Accreditation status recognizes College achievement in delivering successful program, curriculum and student experience
University of Phoenix announces that the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is granted programmatic accreditation of the Online Master of Science in Counseling/Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MSC/CMHC) program for a full eight-year term by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The accreditation establishes that the MSC/CMHC program purpose, curriculum, and overall student experience has been evaluated and demonstrate substantial compliance with the CACREP Standards and Policies.
Mental health counseling remains an in-demand and highly visible field, with employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors projected to grow 19 percent from 2023 to 2033. Master’s degrees such as the newly accredited MSC/CMHC program prepare practitioners to meet patient needs, take on leadership roles, and advance clinical mental health practices.
“Mental health needs across the country continue to grow,” states Christina Neider, EdD, dean, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “Clinical mental health counselors save lives. They bring experience, healing and hope to their clients and communities. Accredited programs like ours elevate the experience of online learning for counselors in a practical, flexible and accessible virtual space while they are contributing to their local communities.”
CACREP accredits master’s and doctoral degree programs in counseling and its specialties that are offered by colleges and universities in the United States and throughout the world.
After the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences completed a voluntary, intensive self-study, site visit and program evaluation, the Online Master of Science in Counseling/Clinical Mental Health program was granted programmatic accreditation by the CACREP.
“We built this program to give our counseling students a dynamic, community-driven, learning experience,” shares Sheila Babendir, EdD, LPC, associate dean in the College. “Earning accreditation is a huge win. This accreditation reinforces our vision and commitment to offer a meaningful, hands-on experience that helps future counselors grow in this critical field.”
The mission of the Master of Science in Counseling/Clinical Mental Health Counseling is to prepare confident, competent and reflective clinical mental health counselors how to clinically assess and treat clients coping with anxiety, depression, abuse and more with a professional disposition and with demonstrated knowledge and skills in all of the following areas:
- Professional counseling orientation and ethical practice
- Social and cultural diversity
- Human growth and development
- Career development
- Counseling and helping relationship
- Group counseling and group work
- Assessment and testing
- Research and program evaluation
Furthermore, students who are preparing to specialize as clinical mental health counselors will demonstrate foundational knowledge and skills necessary to address a wide variety of circumstances within the context of clinical mental health counseling practice. The digitally delivered format of the online program does require two in-person residencies and one digital synchronous residency.
University of Phoenix focuses on career-relevancy for working adults, and provides a Skills in Weeks® approach that includes courses, programs, and skills assessments and achievements, as well as robust records of student degrees, validated skills, and digital badges. The University offers a variety of career-focused solutions, headlined by its Career Services for Life® commitment and including the Career Navigator® platform, all of which bring together tools in a user-friendly interface where students and alumni can easily learn about various career options, plan their next steps, assess their skills, schedule career advisor appointments, and explore job opportunities that align with their program and goals.
The University’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences offers students access to faculty that possess an average of 28.3 years of professional experience. The current College faculty includes 11 police chiefs, 32 clinical directors, 113 counselors, 47 psychologists with 28 mental health counselors serving as core faculty in the MSC/CMHC program.
About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, skills-mapped curriculum for our bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and a Career Services for Life® commitment help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.
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"We built this program to give our counseling students a dynamic, community-driven, learning experience."
Contacts
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sharla Hooper
University of Phoenix
sharla.hooper@phoenix.edu
