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Should I Attend a CACREP accredited program for my Master’s in Counseling?

cacrep accreditation

In your search for the right Master’s in Counseling program, you’ve probably seen schools advertise that they have a CACREP-accredited program. But what does that mean exactly, and how important is it? Below, we hope to answer all your questions about CACREP accreditation and whether Corban University’s CACREP-accredited MA in Counseling might be the right fit for you!

What is CACREP?

CACREP (which stands for the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) is a nationally-recognized accrediting body that offers accreditation to graduate-level counseling programs. Programs with the following specializations can be accredited by CACREP:

  • Addiction Counseling
  • Career Counseling
  • Clinical Mental Health Counseling*
  • Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling
  • College Counseling and Student Affairs
  • Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling
  • School Counseling

CACREP also accredits doctoral programs in Counselor Education and Supervision.

*Corban’s MA in Counseling focuses on Clinical Mental Health Counseling

What does it mean for an institution to be CACREP-Accredited?

You’ll probably hear schools talk about two different kinds of accreditation: institutional accreditation and specialized accreditation.

Institutional accreditation—as its name suggests—looks at the institution as a whole. Curriculum, credit hours, faculty qualifications, and the university’s operations and financial viability are all taken into consideration. Institutional accreditation recognizes that an academic institution has met the standards set by its accrediting body. There are six regional accrediting organizations in the United States; these are overseen by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Specialized accreditation, on the other hand, applies to specific programs within an institution, often professional preparation programs at the graduate and post-graduate level. Specialized accreditations signify that a specific program is meeting or exceeding standards established by a profession. They ensure that a program will offer students a quality education that sufficiently equips them for licensure and/or their career. CACREP falls into this second category, as it accredits programs designed to prepare students for a profession in counseling.

Upon being evaluated by CACREP, an individual program is granted accreditation for either an 8-year cycle or a 2-year cycle.

Why attend a CACREP-Accredited program?  

CACREP-accredited programs come with a host of benefits: 

  1. They meet or exceed national and professional standards. A CACREP-accredited program has been evaluated against standards set by the counseling profession. The number of credit hours, rigor of student internships and practicums, expertise of faculty, and professionalism of the program have all been reviewed and found to be in alignment with best practices and professional standards. You’ll graduate knowing you’ve been prepared for licensure as well as your career in counseling.
  1. They create a more direct path to licensure. Many states will conduct a review of your academic credentials as a part of the licensing process. Because of CACREP’s nationally recognized status, most state exam boards recognize the work students have completed in their CACREP programs. By graduating from a CACREP program, your academic work will most likely be recognized when you apply for licensure. View your state’s requirements.
  1. They prepare you for professional counseling. If your goal is to enter professional counseling, as opposed to other helping professions or careers in psychology or education, a CACREP-accredited program will likely be the best fit, as it’s designed to prepare you for counseling in a professional setting.
  1. They use and continue to pursue best-practices. To be considered for CACREP accreditation, programs undergo rigorous self-review and create a detailed self-study report. This self-directed evaluation demonstrates a program’s commitment to pursuing excellence. You can be sure that you’re investing in a program that values quality.

What can I expect from a CACREP-accredited program?  

  1. Core Faculty. You can expect CACREP-accredited programs to be taught by faculty who hold full-time positions in an academic institution, as opposed to part-time or adjunct faculty.

Corban University’s counseling faculty each have significant clinical experience and various specializations, including marriage and family therapy, play therapy, depression, PTSD, anxiety, intimate partner violence, and bipolar and personality disorders, to name a few. With advanced training in counselor education, they are passionate about equipping counselors to offer hope, encouragement, and support to each client. 

  1. Curriculum and Content that Meet Professional Standards. You can be sure that the required coursework of a CACREP-accredited program will meet standards set by the counseling profession, based on empirical research, best practices, and ethical guidelines.
  1. Practicum and Internship. CACREP-accredited programs will require a certain duration and rigor for the student practicum and internship experiences. Practicums (which precede the internship) must have a duration of a full academic term. After completing the practicum, students will be required to complete 600 clock hours of an internship.
  1. Preparation for a Profession in Counseling. You can expect a CACREP-accredited program to equip you for a profession in counseling, from gaining hands-on experience in your practicum and internship, learning from the wisdom and experience of faculty who have spent years in the field, and honing knowledge and skills directly related to your future career goals.

We hope the above is helpful as you pursue your Master’s in Counseling!

Learn more about CACREP

Learn more about Corban University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program

Corban is a private university with an 80-year history of educating Christians to MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Situated on a beautiful forested hillside overlooking Oregon’s capital, Corban is only an hour from Portland, the Cascade Mountains, and the Oregon coast. Academic excellence at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, as well as online, prepares students for careers as business leaders, educators, medical professionals, politicians, ministry leaders, and more. Expert faculty, a tight-knit community, and opportunities for local and global engagement provide for students’ growth both in and beyond the classroom.