The UNC School of Education’s School Counseling program has been reaccredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). After undergoing a full review, the program was found “to meet all standards in a satisfactory manner” and is accredited for an additional eight years.
The School Counseling program has been continually accredited by CACREP and graduates of the program have been considered CACREP graduates since Oct. 1, 1984.
Since the program’s creation, the School’s counselors-in-training have applied didactic learning almost immediately. In this way, classroom experiences take on new meaning and some learning which might otherwise be viewed as too theoretical can have practical significance. The 14-month School Counseling program graduates approximately 25 entry-level school counselors each year after completing 60 required credit hours of coursework and a yearlong school-based counseling internship
“This reaccreditation recognizes several important, long-running facets of our School Counseling program,” said Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, dean of the UNC School of Education and Alumni Distinguished Professor. “It recognizes an exceptional counselor-preparation program among a School of exceptional programs that prepare the highest quality school professionals.
“It speaks to a culture of continuous improvement within the School and counseling program. Our School Counseling program and its faculty adapt to deliver the best in evidence-based practices so our graduates create the greatest possible impact in schools. This reaccreditation also speaks to leading school counseling faculty members who are focused on the success of their students and the K-12 students they will go on to serve.”
The CACREP Board of Directors announced accreditation decisions during its most recent meeting held Jan. 12-14, 2023. The decision follows CACREP’s accreditation process which involves a self-study conducted by the program and then a peer assessment which occurs either on-site or virtually. The self-study was conducted by program faculty and Lewis Hatcher, Ph.D., School Counseling program director. The School virtually welcomed a CACREP site visit team composed of counseling educators and professionals for the peer assessment Oct. 16-19, 2022.
In the site visit team’s report, team members noted the program’s “integration of the clinical experience with the didactic portion of the program,” “the high retention and graduation rate of students,” and “the excellent performance of students on the NCE and PRAXIS exams.”
Hatcher said one of the comments in the site visit team’s report with which he was particularly pleased was the team’s assertion that “the learning environment and the support the students have at their schools is exceptional.”
“Knowing the care, energy, and time the School Counseling faculty and their school community partners put into our students and program day in and day out is something I am thankful to be a part of,” Hatcher said regarding the site visit team’s observation. “Seeing that effort and collaborative commitment to didactic learning, which has been a focus of the program since its inception, recognized by an accrediting team of our peers, is humbling.”
The self-study and the peer assessment are guided by the CACREP 2016 Standards which are organized into six sections:
- The Learning Environment, which includes standards pertaining to the institution, the academic unit, and program faculty and staff.
- Professional Counseling Identity, which includes foundational standards and the counseling curriculum, comprising the eight required core content areas.
- Professional Practice, which refers to standards required for entry-level practice, practicum, internship, supervisor qualifications, and practicum and internship course loads.
- Evaluation in the Program, which provides standards relevant to evaluation of the program, assessment of students, and evaluation of faculty and site supervisors.
- Entry-Level Specialty Areas, in this instance School Counseling, which provides standards relevant to specialty areas offered by the program. For each specialty area, standards pertaining to foundations, contextual dimensions, and practice are provided.
- Doctoral Standards for Counselor Education and Supervision, which includes learning environment, professional identity, and doctoral-level practicum and internship requirements.
CACREP accreditation is voluntarily sought by educational institutions and programs offering entry-level graduate degrees in counseling and/or doctoral degrees in counselor education and supervision. To earn accreditation, a counselor education program must fulfill certain requirements or standards with regard to institutional settings, program mission and objectives, program content, practicum experiences, student selection and advising, faculty qualifications and workload, program governance, instructional support, and self-evaluation.
The CACREP Board of Directors base accreditation decisions on extensive review of self-study documents, the site review team’s report, and the institution’s response to the site review team’s report. The Board makes a decision to reaffirm accreditation when it determines that a counseling specialty area is in full compliance with all applicable accreditation standards and policies.
“Program accreditation is essential as it allows for the school counselors-in-training we prepare to become ethical and competent licensed professionals who are able to provide quality services in our schools and communities,” Hatcher said. “This is especially important as we look at the state of mental health today and know the necessity for professionals who can cultivate safe and equitable environments for students of diverse needs and aspirations in which their academic, personal/social, and career needs are met as they become contributing members of society.”
The strengths-based School Counseling program leads its graduates to earn licensure as a K-12 school counselor in North Carolina, with reciprocity options for other states. It prepares future school counselors to implement comprehensive school counseling programs, following the American School Counseling Association National Model. Additionally, graduates are eligible to apply for licensure as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor after two years of post-master’s supervised counseling experience.
The UNC School of Education’s School Counseling program accreditation is effective through March 31, 2031.