Bridge to Counseling Program

No matter how little academic or professional counseling experience you have, you can make a difference as a mental health counselor through our Bridge to Counseling Program (Bridge program). Unique to The Family Institute at Northwestern University, the Bridge Program gives you a strong foundation that eases you into our rigorous curriculum so you can fully grasp graduate-level concepts.

If your undergraduate degree is not in psychology or a related field, you lack clinical mental health counseling experience, or you are interested in a deeper orientation to the counseling field, you are encouraged to apply to the Bridge Program.

The Counseling@Northwestern admissions committee will make the final decision about which program you should enroll in, should you be admitted.

The Bridge Program features the same 24-course sequence as the Standard Program, with an additional introductory, three-course quarter that orients you to the key theories, concepts, and applied aspects of the field. The program can be completed on an accelerated full-time, traditional, or part-time basis.

California regulations require the equivalent of at least two quarters of coursework in order to begin your Practicum season. Therefore, California residents are only eligible for admission to the traditional and part-time tracks. 

Sample course schedules for each track can be found below:

Bridge Program: Accelerated Track
Bridge Program: Traditional Track
Bridge Program: Part-Time Track

See the full list of course descriptions.