You were told that a masters in MHC was a dead end with respect to a career? I think that's probably true of a masters in "general psych." For example, NSSR's MA in general psych is not meant to be a terminal masters--it's how they weed out people for their clinical PhD program.
You can practice as a psychotherapist in NY with a MHC masters. After completing the program, you have to work under supervision for a couple of years and take the exam in order to get licensed. I have been told, however, that those who want to be in private practice with a MHC degree may find struggle financially in the NYC area, where you're competing against PhDs.
In terms of how to go about choosing MHC programs--I applied to Fordham because, 1) I liked the atmosphere 2) they offer a PhD in Counseling Psych in addition to the MS in MHC 3) it's in NYC.