How to Apply - Mental Health & Well-Being

To be considered for either of our two Certificates in Counseling & Psychology, you must: 

• Have a master’s degree in mental health, school counseling, social work, or an equivalent clinical degree. Demonstrate good communication skills in the English language, both written and oral, at a level appropriate to doctoral study.
• Have at least three years of professional experience in the field of mental health counseling or equivalent professions such as education, school counseling, school psychology, social work, organizational leadership, community organizing, or etc.

To enroll in either our CAGS in Expressive Therapies or our Certificate in Arts in Health or Expressive Therapies Studies programs, you’ll need to show proof of your master’s degree, or equivalent, in expressive therapies or a related field.

Please note: Our Certificate in Expressive Therapies program does not require a master’s degree to apply.

To enroll in this program, you’ll need to have: 

• A bachelor’s degree.
• A GPA of 3.0 or better.
• Life experience and/or volunteer work related to human services.
• Three credits of completed coursework in abnormal psychology, and three credits of completed coursework in developmental psychology with grades of B or better. Not all coursework must be complete before you apply.
  • Contact Graduate Admissions for details.

In addition, each modality requires the following:

• Art Therapy
  18 credits of studio art with a B or better and 12 credits of psychology including abnormal psych and developmental psych with a B or better
   
• Expressive Arts Therapy
  3 credits of abnormal psychology with a B or better and 3 credits of developmental psychology with a B or better
   
• Music Therapy
  6 credits of psychology with a B or better and 3 credits of Principles and Practices in Music Therapy with a B or better
   
• Dance Therapy
  6 credit of psychology with a B or better and 3 credits of Anatomy and Kinesiology with a B or better
   
• Drama Therapy
  6 credits of psychology with a B or better

To enroll in this program, you’ll need to show proof of: 

• A master’s degree in mental health counseling, social work, school counseling, or an equivalent clinical master’s degree.
• Good communication skills in the English language, both written and oral, at a level appropriate to doctoral study.
• Three to five years of professional experience as a licensed mental health counselor or in an equivalent profession.

To enroll in this program, you’ll need to show proof of: 

• An earned master’s degree.
• Certification or registration in one of the expressive therapies modalities (art therapy, dance therapy, drama therapy, expressive arts therapy, music therapy, play therapy, poetry therapy, or psychodrama).
• Good communication skills in the English language, both written and oral, at a level appropriate to doctoral study.
• Satisfactory performance on the GRE or MAT examination. The Lesley University CEEB number is 3483 for the GRE.
• Three to five years of professional experience as an expressive therapist.

Transcripts are an essential part of your application. Follow these guidelines to ensure that official transcripts reach us before your application deadline: 

• Have each institution where you earned an undergraduate or graduate degree send us your official transcript.
• If you’re enrolled in a degree program when you apply, submit your transcript of courses you’ve taken to date. Submit your final official transcript upon degree completion.
• If your transcript is not in English, please provide a notarized translation.
• If your degree is from outside the U.S., you’ll need to get your credentials evaluated to demonstrate U.S. bachelor's degree equivalency. See ​Application Requirements for International Students for detailed information about foreign academic credentials evaluation.

Include three recent recommendations from those you’ve worked with closely in an academic or professional setting.

• At least one of your recommendations should come from a present or former supervisor.
• If you’re in school or are a recent graduate, one recommendation should come from a professor.
• If you’re applying for one of our doctoral programs, you must include a recommendation from a person with a doctoral degree who can attest to your ability to complete doctoral-level study successfully.
  • Doctoral program recommendations should also address your readiness for doctoral-level study, your commitment to the field, and an assessment of success in your current role.
• Include the name and email of the person writing your letter of recommendation within your application. They'll receive an email with an electronic recommendation form, and can upload a letter if they choose.

Letters should be dated within two years and written by someone who is not a friend or family member.

Your personal statement is a key component of your application. It helps us understand your motivations behind pursuing a graduate program in mental health and well-being, your interest and knowledge in your chosen field, your communication style, and your writing skills. We recommend taking time to thoughtfully prepare and revise your statement before submitting it.

Once completed, you can submit your written personal statement electronically in one of two ways: 

• Upload the file as part of your application for admission. 

OR 

• Email it to appstatus@lesley.edu.

​Certificate in Counseling Psychology Applicants

• Write a 250–500 word personal statement. Describe why you want to pursue this graduate certificate program and how it’s relevant to your professional goals.

​Certificate in Mindfulness Studies Applicants

• Write a 250–500 word personal statement in response to the following guidelines:
• Reflect on your personal and professional history. Discuss the mindfulness-related experience, or the academic study of mindfulness and other wisdom traditions, that have influenced your decision to apply for the mindfulness certificate program.
• Discuss your skills as a critical learner, your ability to write research papers, and your ability to participate in a low-residency/online environment. Use this as an opportunity to discuss your academic strengths and weaknesses.

Certificate in Arts, Health, or Expressive Therapies Applicants

• Write a 250–500 word personal statement describing why you want to pursue this graduate certificate program and how it is relevant to your professional goals.

​CAGS in Expressive Therapies Applicants

• Write a 750–1250 word personal statement that addresses the following questions:
• Reflect on your personal and professional history. What has influenced your professional growth and has contributed to your decision to apply to this Lesley University program?
• What are your long-term professional goals (new directions, opportunities, interests, skills, professional renewal, and work advancement), and how do you think this Lesley University program would help you to meet them?
• Is there other information you think would help the admissions committee to understand you better? This could include:
  • Special interests
  • Publications
  • Academic achievements
  • Supervisor's reference
  • Unusual career path
  • Awards and honors
  • Special accomplishments
  • Leadership abilities

​MA in Mindfulness Studies Applicants

• Write a 750–1250-word personal statement in response to the following guidelines:
  • Reflect on your personal and professional history. Discuss the mindfulness-related experience and the academic study of mindfulness or other wisdom traditions that have influenced your decision to apply to the Mindfulness Studies master’s degree program.
  • Describe your mindfulness or contemplative practice and the ways you apply your practice in your life. Do you have experience with other forms of contemplative practice (other meditation practices, yoga, tai chi, etc.)?
  • Discuss your long-term professional goals (new directions, opportunities, interests, skills, professional renewal, and work advancement) that you believe would be assisted or created by this program.
  • As you review the Mindfulness Studies program of study, what aspects are attractive to you? How might you apply mindfulness in your daily life and professional practice?
  • Discuss your skills as a critical learner, your ability to write research papers, and your ability to participate in a low-residency/online environment. Use this as an opportunity to discuss your academic strengths and weaknesses.
• Your written personal statement must:
  • Include your name, address, phone number, and email address on the document
  • Single-spaced
  • 12-point font

MSW Applicants

• Write a 750–1250 word statement (3–5 pages) in response to the following guidelines:
  • In one to two paragraphs, explain why you are interested in the Lesley University Master of Social Work (MSW) program. As you describe your interest, please also provide an in-depth discussion of your understanding of the skills and resources needed for advanced graduate study. For example, how will you manage the time, emotional, and cognitive challenges of this program?
  • Discuss the populations or social issues that you would like to address as a professional social worker. If you have a particular reason for this interest, please include this information in your statement.
  • What volunteer work, role models, or life experiences draw you to social work? How do these influence your interest in this field?
  • Are there any populations with whom you would be uncomfortable working based on factors such as gender, culture, ethnicity, morals, values, or sexual orientation? If so, please explain.
  • What strengths — as a person and as a social work graduate student — do you believe make you a good match for this profession?
  • In what areas are you in need of growth, as a person and as a student? Self-reflection, a commitment to personal growth, a willingness to engage with others, and the ability to seek and use constructive feedback are essential qualities for this profession.
  • Is there additional information about you as a candidate for the MSW degree that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider?
• Candidates with a GPA of 3.0 or lower must respond to the following prompt:
  • Please address why you believe you are academically prepared for the MSW program. Reference your undergraduate transcript or any academic work for which you have submitted a transcript.

​MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Counseling & Psychology) OR MA in Counseling Psychology Applicants

• Write a 750–1250 word personal statement that responds to each of the questions shared below. Only self-disclose details to the extent that is appropriate for you.
• Address the following:
  • Discuss your skills as a critical learner, your ability to write research papers, and your ability to participate in experiential learning. Use this as an opportunity to discuss your academic strengths and weaknesses.
  • Discuss your ability to reflect on your life experiences (developmental milestones and challenges, crises, losses, etc.).
  • In your personal life, when you are in a conflicted situation with another person, how do you manage the competing issues of being respectful of your feelings, thoughts, and interests, and those of the other person involved?
  • Imagine yourself as a counselor or therapist. What do you believe are the responsibilities you would have for the client's well-being, and how would you hope to meet those responsibilities (given your present understanding of the role and responsibilities of a counselor/therapist)?
  • We are each affected by the impact of power, privilege, and oppression — either through the having of power and/or privilege due to gender, ethnicity, race, class, sexual orientation, or another form of majority status; or through the experience of being oppressed by others because of ways in which we are marginalized.
  • Summarize your exposure to these issues and how your understanding would be a benefit to clients with whom you would work as a counselor. Indicate the areas in which you would need to expand your understanding of these issues in your training as a counselor.
• Your written personal statement is an opportunity for you to communicate your:
  • Level of self-awareness
  • Capacity to be present for another
  • Intellectual ability
  • Understanding of the responsibilities of a professional counselor
  • Understanding the role of power, privilege, and oppression in people’s lives
  • Readiness for the academic demands of graduate work in counseling and psychology

MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Expressive Therapies) ​Applicants

• Write a 750–1250-word personal statement that addresses the following questions:
  • Reflect on your personal and professional history. What has influenced your professional growth and has contributed to your decision to apply to this Lesley University program?
  • What are your long-term professional goals (new directions, opportunities, interests, skills, professional renewal, and work advancement), and how do you think this Lesley University program would help you to meet them?
  • Is there other information you think would help the admissions committee to understand you better? This could include:
    • Special interests
    • Publications
    • Academic achievements
    • Supervisor's reference
    • Unusual career path
    • Awards and honors
    • Special accomplishments
    • Leadership abilities
• Writing Sample
  • In addition to your written personal statement, your graduate program in expressive therapies requires a separate writing sample.
  • Your writing sample needs to meet the following guidelines:
  • It should be a previously written, research-based paper that shows your ability to think critically, synthesize information, and write at an academic level.
  • It should be 3-5 pages long, double-spaced. If you have written a longer paper, please submit an excerpt.
  • Your submission can be on any topic of your choosing.

​PhD in Counseling & Psychology Applicants

• We review your written statements for excellence in thinking and writing, focus and depth, communication style, coherence in thought, and clarity of your doctoral study goals.
• Write a 1000–1500 word personal statement, double-spaced. Address these questions as part of your personal narrative:
  • Tell us about the ways in which your personal, academic, and professional experiences have influenced your decision to apply to the Lesley University PhD program in Counseling Psychology: Transformative Leadership, Education, and Applied Research.
  • Draw from your lived experiences and philosophy of practice to describe your main areas of research interest. Include discussion of specific academic journal articles, book chapters, or non-scholarly literature related to your area of interest that reflect your views on, or approach to studying, the research topic in which you are interested.
  • Describe 1-3 specific career goals, expand on how your professional history and theoretical lenses influence your career goals, and elaborate on how the PhD program will support you in achieving these goals.
  • Please note: We will be reviewing your résumé or CV, so there is no need to duplicate the information you present there. Instead of telling us what you’ve done, use the personal statement to tell us about you, why you’ve done what you’ve done, how it has affected you, and how it relates to what you’re hoping to do in the PhD program and beyond. This is an opportunity to tell us your story.
• Writing Sample
• In addition to your written personal statement, the Counseling and Psychology PhD program requires a separate scholarly writing sample.
• Your writing sample needs to meet the following guidelines:
  • It should be a previously written, research-based paper, manuscript, thesis, or published work written in the past five years. Applicants who would like to submit longer samples, such as a graduate thesis, are strongly recommended to provide an excerpt shorter than five to 10 pages and include a one-page coversheet contextualizing the excerpt within the larger body of the written sample.
  • In your writing sample, describe a specific community-based or professional issue. Present your analysis of the issue, drawing from relevant theoretical frameworks. Describe individual and collective strengths, challenges, and areas of growth, addressing this issue through a social justice lens.
  • The writing sample should show your ability to think critically, synthesize research literature, and write at an academic level.

PhD in Expressive Therapies Applicants

• We review your written statements for excellence in thinking and writing, focus and depth, communication style, coherence in thought, and clarity of your doctoral study goals.
• Write a 750–1250 word personal statement. Address these questions as part of your personal narrative:
  • What education, training, experiences, and tools do you have that will support the area of study on which you plan to focus your doctoral or post-master's work?
  • How will a Lesley University PhD help you in your personal and professional life?
  • Why have you selected this Lesley University program as the vehicle for you to fulfill your goals?
  • What areas (general or specific) of learning do you wish to address in your doctoral studies?
• Writing Sample
• In addition to your written personal statement, the PhD program in Expressive Therapies requires a separate writing sample.
• Your writing sample needs to meet the following guidelines:
  • It should be a previously written, research-based paper. It should show your ability to think critically, synthesize information, and write at an academic level.
  • Your submission can be on any topic and should be three to five pages long, double-spaced. If you have written a longer paper, please submit an excerpt.

Share relevant work, volunteer, or academic experience on your résumé. Make note of any languages you speak - other than English - and your proficiency in each one, if applicable.

Please note: If you are applying to our PhD in Expressive Therapies, you must show evidence of a professional credential in expressive therapies on your résumé or CV.

Our mental health and well-being graduate programs require that you interview with the program director and/or faculty members once your application file is complete and ready for review.

The interview may be conducted here on the Lesley campus in Cambridge, MA or virtually. The admissions team will contact you to schedule the interview.

If you’re applying to the MA in Expressive Therapies program, you'll need to include a digital portfolio as part of your application.

To upload your images via Slideroom, follow the instructions below: 

• Create a Slideroom account.
• In Slideroom, choose your specialization — Art Therapy, Dance Therapy, Drama Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, or Music Therapy.
• Upload each image, adding the title, size, date, and medium.
• Film, video, or new media should be no longer than 30 minutes. Cue it to a five-minute section you want us to view.
• Pay the submission fee.

Art Therapy Specialization

When you submit your portfolio, include: 

• Five to 20 digital images of your artwork.
• The images should represent a variety of media, including two and three-dimensional work that demonstrate your technical abilities and the range of your self-expression.
• Website URLs are not an acceptable format for the portfolio submission.

Dance Therapy Specialization

When you submit your portfolio, include: 

• A video with three to five minutes of dance footage cued to the section you want us to view.
• You may substitute the video with a website link for this specialization.
• The video can include a dance piece that you choreographed or a pre-existing piece.
• We strongly encourage Improvisation, with or without music.

Drama Therapy Specialization

If you are unable to come to campus for an interview, the program will inform you if you need to upload anything to Slideroom. In most cases, this is not a requirement.

Expressive Arts Therapy Specialization

When you submit your portfolio, include seven to ten examples of your artwork in one or more art forms, such as:

• Digital images of visual artwork.
• A video of dance, drama, or performance-based artwork.
• Audio or video of a music performance.
• Poetry or creative writing submission.

Music Therapy Specialization

When you submit your portfolio, include: 

• One prepared repertoire piece on your primary instrument.
• Sing one prepared song with your own piano accompaniment.
• Sing one prepared song with your own guitar accompaniment.
• Feel free to share anything else that you feel would represent something about your relationship to music at this time, and your overall musicianship. Other instruments and music technology are most welcome.

To apply for the PhD in Expressive Therapies, you must submit your GRE or MAT scores as part of your application. We'll accept scores from tests you've taken within the past 5 years. 

• For the GRE, Lesley University's CEEB (College Entrance Exam Board) number is 3483.
• For the MAT, Lesley University's MAT number is 1214.

International students pursuing graduate degrees must complete additional application requirements for their intended program of study. Review the list of additional requirements below and learn how to complete the necessary steps.

​Foreign Academic Credentials Evaluation

If your degree is from outside the United States, you will be required to submit a Foreign Academic Credentials Evaluation to demonstrate U.S. bachelor’s degree equivalency. A bachelor's degree or U.S. equivalency to a bachelor's degree is required for all graduate programs.

Evaluation Agencies 

Contact one of these agencies to get your credentials evaluated: 

• World Education Services
• Center for Educational Documentation
• Educational Credential Evaluators Inc.
• Global Credential Evaluators

You’ll need a document-by-document evaluation; however, there is an exception for Expressive Therapies Master's degree programs, which require a course-by-course evaluation instead.   

If you’re submitting a foreign academic credential evaluation, unofficial transcripts are acceptable for your transcript requirement if official transcripts were provided to the evaluation agency.

Please note: Graduate programs will only accept three-year bachelor’s degrees from member institutions within the Bologna Process.

Your transcripts must be: 

• Conferred by regionally accredited colleges or universities
• Original documents bearing the official institutional stamp
• Received by Graduate Admissions Services in envelopes sealed by the sending institution, or sent electronically directly from the institution

Send transcripts to: 

• appstatus@lesley.edu  

OR 

• Lesley University
  Graduate Admissions
  29 Everett Street 
  Cambridge, MA 02138

English Language Proficiency

We want you to be successful in your program. If your native language is not English, we require that you provide proof of your English proficiency. See our ​International Students How to Apply page for details on proving English language proficiency.