Counselor Education

The Ph.D. program, accredited by CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs), prepares students to work as counselor educators, clinical supervisors, and advanced practitioners in academic and clinical settings.

Counselor Education at Penn State is a graduate program within the College of Education that offers professional preparation at the master's degree level (M.Ed. only) for qualified persons wishing to become a professional counselor in a range of emphases, each accredited by national and, where appropriate, state credentialing boards. See links below for more information on specific emphases within the program.

The Counselor Education master's program advocates for the provision of services to all people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion sexual orientation, ability level, or values. As such, our program prepares you to honor and respect human diversity. Our program emphasizes professional competency, a respect for human diversity, and evidence-based practices. Our program provides students the opportunity for experiential learning that often results in significant changes. The Counselor Education faculty expects our students to change as they develop in the program. We aim to instill in each student the capacity to not only understand and respect his or her own experiences, values, and identity, but the capacity to respect others' experiences, values, and identities that are unlike their own. We believe the capacity to know and respect self, and to know and respect another is a cornerstone of our profession. Counselors use a range of evidence-based interventions with individuals, groups, and in communities, to facilitate meaningful change in the lives of people seeking our services.

BASIC PROGRAM DATA FOR 2021-2022 CACREP ACCREDITED PROGRAMS (Source: CACREP Vital Statistics)

Career Counseling

Graduates: 1
Completion rate: 100%
Licensure pass rate: 100%
Job Placement rate: 100%

Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Schools and Communities

Graduates: 7
Completion rate: 100%
Licensure pass rate: 100%
Job Placement rate: 100%

Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling/Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Graduates: 8
Completion rate: 100%
Licensure pass rate: 100%
Job Placement rate: 100%

School Counseling

Graduates: 6
Completion rate: 95%
Certification pass rate: 100%
Job Placement rate: 100%

Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision

Graduates: 9
Completion rate: 100%
Licensure pass rate: 100%
Job Placement rate: 100%

COUNSELOR EDUCATION PROGRAM EVALUATION

Program evaluation, which is a continuous activity for the Counselor Education program, is based on data from a variety of sources including (a) surveys of alumni, employers of graduates, and supervisors that occur at least every three years; (b) yearly evaluations of the program that students submit anonymously with their annual self-evaluations; (c) feedback from members of the Counselor Education Advisory Board; (d) other meetings and interactions with students, supervisors, and employers throughout the academic year; and (e) other appropriate evaluative data.

The 33 alumni who responded to the surveys in 2022, rated the program with an average of 4.1 on a scale of 1, low, to 5, high. The majority (83%) described the program as good or very good. The age ranged from 24 to 58 years old.

The majority of alumni were certified in their respective specialization areas (e.g., Certified Elementary School Counselor or Secondary School Counselor, or Licensed Professional Counselor) and/or as Nationally Certified Counselors.

The majority of the respondents were currently employed in a counseling field or in a profession where they utilize their counselor training:

Examples:

• Elementary School Counselor

• Middle School Counselor

• Secondary School Counselor

• Career Counselor

• Clinical Mental Health Counselor

• Program Coordinator (in higher education)

• DBT Therapist

• Assistant Directory, Career Coach

• College Mental Health Counselor

• Rehabilitation Counselor

• Interim Assoc. VP/Dean of Student Affairs

• Faculty in a Counselor Education Program

• Assistant Professor, Associate Professor of Counseling

• Therapist/Licensed Professional Counselor/Behavioral Clinician and Research Coordinator

• High Risk Licensed Professional Care Manager

• Outpatient Therapist

• Owner and Therapist

• Academic Advisor

• Director of Skills and Curricula

• Manager of Learning and Development

• Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (state)

• Vocational Rehabilitation Supervisor

• Family Based Clinician

• Director of Accessibility Services

• DEIB Coordinator

• Experiential Learning/Internship Manager

Alumni ratings for practicum and internship were consistently high, as were their ratings of their counseling training and learning counseling competencies (averages within the 4 to 5 range).

Alumni, in general, were satisfied to very satisfied with their advising experience (averages within the 4 to 5 range).

Alumni reported membership includes ACA, ACES, AMHCA, PCA, ACCA, ASCA, NBCC, NARACES, ALGBTIC, NLPA, CSI, PMHCA, AMCD, ARCA.

The majority of the alumni were very satisfied with the opportunities to interact with faculty during the completion of their program (averages within the 4 to 5 range).

Alumni rated the program very highly (averages within the 4 to 5 range).

Testimonials:

• "This program allowed me to prepare for work towards my LPC, and establish my skills as a counselor first, with career as my specialty. I recommend this program to anyone who is interested. Dr. Diandra Prescod was my advisor, and the coordinator of the program at the time, and she was such a strong advocate for the career emphasis, for her students, and just wonderful to work with."
• "I can't believe it's already been over 5 years. Wish I could do it all again."
• "I miss being in the program. I loved my time at Penn State and in the Counselor Education Program."

On a scale from Very Good (5) to Very Poor (1), the employer ratings were Very Good or Good (averages within the 4 to 5 range) for the following areas:

• Academic preparation

• Counseling skills

• Professional development

• Knowledge of current issues

• Knowledge of legal and ethical issues

• Administrative skill

Employer was very satisfied with the education of our graduates and reported will have our students again.

Areas noted as strengths for interns and graduates:

• Strong communication skills

• Clinical skills

• Strong multicultural awareness and training

• Professionalism.

Suggestions for improvement:

• More preparation on plans
• More self-care skills  

Students (64 in total) were consistently satisfied with their interactions with faculty, noting that faculty were open, accessible, flexible, and knowledgeable. Students valued faculty enthusiasm for what they teach and appreciated that they were actively involved in research, yet still available to students outside of the room (average scores ranged in the 4 to 5 [highest], scale).

List of things students most appreciated about the Counselor Education Program:

• How supportive the administrative staff is

• The breadth and depth of the program

• Relevancy of the content provided

• Feeling well prepared to join the world of work as a counselor

• The multicultural counseling focus of the program (they noted that this focus was infused throughout all of their courses)

Other assets students noted:

• The warm and welcoming environment in the department

• The opportunities to create a community (e.g., Mentoring program provided by Rho Alpha Mu Chapter of CSI, meeting doctoral students, recreational and academic gatherings) 

• The practical and applied focus of many of the courses

A new Assessment of Key Performance Indicators was developed.

All courses now share the same syllabus format.

An extended orientation to the program was offered this year and will continue offered given positive comments from our new students.

Following admission, the program continues to put in contact first and second-year students. Second-year students support the beginning of the program of first-year students. Second-year counseling students are also paired with first-year students to promote interaction. In addition, doctoral students also mentor master’s level students.

CNED 497 Trauma Informed Care for School and Health Professionals, developed for graduate students who will likely work with people at risk for child maltreatment and other traumas, including having to report suspected child abuse, will continue to be offered as part of our courses. The risk and protective factors associated with trauma, the associated outcomes, the populations most at risk, the interventions, screening, and procedures for reporting, are included, among other topics to prepare counseling students to work with those impacted by trauma and child maltreatment.              

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialty continues to add sites and require audio or video recording at all sites. Sites for internship include but are not limited to: Foxdale; Friend’s School; Young Scholars; State College High School; Shippensburg University; Bellefonte High School; Taking Flight; Mount Nittany Behavioral Health Center; Volunteers in Medicine; and Crossroads Counseling. In addition, new mental health services were offered in our school district.

The curriculum in CNED 510: Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Schools and Communities was completed. The curriculum now includes DSM-5 information and meets CACREP 2016 standards. Also updated were the textbooks, assessments, and activities of CNED 532: Diagnosis Counseling to expand opportunities to engage in the practice of diagnosis using the DSM-5 and ICD-10 codes. Information about evidence-based practices and the characteristics of specific medications was also expanded.

The School Counseling specialty is now fully compliant with CACREP 2016 Standards. The final number of credits is 61. School Counseling Credit hour requirements were 55 hours required. Now, students take 61 hours to meet PA Licensure requirements. The two additional 3-hour courses are electives. Changes were made to the student handbook and website by fall 2019.

School counseling revised both the elementary and secondary school counseling so that they now both qualify for the new Pre-K-12 school counseling certification in the State of Pennsylvania.  The introductory course (CNED 503) is now a combination of the old 503 (elementary) and 504 (secondary) introductory courses. The course now has a Pre-K-12 focus while still allowing some special elementary or secondary emphasis in assignments.  The School Counseling Internship (CNED 595E) is now a combination of 595E (elementary) and 595F (secondary) internships. Students in the new CNED 595E spend the bulk of their 600-hour internship in either an elementary or secondary site to give a full year experience with one group of students and one school, but they will spend additional hours sometime during the year in the alternate school level, giving them additional experience.   

The Herr Clinic facility has been updated so that all sessions are recorded using new digital recording technology, IVS. Clinic notes continue to be all electronic and processes have been updated to meet state and HIPAA guidelines.  Also, clients continue to use iPads for the intake and weekly assessments, like the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms. In addition, a new set of procedures were implemented regarding clients’ risk assessment.

Continue collaborations with local schools focusing on younger children. Both school and non-school counseling trainees can get experience counseling youth in the community as part of their practicum and internship experiences.

The monthly Specialty Coordinator’s meeting continues to share progress, advances, and potential concerns related to students, faculty, and the Counselor Education Program. The focus of the 2020 meetings will include ways to address the suggested topics for improvement described by respondents: Awareness of cyber footprint. Increase multicultural competencies, counseling skills, and qualitative research skills. Adding more preparation regarding the administrative demands in higher education and more training in the use of testing materials.

For more information on Counselor Education accreditation, please contact Dr. Carlos Zalaquett:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (814) 867-6252

Office address:

327A CEDAR Building
University Park, PA 16802

(Updated 1/2020)

RAM Fall 2022.pdf