Introduction to the 2024 Standards

CACREP accreditation is both a process and a status. Institutional application for CACREP accreditation denotes a commitment to program excellence. The accreditation process incorporates programs’ self-assessment, along with external peer review, to determine if and how programs are in compliance with the CACREP standards. Accredited status indicates to the public that a program is fulfilling its commitment to educational quality.

The 2024 CACREP Standards were written with two primary guiding principles: quality first and unified counselor identity. The quality first principle is most evident in the Academic Quality section. The intent of this section is to centralize the program evaluation and student assessment activities and processes and to create intentionality in such activities. Programs need to consider the purpose of evaluation and assessment for their overall functioning. In other words, programs need to consider to what end they engage in program evaluation and student assessment toward strengthening the counseling profession.

Similarly, the 2024 CACREP Standards were written with the intent to promote a unified professional counselor identity. Requirements are meant to ensure that students graduate with a strong professional counselor identity and with opportunities for specialization in identified practice areas. The Standards require that graduates demonstrate both knowledge and skill across the curriculum as well as professional dispositions first with respect to universal counselor functions and secondly with respect to their CACREP specialized practice areas.

The development of the 2024 CACREP Standards came at a time when the United States and many parts of the world were addressing issues in diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and access; increased reliance and application of digital delivery in both higher education and counselor education; and a global pandemic that shifted the landscape of the profession, higher education, and broader global and societal opportunities and challenges. The 2024 CACREP Standards address the tenor of the time that they are published and seek to apply them to future societal, academic, and professional contexts.

Although the 2024 CACREP Standards delineate accreditation requirements, they do not dictate the manner in which programs may choose to meet the standards. Program innovation is encouraged in meeting both the intent and spirit of the 2024 CACREP Standards. Program faculty and reviewers should understand that counselor education programs can meet the accreditation requirements in a variety of ways. Providing evidence of meeting or exceeding the standards is the responsibility of the program.

Graduates of CACREP-accredited programs are prepared for careers in mental health, human services, education, private practice, government, military, business, and industry. Entry-level program graduates are prepared as counseling practitioners and for respective credentials (e.g., licensure, certification) in their specialized practice areas. Doctoral-level graduates are prepared for counselor education, supervision, research, and advanced practice.

The 2024 CACREP Standards are organized into six sections: The Learning Environment includes standards pertaining to institutional and program resources and structure. Academic Quality provides a framework for program evaluation and student assessment. The Foundational Counseling Curriculum section includes a statement of unified professional counselor identity and standards for entry-level counselor education program curricula comprising the eight required core content areas. Professional Practice refers to standards required for entry-level practice and the structure and delivery of fieldwork experiences. Entry-Level Specialized Practice Areas provides standards relevant to the requisite knowledge and skills for specialty practice areas offered by the program. The section also includes the standards for the eight specialized practice areas that CACREP accredits: addictions; career; clinical mental health; clinical rehabilitation counseling; college counseling and student affairs; marriage, couple, and family counseling; rehabilitation counseling; and school counseling. Doctoral Standards for Counselor Education and Supervision includes the learning environment, professional identity, and doctoral-level internship requirements for doctoral-level graduates. The 2024 CACREP Standards includes a Glossary defining key terms within the standards. Glossary terms are linked throughout the standards.

In implementing the CACREP Standards, programs must attend to and ensure alignment of their practices with all applicable institutional policies and legal requirements.

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