National group
extends accreditation to 3 Shippensburg programs
Three
Shippensburg University graduate counseling programs are accredited through
October 2019.
The
board of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), in a July 20 letter to Shippensburg President Bill
Ruud, said the organization extended accredited status to the university’s clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, and
student affairs and college counseling programs.
According
to Dr. Barbara Lyman, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs,
“We applaud the Department of Counseling and College Student Personnel for
building such strong programs whose quality has been affirmed through the
rigorous process of accreditation review. Through the CACREP process, our
students and the communities we serve throughout the region are reassured that
our programs meet and even exceed the highest national standards in these
fields of study. I congratulate the faculty of Counseling and College Student
Personnel for earning this recognition of quality and certainly commend Dr. Jan
Arminio under whose leadership as department chair the stage was set for this
outstanding achievement.”
In
2011, CACREP accredited the department’s programs until 2019. At that time, the
three programs received
conditional accreditation status. The university’s Department of Counseling and College Student Personnel provided
further information resulting in the recent action by CACREP’s board.
CACREP,
according to its website, is an independent agency recognized by the Council
for Higher Education Accreditation to accredit master's degree programs.
It promotes the professional competence of counseling and related practitioners
through development of
preparation standards; encouragement of excellence in program development; andaccreditation of
professional preparation programs, according to the website.
According
to CACREP, clinical mental
health counseling programs prepare graduates to work with clients across a
spectrum of mental and emotional disorders, as well as to promote mental health
and wellness. School counseling programs prepare graduates to work with
students ranging from kindergarten through high school. Student
affairs and college counseling programs prepare students to assume a variety of positions in
higher education and student affairs offices after graduation.
The
mission of Shippensburg’s department is to develop students’ academic and
personal potential through a comprehensive counselor education program and
through multi-faceted counseling services for all university students. It integrates
the principles of a meaningful learning environment, professionalism and
individual responsibility. It also seeks to graduate highly skilled
practitioners in counseling and college student personnel by utilizing
experiential learning opportunities in an atmosphere of intellectual,
investigative, and creative scholarly curiosity.
Graduates have obtained positions in
elementary and secondary schools as well as in major universities in
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and other locations throughout the United
States. Other graduates work in community mental health agencies, group homes,
service agencies, hospitals, and crisis units.
More
information about the department is available online at http://www.ship.edu/Counsel.
7/26/12