Mission and Program Objectives

The mission of the School of Counseling is to prepare graduates to function as effective professional counselors in a wide variety of counseling settings. Performing successfully as a counselor requires graduates to integrate theoretical and research-based knowledge with clinical skills to form an ethical, professional, and caring counselor. By providing students with the knowledge and skills recognized as important for professional counselors by the CACREP, CAEP, The Board of Professional Counselors of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Education the program seeks to prepare graduates for success in clinical, consultative, supervisory, and/or administrative roles they will encounter in the community as professional counselors.

The mission of the CMHC program is to prepare graduates to function as effective counselors in a wide variety of mental health settings. Performing successfully as a counselor requires graduates to integrate theoretical and research-based knowledge with therapeutic clinical skills to form an ethical, professional, and caring counselor. By providing students with the knowledge and skills recognized as important for counselors by the CACREP and The Board of Professional Counselors of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the program seeks to prepare graduates for success in clinical, consultative, supervisory, and/or administrative roles they will encounter in the community as professional counselors.

OBJECTIVES
These objectives are the basis upon which the program and students are evaluated. Upon graduation, the successful CMHC student will be able to:

• Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Advanced Developmental
• Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Multicultural Counseling
• Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Individual Skills
• Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Group Counseling
• Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Career Development and Counseling
• Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Testing and Assessment
• Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Research Methods
• Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Professional, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Counseling
• Demonstrate an understanding of current trends in the job market through self-marketing strategies.

The mission of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (with a concentration in Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counseling) is to train competent clinicians in counseling, thus providing counseling services from a faith-based and spiritual perspective. Seeking first the integration of theory and practice, the P-CMHC program provide opportunities for students to integrate counseling practice and theory with ministerial opportunities. By providing students with the knowledge and skills recognized as important for counselors by CACREP, the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC), the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) and the Board of Professional Counselors of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the program seeks to prepare graduates for success in a wide variety of settings including churches, hospitals, police and fire departments, outreach programs in jails and prisons, the military, and numerous other P-CMHC settings. The aim of the program is to provide a holistic approach in training P-CMHC in academic, clinical, faith and spiritual based counseling services. 

OBJECTIVES
These objectives are the basis upon which the program and students are evaluated. Upon graduation, the successful P-CMHC student will be able to: 

● Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Advanced Developmental
● Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Multicultural Counseling
● Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Individual Skills
● Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Group Counseling
● Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Career Development and Counseling
● Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Testing and Assessment
● Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Research Methods
● Demonstrate a knowledge base required for professional counselors and as outlined by CACREP in: Professional, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Counseling
● Demonstrate an understanding of current trends in the job market through self-marketing strategies.
● Demonstrate by the end of the P-CMHC program growth towards Competencies for Addressing Spiritual and Religious Issues in Counseling: Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling. (See Student Handbook for details)