Dear Members of the Campus Community,
We are excited to announce that, effective immediately, the Counselor Education graduate program, which offers master’s degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling, as well as an Advanced Certificate in Mental Health Counseling, will become an autonomous and separate department in alignment with the guidance provided by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
In January 2021, our Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling programs earned accreditation by CACREP. Faculty Senate approved the creation of the department at its Oct. 6, 2021 meeting.
The Mental Health Counseling program started as a concentration of the Master of Arts in Psychology. Once New York State passed a bill licensing Mental Health Counselors, the program quickly grew from 36 credits to a 60-credit program registered with New York State. In 2008, a 60-credit master’s degree in School Counseling was added.
The Counselor Education Department will retain its current offices in Wooster Hall, and Dr. Melanie Hill will serve as chair, following her many years as Director of Counseling. We are very grateful to Dr. Hill for her unwavering commitment to securing accreditation and her guidance during CACREP’s visit and to Counseling faculty members, Dr. David Bright and Dr. Adam Stephen. In addition, we wish to thank the Psychology Department, which has housed Counseling for more than 20 years, and in particular the dedication of Drs. Jon Raskin (Chair), Jonathan Rust, and Mike Gayle in the creation and growth of the programs.
Barbara Lyman
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Laura Barrett
Dean, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
