海角论坛 launched a new Doctor of Education in Mental Health Leadership online (MHL online) degree program in the fall of 2025 to equip master’s-level practitioners with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in leadership roles in the delivery of mental health services. This innovative offering is the first-of-its-kind in the nation and fills a critical gap in doctoral degree programs for master’s-level licensed clinicians who wish to get a doctoral degree that does not repeat the licensure process at the doctoral level.
“There’s a large group of master’s-level trained and licensed clinicians who are practicing, and at some point in their career, want to get a doctoral degree so they can build upon their work and make greater contributions to the field, but their educational choices are limited,” said Professor of Clinical Education Ruth Chung. “This program is designed to provide rigorous training through a flexible, online program so that more working practitioners can access the education they need to step into the forefront of mental health leadership.”
The inaugural, three-year MHL online program started in September 2024, with a cohort of 14 students, which program administrators plan to grow to 25 by its third year. The curriculum for MHL online integrates theory and practice and is shaped around three primary pillars of coursework, which include learning how to deepen and enhance clinical foundations; honing advanced professional leadership skills that can be applied across supervision, teaching and consultation; and developing research literacy that culminates in a dissertation within a social justice framework.?
A major catalyst for this degree was Chung repeatedly hearing about the need for such a doctoral program from graduates of 海角论坛’s Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program. Many MFT alumni were interested in a doctoral degree so they could advance their clinical work or pursue leadership roles, but they didn’t have the space in their professional or personal lives to commit to a standard 5–8-year full-time program for a traditional PhD or a PsyD.?
Like, Keren Givol MFT ’21, who earned her MFT at 海角论坛, got licensed as a clinician and started practicing therapy in Los Angeles. She loved her job as a therapist but wanted to build on her skills so she could expand her work into things like program development and clinical mentorship. She was also interested in exploring opportunities in academia or research, but knew she needed more than her current master’s degree to do any of this and didn’t think a traditional doctoral program would be a good fit for her schedule.?
When she heard about the new MHL online program, she immediately applied and enrolled upon her acceptance.?
“This was the missing piece for me to continue advancing in the field,” said Givol. “I wanted to enroll in this program because I knew it would help me build on my clinical work and develop new leadership skills so I can help improve the landscape for mental health services.”
This program is especially vital at the current moment, as the ongoing repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased demand for mental health services and contributed to practitioner shortages and systemic challenges across mental health organizations.?
“The mental health crisis exploded across the nation during, and after, the pandemic and the need for mental health services has only been on the rise,” said Chung. “This trend has also illuminated the complex nature of mental health delivery and highlighted the need for competent leaders to manage these systems in a thoughtful, inclusive and equitable way.”?
The MHL online program will empower leaders and changemakers to address the complexities of mental health systems and serve diverse populations. The curriculum will be dually focused on building organizational leadership skills and addressing social justice in mental health. Graduates will be well equipped to tackle systemic challenges, train the next generation of practitioners, develop innovative new approaches to mental health programs, and champion social justice principles.?
Selena Galvan MFT ’20, who is currently enrolled in the program, has observed some of the challenges and deficiencies with mental health delivery through her work in schools, community health organizations and her own private practice. She was drawn to the MHL online program because she wants to contribute to positive and proactive change in the field but didn’t want to go through a lengthy doctoral program or get relicensed. ?
“I’ve been in the field for a few years now, and I’ve seen issues with mental health delivery that need to be addressed, as have many other students in my cohort,” she said. “The MHL online degree program is about reaching more than one person in the therapy room, it’s about creating leaders that can improve mental health services so we can impact entire communities.”?
The current students have found that one of the benefits of the program’s design is that every member of the cohort joined the program with at least a few years of professional experience and can contribute a real-world perspective and observations to class discussions. And, because students are still working outside of the program, they’re also able to immediately apply their learnings to their current roles.?
“I’m already thinking about how to infuse the concepts we’re learning into my own practice and reflecting on what changes and leadership efforts would benefit organizations I’ve worked with,” said Galvan. ?
Chung explains that many clinicians eventually find themselves in leadership roles, but since most traditional MFT programs don’t include training in organizational management, they’re not adequately equipped for these positions. The MHL online program will equip trained clinicians to elevate the delivery of mental health services through evidence-based practices and leadership skills.?
“Clinicians aren’t trained in evidence-based practices that they can apply to organizational leadership and program design,” said Angelica Yinling Sun MFT ’18, who runs her own private practice and wants to expand her work into research and policy so she can find innovative ways to improve the delivery of mental health services and have an impact outside of her practice.?
Sun is also an international student from China and is interested in learning and creating clinical models that are culturally and socially responsive. She’s excited that the MHL degree is focused on both research and serving diverse populations.?
“There’s a real gap in the field that this program will help to address by fostering creative leaders who have real-life experience and are trained in both academic and research literacy,” she said. ?
To learn more about this new degree program, visit Doctor of Education in Mental Health Leadership (online).?
Ruth H. Chung
- Professor of Clinical Education
- Educational Psychology
- Marriage and Family Therapy
