Mental Health & Well-Being

 A Leader in Educating Mental Health Professionals

There’s a reason Lesley is number one for Mental Health & Well-Being in New England. We are committed to training counselors to have a trauma-informed, holistic approach grounded in social justice who understand each person’s story in the context of their communities. Through a combination of experiential learning, scholarly pursuits, critical analysis, and self-reflection, our students seek to continually understand and develop their role as an instrument of change in relationship with the communities they represent and serve.

Degree Programs

Our programs in Mental Health & Well-Being start with undergraduate degrees in Psychology+, our unique multidisciplinary psychology program that includes specializations and dual degrees, ranging from Holistic Psychology to Expressive Arts Therapy. Our Master’s degrees in Counseling & Psychology include specializations in School Counseling, Holistic Studies, and Trauma Studies as well as Expressive Therapies where Lesley is one of the few universities offering all five modalities: Art, Dance, Drama, Music and Expressive Arts.

In our Ph.D. program, students work closely with their faculty advisor to choose their dissertation topic, after engaging in rigorous coursework, as part of a cohort of passionate, creative scholars. Our programs also include both undergraduate and graduate programs in Social Work, with a special focus on working with neurodiverse populations, and a unique master’s in Mindfulness Studies, where students are at the forefront of bringing this discipline into many professional and personal pursuits.

Learn more about our undergraduate and graduate programs:

Partnerships

Lesley’s partnerships in Mental Health & Well-Being set it apart. They are designed to create seamless pathways into these much-needed professions. Students can choose to come to Lesley as one of 36 scholars with our partner mental health organizations – Riverside Community Care, the Dimock Center, or Eliot Community Human Services. In each case, scholars receive a generous scholarship, an internship with that organization that is guaranteed on entrance to Lesley, and membership in a cohort of fellow scholars who act as colleagues exploring what it means to launch into practice.

In Social Work, these partnerships are with Lesley’s own Threshold Program, designed more than 40 years ago to provide neurodiverse individuals with the independent living and working skills they need to live strong, independent lives. As Threshold Scholars, students are guaranteed work in the Lifelong Support Program, designed to support Threshold alumni and other neurodiverse individuals throughout their lives by focusing on career building, academic skills, and independent living skills as well as social well-being and community engagement.

Maine Scholars Program

At Lesley University, we're committed to training teachers and mental health professionals in the most impactful way. Through the Maine Scholars program, we create seamless pathways to employment with Maine organizations, providing exceptional support to students through guaranteed field placement, priority job consideration, and a strong academic community. A generous grant from the Lunder Foundation also allows us to support Maine Scholars with significant scholarships and financial aid opportunities. Learn more about the Maine Scholars Program.

Cohorts

Mental health related careers can be challenging and it’s important to maintain a sense of well-being to effectively support others. Our Mental Health & Well-Being program, as with all Lesley programs, ensures students have the support they need from the moment they step on campus throughout the arc of their career by establishing a close-knit, intentional cohort of peers for students undergraduate and graduate years. These are peers they will continue to meet up with after their time at Lesley – a lifelong network for them as they grow and develop their careers.

Flexible Curriculum

Mental Health & Well-Being undergraduates can also benefit from taking courses across Lesley’s unique portfolio of programs. Maybe students take business courses to establish a private practice, or an animation course to create an animated series on well-being practices. Students can do amazing things here when their curiosity and imagination lead the way to a career they truly love.