Policy A.2.e Amendment Announcement

At its February 2026 meeting, the CACREP board amended this policy.  The revised policy, with changes as indicated below, is effective as of February 9, 2026:

Policy A.2.e. Program Training Requirement:

Beginning July 1, 2026, programs, regardless of program delivery method, require and deliver an in-person, synchronous experiences to observe and assess counseling skills and professional dispositions for all students at least at two points throughout the student’s program of study of which one occurs prior to the practicum.

The interpretation of this policy is as follows:

1. The requirements of this policy are applicable to all students entering the counselor education program on or after July 1, 2026.

 

2. Counseling students must participate in synchronous experiences that will allow the program to observe and assess counseling skills and professional dispositions at a minimum of two points throughout the students’ program of study for entry-level and doctoral students.

 

3. The required synchronous experiences may be provided in person (i.e. on campus or at another physical location) and/or may be digitally delivered.

 

4. For entry-level students, one of the synchronous experiences must occur prior to practicum. For doctoral students, one of the synchronous experiences must occur prior to the doctoral internship.
5. The goals are to:

a) observe each student’s professional behaviors with university staff and with peers;

b) assess students to ensure they can deliver core counseling skills;

c) assess professional dispositions, and

d) provide feedback to students regarding strengths and areas for improvement or remediation.

Rationale:

Given the elimination of the GradPLUS loan option, the federal student loan caps that  go into effect July 1, 2026, and additional feedback from counselor education programs, the CACREP Board has amended the policy to permit the required synchronous experiences to be delivered either in person (i.e. on campus or at another physical location) and/or via synchronous digital delivery.

In making this change, the Board recognizes that many programs have made significant progress in developing plans and procedures to address the policy’s original requirements. The Board thanks all accredited programs for your attention to the underlying intent of the policy and for your efforts to provide sound preparation for counselors-in-training. The Board believes that the amended policy will allow programs greater flexibility in conducting first-hand observation of student counseling skills and dispositions and enhanced opportunities for students and programs under the current conditions.

Note:  It is recommended that programs employ best practices in counselor preparation to ensure students have the counseling skills and professional dispositions for practice in all service delivery modalities.