Summer 2014 CACREP Connection

Council for Accreditation and Counseling

Advocating for our Professional Identity

Dear Colleagues,


Yet, if one paid attention to the listservs and other social media one would conclude that CACREP was an elitist, self-serving entity, which is holding individuals back from practicing as counselors. However, all of you who are faculty, students, and graduates of CACREP-accredited programs know otherwise. Much misinformation is perpetuated on social media and I am often disappointed at not seeing responses that counter with accurate information. I often wonder if this lack of response is because of apathy, lack of time, or simply thinking “there they go again”.Since its inception, CACREP has remained faithful to its vision, mission, and core values and has often times been challenged, even attacked, for standing its ground. CACREP’s vision of leadership in the counseling profession, through defining counselor preparation standards and accreditation and collaboration with counseling organizations, is recognized both within the counseling profession as well as by regulators and professional organizations outside of the counseling profession. CACREP’s mission to promote professional competence of counselors is evident in its engagement of the public in the standards revision process; the benchmark it sets for excellence in program development; and the number of institutions that have voluntarily sought accreditation – the nationally recognized mark of excellence in counselor preparation. The CACREP Board of Directors ensures a fair, consistent, and ethical decision-making process and serves as a responsible leader in protecting the public. CACREP, as a leader, operates from a position of strength in the counseling profession.

I would like to invite, even challenge, you to be an advocate for CACREP, for your accredited programs, for yourself as faculty, for your current students, and for your program graduates. Make it known to the counseling profession, the consumer, and the public why CACREP accreditation is important to you and the benefits it affords to you personally, to your institution, to your current students, and to your program graduates. Did you know that you are among the 640 CACREP-accredited programs? Did you know this year there are approximately 39,000 students enrolled in these programs? Did you know approximately 10,200 students graduated from these programs this year? All of you made a conscious choice to be in a CACREP-accredited program. Share the reasons!! Join the ranks of CACREP advocates!

CACREP-accreditation as the gold standard for counselor preparation and the educational pathway to unification of the counseling profession is recognized by:

  • the Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board of Ohio where it is now law that beginning January 2018 all applicants for counselor licensure in Ohio must be a graduate of a CACREP-accredited clinical mental health, clinical rehabilitation, or anl addiction counseling program.
  • the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) who in February 2014 released a position statement on Educational Standards for licensure which recommended:

    Graduation from a clinically-focused counselor preparation program accredited by CACREP (or an approved affiliate of CACREP) that includes a minimum of 60 semester credits (or 90 quarter hour credits) of curricular experiences. Within those 60 semester credits (or 90 quarter hour credits), students must complete a practicum of at least 100 hours and an internship of at least 600 hours.

  • the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) through their corporate affiliation recognizes CACREP’s Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling specialization and under license will implement accreditation of this program area.
  • the Institute of Medicine, VA, and TRICARE affirm the consistency and rigor of preparation of CACREP-graduates to serve the public.

This February CACREP introduced Advocacy Week and I am proud of and grateful to those of you who enthusiastically participated in this initiative. Here are some of the things you did during Advocacy Week:

  • Students and faculty wrote letters to ACA Governing Council and state licensure boards advocating for the adoption of graduation from a CACREP program as the educational standard for licensure to help support licensure portability and enhance professional identity.
  • CACREP’s twitter followers increased by 63% since the advocacy week campaign began. CACREP Facebook page “likes” increased by 5%. Both social media platforms experienced a significant increase in user activity during the week via mentioning “CACREP” in posts and visitors to the CACREP pages.
  • The creation of a CACREP YouTube Channel where student-created videos are posted regarding “Why CACREP is important” which help educate prospective students and other stakeholders who may be searching for information about counseling programs/CACREP via the internet.
  • Various CSI chapters engaged in advocacy projects for their own counseling programs and communities.

Make your voice heard to policy and law makers. Enlighten the uninformed about the value of CACREP. Encourage and mentor others in their pursuit of CACREP accreditation. Most of all share why CACREP is important to you. Be an ADVOCATE.

 

Warm Regards,

Sylvia Fernandez,
CACREP Chair

Summer 2014

IN THIS ISSUE…

Chair’s Report

Accreditation Decisions

Policy Updates

News

Publications

IRCEP Updates

ACCREDITATION DECISIONS

The CACREP Board met in January 2014 in San Diego, CA to make accreditation decisions.

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Become a fan of CACREP on Facebook! We can reach a wide audience quickly with important updates on CACREP and other counselor education matters. Recent facebook posts have focused on the TriCare recommendation and notice of training sessions.

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Accreditation Decisions

The CACREP Board met in January 2014 in San Diego, CA. Accreditation Decisions rendered at that meeting>>

POLICY UPDATES

Submission of Materials Following the Institutional Response

The Board may request additional information it if believes there is a good probability that clarifying information exists that could clear conditions and allow for the rendering of an 8-year accreditation decision. This option is utilized only when the Board believes an 8-year accreditation decision is possible. When requests for supplemental information to the Institutional Response are made to an institution, the institution will be informed that the request does not guarantee an 8-year accreditation decision. The Board will not accept unsolicited material beyond the submission of the Institutional Response.

Policy on Curriculum Content

In reviewing how programs document meeting CACREP curricular requirements, the Board will base decisions on the adequacy and appropriateness of the curricular content and practice elements against empirically supported theories and practices that are consistent with the counseling profession’s current ethical guidelines and standards of practice.

Dual Degree Programs

If a student wishes to graduate from two counseling specialty areas concurrently, he or she must meet the degree requirements for both CACREP accredited specialties. This would include meeting the curricular requirements for each specialty, a minimum of a 600 clock hour internship for each specialty, and any differences in the core curriculum. The awarding of the degree(s) must occur simultaneously.

Board Action: 20/20 Endorsement

The Board reaffirmed its endorsement of the final wording of the Consensus Scope of Practice Statement that was developed by the 20/20 delegates.

Board Changes

As June comes to a close, the CACREP Board says goodbye to Nancy Nishimura and Rhonda Paul. Beginning July 1, three new counselor educators are joining the Board. Kenyon Knapp from Mercer University, Vilia Tarvydas from the University of Iowa and Tyra Turner Whittaker from North Carolina A&T State University. In addition, officers for the 2014-2015 year will be Chair Sylvia Fernandez, Vice Chair Tom Davis, and Treasurer Jeffrey Parsons.

PUBLICATIONS

2013 CACREP Annual Report

2013 Vital Statistics Results Report

IRCEP Updates

“The CACREP Board accepted the IRCEP Steering Committee’s recommendation to add Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University to the International Registry of Counsellor Education Programs. The represents the first IRCEP program in Asia – congratulations!”