed in five semesters of full-time study. It includes practicum and 800 hours of supervised fieldwork. SJSU has a closer curricular connection to school, college, career, and adult counseling than programs centered on relationship therapy.
Western Seminary: MA in Counseling
Western Seminary offers a 71-credit MA in Counseling at its San Jose site. Classes use evening and weekend scheduling, with up to 10 credits available online.
The marriage, couple, and family counseling specialization integrates professional counseling with biblical and theological study. Requirements include practicum, internships, personal counseling, and at least 280 face-to-face counseling hours.
The California curriculum supports the educational route toward AMFT and APCC registration. Its Christian and theological content is a central part of the degree, making it materially different from secular MFT and LPCC programs in the same region.
Santa Clara University: MA in Counseling Psychology
Santa Clara University offers a campus-based, 90-quarter-unit MA in Counseling Psychology. Students select MFT, LPCC, combined MFT/LPCC, or nonlicensure study.
Optional concentrations include community mental health, health psychology, child and adolescent mental health, Latine counseling, and LGBTQ+ counseling. Licensure tracks require three consecutive quarters of counseling practicum.
The nonlicensure option serves a different objective from the professional tracks and does not provide the same route toward MFT or LPCC practice. Applicants seeking both professional pathways can select the combined curriculum rather than adding one path after graduation.
Palo Alto University: MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Palo Alto University offers an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through online and hybrid formats. CACREP records identify Palo Alto/Mountain View and online delivery.
The program requires at least 700 fieldwork hours, including 280 face-to-face client hours over at least three quarters. The California curriculum supports LPCC preparation, while an optional marriage, family, and child counseling emphasis can add MFT or combined MFT/LPCC preparation.
CACREP accreditation extends through October 31, 2033. This combination of flexible delivery, LPCC-focused clinical mental health training, published fieldwork expectations, and current CACREP status distinguishes it from low-residency counseling psychology programs.
Sofia University: MA in Counseling Psychology
Sofia University offers a three-year online and low-residency MA in Counseling Psychology. Students select California LMFT, LPCC, or dual-track preparation.
The curriculum incorporates family systems, clinical counseling, and transpersonal approaches. Requirements include at least four quarters of practicum, an approved local traineeship, track-specific clinical hours, and 40 hours of personal psychotherapy.
Mandatory intensives have in-person and virtual components. The current catalog does not specify whether the annual in-person intensive is held in Palo Alto or at Sofia’s Southern California campus. The degree is therefore best described as a low-residency program from a university with a Palo Alto campus, not as a program delivered entirely in Northern California. Sofia states that the degree is not COAMFTE accredited.
Format and fieldwork logistics
Classroom format is only one part of a counseling degree. Online and hybrid programs still require supervised practicum or fieldwork, so students need access to an approved clinical, school, or community placement.
Campus-centered programs such as Chico State, Cal State East Bay, Dominican, Santa Clara, and Cal Poly Humboldt require regular travel to their respective locations. Evening and weekend classes at Dominican, Saint Mary’s, the Wright Institute, and Western Seminary may reduce conflicts with daytime employment, but agency and school placements can still occur during conventional work hours.
Jessup’s synchronous remote option preserves scheduled live instruction for California residents. Palo Alto University offers online and hybrid formats, while NDNU provides online and Belmont-based routes. KPSAHS and Samuel Merritt use hybrid structures. Sofia combines online coursework, mandatory intensives, and local clinical training.
Published practical requirements use different measurement categories. Chico State reports face-to-face clinical hours, Jessup reports direct client contact, Samuel Merritt separately identifies relational hours, and Palo Alto University reports both total fieldwork and face-to-face client hours. Sacramento State and San Jose State publish larger totals that include internship or school-based fieldwork. These figures should be compared by category rather than treated as equivalent measures of clinical intensity.
Location also affects placement logistics. A program with remote lectures can reduce weekly campus travel, but it does not remove the need to reach a local clinical site. A campus-based program may provide a more concentrated regional network, yet students still need to account for separate travel to agencies or schools.
Accreditation and California eligibility
Institutional accreditation, programmatic accreditation, California educational alignment, associate registration, professional credentials, and independent licensure have different functions.
The regional inventory includes verified CACREP-accredited specialties at Sacramento State and San Francisco State, along with Palo Alto University’s clinical mental health counseling program. CACREP accredits counseling programs. MPCAC independently lists Sonoma State’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling MA as accredited through September 2030.
Alliant states that its MA in Marital and Family Therapy is COAMFTE accredited. This article reports that university-originated claim without presenting it as an independently confirmed directory result. Samuel Merritt’s references to COAMFTE standards likewise do not establish accreditation.
Many other programs provide documented California licensure-oriented education without verified CACREP or COAMFTE accreditation. Chico State, Dominican, Santa Clara, Cal State East Bay, Cal Poly Humboldt, and NDNU are among the institutions that describe curricula aligned with California requirements. The California Board of Behavioral Sciences regulates relevant licenses and registrations, but it is not a programmatic accreditor.
Graduation from an aligned program supplies the educational foundation for a professional path. LMFT and LPCC candidates then complete the applicable associate registration, supervised experience, examinations, and licensing application. School counselors follow the CTC credential process rather than the BBS therapist-licensing route.
Building a practical shortlist
Begin with career objective rather than degree title.
For a focused LMFT curriculum, the regional inventory includes Chico State, Cal Poly Humboldt, Alliant, USF, KPSAHS, Samuel Merritt, and MFT tracks at several additional universities. Chico State emphasizes rural Northern California practice, CIIS offers specialized therapeutic modalities, and Samuel Merritt uses an accelerated hybrid sequence.
For combined LMFT and LPCC education, documented options include Simpson, Jessup, Dominican, Santa Clara, NDNU, Sofia, Sonoma State’s clinical specialization, and selected paths at Saint Mary’s, Cal State East Bay, Palo Alto University, and USF. Compare whether both paths are embedded in the standard curriculum or require an added emphasis or additional credits.
For clinical mental health counseling with CACREP accreditation, Palo Alto University provides online and hybrid delivery. Sacramento State and San Francisco State offer campus-based public-university options with multiple professional specialties.
For PPS School Counseling preparation, focus on Sacramento State, San Francisco State, Sonoma State, Saint Mary’s, Cal State East Bay, and San Jose State. Saint Mary’s also offers a dual School Counseling and MFT/PCC specialization, while San Jose State publishes an 800-hour supervised fieldwork requirement for its PPS route.
For career, college, or rehabilitation counseling, Sacramento State, San Francisco State, and San Jose State provide the most explicit regional paths. Their curricula align more directly with those settings than a degree centered on marriage and family therapy.
After identifying the right professional route, compare instructional location, weekly class schedule, practicum travel, program length, and the type of clinical hours required. A well-matched shortlist should contain programs that lead toward the intended license or credential and remain workable once both classes and field placements are included in the weekly schedule.