Our community counseling program is one of only two in the State of Missouri that is nationally accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. The accreditation runs through October 31, 2013. Students graduating from a CACREP program are assured a quality educational experience; and meet the academic requirements for licensure as a professional counselor in the state of Missouri. Students are considered certified counselors once they have passed the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification. As a result of the accreditation, the NCE is now administered on the Southeast campus.

Admissions Requirements: All Candidates must hold a Bachelors degree with a cumulative G.P.A. of no less than a 3.0 and be admitted to the School of Graduate Studies. For more information, consult the Graduate Bulletin. 

Advising Procedures/Information: Upon admission to the Counseling Program, you will be assigned an academic advisor. Your advisor will act as your primary source of contact and communication with the department. Therefore, the department encourages the formation of effective professional relationships between students and their advisors.

Capstone Requirements: The Community Counseling program capstone requirements are to acceptably complete a Comprehensive Professional Counseling Portfolio, Personal Counseling Position Paper, Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam, and a Comprehensive Oral Exam. For detailed information, please browse through our Student Handbook.

Career Opportunities: Our graduates, upon successful completion of required entrance examinations are professionally credentialed as one or both of the following:

• National Certified Counselor
• Licensed Professional Counselor

They are employed as clinicians in a variety of settings such as community mental health centers, rehabilitation centers, drug and alcohol treatment centers, and as executives in human resources departments, etc. They are also employed as a professional counselors in settings such as community college advising, university counseling centers, and various academic advising units and student development programs on university campuses.

The US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook indicated that overall employment of counselors is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2014. 

Real-World Experience: The Community Counseling Program offers experiential learning through the student’s Practicum and Internship opportunities. For detailed description of practicum and internship requirements, please visit our Student Handbook.

Student Organizations

• Chi Sigma Iota, Professional and Academic Counseling Honor Society
• Graduate Student Advisory Council

Professional Certifications & Organizations

• National Certified Counselor
• Licensed Professional Counselor Missouri Code of State Regulations: Title 4 - Department of Economic Development
• The American Counseling Association is a professional organization representing the interests of counselors and counselors-in-training nationwide
• The American Mental Health Counselors Association represents more than 70,000 licensed and certified mental health counselors nationwide. AMHCA members are on the cutting edge of community services and may be found in private practice, community mental health centers, psychiatric hospitals, managed care organizations and health maintenance organizations
• The American Counseling Association of Missouri is a counseling association formed to address counseling issues at the state level. Benefits of membership include: a membership directory, newsletter, annual conference, legislative lobbying, and professional networking opportunities.

Facilities: The Counseling Program maintains a fully functional counseling lab, outfitted with audio and visual equipment for student and faculty use. The counseling lab is used for instructional purposes, as well as for direct counseling and supervision.

 Related Links

• Online Application
• Graduate Bulletin
• Community Counseling Program
• School of Graduate Studies
• International Students