SHU’s Mental Health Counseling Program is Accredited

Online program prepares counselors for inpatient, private practice, federal agencies and more

Sacred Heart University’s clinical mental health counseling program has earned accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Since the creation of the Farrington College of Education & Human Development’s (FCEHD) clinical mental health counseling program three years ago, faculty and staff have been diligently collecting data and reports to submit to CACREP to prove it meets the organization’s standards. According to CACREP’s website, “In order to become accredited, a counselor education program must fulfill certain requirements or standards with regard to institutional settings, program mission and objectives, program content, practicum experiences, student selection and advising, faculty qualifications and workload, program governance, instructional support and self-evaluation.”

SHU’s online, 60-credit, two-to-three-year program received the agency’s seal of approval for the next eight years, the longest amount of time a program can go without re-evaluation. “It’s the gold standard,” said Sara Connolly, FCEHD associate dean.

Accreditation from CACREP enables students from across the nation to enroll in the exceptional counseling program. Students will benefit from the accreditation through more streamlined licensure applications in many states and increased job opportunities for independent practice through some federal agencies. Graduation from a CACREP-accredited institution is also important to many doctoral programs in counselor education.

“Earning CACREP accreditation for the clinical mental health counseling program is the culmination of years of effort by so many people at SHU, including our students,” said Missy Wheeler, clinical mental health counseling program director. “This accreditation signals to the public, counseling professionals and other counseling educators that our program meets the training standards expected of future counseling professionals. For our Farrington College of Education & Human Development, this accreditation means our online program is deemed stable, innovative and high-quality. As a counseling professional, I am proud that Sacred Heart’s program received this recognition and that our faculty is receiving our peers’ acknowledgment that we have developed a program of this caliber.”

Students in the clinical mental health counseling program take courses online, and they are required to be on campus for two week-long residencies to build and refine their counseling skills under faculty supervision. At the end of the program, students complete field experience in a clinical mental health setting.

Not only do students receive the content knowledge to be outstanding counselors, but they also receive practical, hands-on experience in the field, Wheeler said. SHU faculty members supervise students in the field to ensure they are supported while learning. The program prepares students to work as counselors in inpatient facilities, private practices and other settings.

“We offer students the opportunity to explore their interest in the field while being mentored by faculty members who are leaders,” Wheeler said. “They are invested in the success of our students and provide mentoring to help them reach their professional goals, develop their counseling professional identity and prepare for practice outside their formal schooling.”

Visit the clinical mental health counseling webpage to learn more.