Goals and Objectives

Program Goals

The program goals of the Clinical Counseling with an emphasis in Addictions program are to:

  • develop and maintain curricula and instruction based on current knowledge concerning the clinical mental health and addictions counseling needs of a multicultural society;
  • develop and maintain research that is designed to improve clinical mental health and addictions services with evidence-based strategies that advance the clinical mental health and addictions counseling profession;
  • maintain outreach, advocacy, leadership, and service to our community and to the clinical mental health and addictions counseling profession; and
  • maintain program excellence as defined by CACREP accreditation in the areas of clinical mental health counseling.

Program Objectives

In support of the Clinical Counseling with an emphasis in Addictions program’s mission, the program’s objectives are dynamic, developed based on current knowledge and projected needs concerning counseling practice in a multicultural and pluralistic society. Developed in collaboration with current and former students, various accrediting and licensing boards, and personnel in cooperating agencies, the program objectives are selected and evaluated by the faculty through a systematic and continuous process.

The following program objectives represent the current key performance indicators being evaluated:

MS, Clinical Counseling with an emphasis in Addictions students will:

  • demonstrate understanding of ethical standards of professional counseling organizations and credentialing bodies, and applications of ethical and legal considerations in professional counseling (2.F.1.i);
  • demonstrate multicultural counseling competencies (2.F.2.c);
  • demonstrate an understanding of the systemic and environmental factors that affect human development, functioning, and behavior (2.F.3.f);
  • use strategies for assessing abilities, interests, values, personality, and other factors that contribute to career development (2.F.4.e);
  • demonstrate essential interviewing, counseling, and case conceptualization skills (2.F.5.g);
  • understand therapeutic factors and how they contribute to group effectiveness (2.F.6.c);
  • demonstrate use of assessments for diagnostic and intervention planning purposes (2.F.7.e);
  • understand identification of evidence-based counseling practices (2.F.8.b); and
  • demonstrate mastery of completing the intake interview, mental status evaluation, biopsychosocial history, mental health history, and psychological assessment for treatment planning and caseload management (5.C.3.a)

*CACREP 2016 Standards noted

A report on the evaluation for these program objectives can be found within the annual Comprehensive Assessment Reports.