Spring 2018 CACREP Connection

Council for Accreditation and Counseling

orange checkmarkChair’s Report

 


For my last message as Chair, I wanted to focus on something that the board started talking about in our January board meeting and continued working on since. The last Standards Revision Committee (SRC) made a change to the CACREP standards for 2016 identifying that all masters-level counseling programs, regardless of specialty, needed to be at least 60 semester credits (90 quarter credits) by the year 2020.Happy spring, everyone (I think?) Here in central North Carolina, we are dealing with “yo-yo” weather…it is 80 and then 40, so I’m not sure what to call this season anymore. Although it is almost spring, I am in the autumn of my term as a CACREP board member and as CACREP board chair. Five years is a long service commitment, but I can honestly say service on the CACREP board is the most gratifying professional opportunity I have had the good fortune to experience. For those counselors and counselor educators looking for an enriching, educational, and invigorating service opportunity, I highly recommend it!

This change had been in the works for some time, with the same expectation of Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs during the previous standards revisions in 2009. CACREP stands behind these new expectations because it is an organization that is fundamentally built on the belief that professional counselors, regardless of discipline and specialty, are “counselors first” and should have training consistent with that ideal.

As the date of 2020 draws closer, the CACREP staff and board members have been hearing more and more from programs, School Counseling programs, in particular, that there have been challenges for some who are needing to move their programs from 48/72 credits to the required 60/90 by the deadline. In response to these stated concerns, the CACREP board voted to delay implementation of this requirement to 2023. This decision is one that honors the intent of the standards change itself, but also provides more time for those School Counseling, Career Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling and College Counseling and Student Affairs programs to garner the resources and support needed to make this change. Of course Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, Marriage Couple and Family Counseling, and Addiction Counseling programs already have (and still have) the 60/90 credit hour requirement. You can read the full announcement on the CACREP website.

The CACREP board and staff are interested in your feedback; particularly if you are in a CACREP program that has not yet moved to the 60 semester/90 quarter hours, OR if you are a program that has made the transition and can share some information about how that process worked and what you did, specifically, to make the changes. If you would like to provide such feedback, please do so at [email protected] with the subject line, “Move to 60 Credits”.

In the meantime, the rest of my tenure as Chair and on the board will be most focused on finalizing our search and hire of a new president and CEO, so exciting times to come!

Kelly Coker's signature

Kelly Coker

Spring 2018

IN THIS ISSUE…

Chair’s Report

Remarks from Rick

Two is the Magic Number

ACA Activities

Interpretation of Standrd 3.A

Change in Glossary Definition

New Assistant Director Joins CACREP

New Board Members

Faculty RFP Announced

CSI Update

ACCREDITATION DECISIONS

The CACREP Board met in San Antonio January 12-14, 2018 to make accreditation decisions.

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Remarks from Rick


It seems like an impossibly short time since I began my adventure as CACREP’s interim President/CEO. The last eight months have flown by, leaving only 4 months or so before we welcome the new permanent President/CEO. I have, however, had sufficient time to have three revelations about CACREP:

  1. CACREP is a highly respected accreditor. Accrediting is its own profession and accreditors often gather together to share their many common interests. I’ve learned much from such gatherings, but mostly the high regard in which CACREP is held by other accreditors. It’s a tribute to Carol Bobby and the staff and the job they have done to make CACREP one of the best!
  2. How amazing the CACREP staff is. As a former board member, I knew most of the staff when I arrived, but working with them every day has given me new appreciation. As many of you know, they are smart, dedicated, and will go to great lengths to help you through the accreditation process. What I didn’t know was just how incredibly skilled they are and the grace with which they handle their demanding jobs. It has been a privilege to work with all of them.
  3. The difference that CACREP makes. Getting to be a part of CACREP every day and having the opportunity to observe the impact of accreditation on programs has provided me with a new appreciation of what accreditation means to our profession. Every CACREP liaison I have talked to has enthusiastically told me how much CACREP accreditation has improved their program. When you multiply the comments from each liaison times the number of accredited programs, you begin to realize how accreditation has raised the level of excellence in our profession.


There have certainly been challenges over the last eight months, but when I sit back and reflect, I appreciate how fortunate I have been to be a small part of something that continues to benefit all of us. I am indebted to the Board, the CACREP staff, and all the accredited programs for this gift. Thank you.

Two is the Magic Number: Program-Evaluation-Related Reports in the 2016 Standards

Robert Urofsky, PhD Vice President of Accreditation and Training

The number 2 is a pretty amazing number, with numerous meanings associated to it in history, mathematics, religion, astronomy, astrology, and numerology. The number two has importance in the 2016 CACREP Standards as well, with it being the number of program evaluation-related reports required in Section 4. Section 4 of the CACREP 2016 Standards includes requirements for two separate and different outcomes reports, both of which are completed on an annual basis and get posted to the program’s website in an easily accessible location.

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ACA Activities


Joint Reception with CACREP, ACES and NBCC
Please take note of CACREP’s sessions at the ACA conference in Atlanta:

  • Thursday, April 26, 6-8 pm at the Omni
  • Report of the CACREP Disability Standards Infusion Task Force
    Friday, April 27, 7:30-8:30 am, Room A312
  • Counselor Education in CACREP-Accredited Programs: Current Issues and Information
    Saturday, April 28, 4:00 – 5:00 pm, Room A312

NEWS

Interpretation of Standard 3.A

The CACREP staff has fielded a lot of questions regarding Standard 3.A, which states the following:

Students are covered by individual professional counseling liability insurance policies while enrolled in practicum and internship.

The CACREP Board has interpreted this Standard to mean that, barring state regulations contrary to such requirements, students must have their own separate policy, usually available at low cost through students’ membership in counseling organizations.

Change in Glossary Definition

A revised definition of Professional Counseling Organizations was adopted at the January meeting. The new definition is,

organizations whose primary mission is to advocate for and to provide development, support, and/or recognition for professional counselors across the counselor education specialties. For use within the CACREP Standards, it is expected that, at a minimum, programs will provide documentation regarding memberships and active participation in the American Counseling Association (ACA) and its divisions and/or branches and other major counseling organizations such as Chi Sigma Iota (CSI), the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC), the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE).

 

New Assistant Director Joins CACREP


Jamie Pak joined the CACREP staff on February 3 as the newest Assistant Director. Jamie received her M.A. in Counseling from Colorado Christian University in December 2016. She relocated back to the DC area and worked as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor until coming to CACREP. She is looking forward to getting to know her programs.

New Board Members

CACREP will welcome three new Board members on July 1, 2018.

Amy Milsom joins us as a Counselor Educator. Amy teaches at Clemson University and has been an active CACREP Team Visitor and Standards Revision Committee Member.

Barbara Morcos joins us a Practitioner Member. Barbra is a School Counselor in New Jersey and teaches as an adjunct at Kean University.

Karl Gauby was elected as a Public Member. Karl holds both a Ph.D. and J.D., and works in Regulatory Affairs for another specialized accreditor.

Faculty RFP Announced

CACREP is soliciting research proposals from counselor educators and researchers that examine the impact and/or utility of CACREP accreditation. Applicant researchers can be funded up to $1,500. Full details on the faculty RFP can be found in the announcement. (Deadline to apply is June 4, 2018.)

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CSI Update


As an outgrowth of the strong relationship between CSI and CACREP, the two organizations have co-sponsored the CSI and CACREP Leadership Essay Contest for the past four years. The purpose of the Leadership Essay Contest is to enhance the counseling profession through recognizing excellence in our field.Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International (CSI) and CACREP have a strong history of mutual support and cooperation. The Society’s membership and leadership have specifically included in the CSI Bylaws a requirement that counselor education programs must be CACREP-accredited to be approved to charter a new CSI chapter or reactivate a chapter. In the CACREP Directory of Programs, the CSI logo is displayed on the “Detail” page of CACREP-accredited counselor education programs that have an active CSI chapter.

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