CACREP Accreditation

In the field of mental health counseling programs, the accreditation most often associated is CACREP: Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program. In order for any organization to get CACREP accreditation, they must adhere to the standards set forth by the council.

The MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is designed to provide the tools for individuals to become qualified and trained clinicians.

Palo Alto University was accredited in January 2017 and received the maximum of eight (8) years CACREP accreditation.

The MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is a diverse and dynamic community dedicated to the development of highly effective mental health counselors, future leaders and innovators in the counseling profession. In and through its training of burgeoning counselors, the program strives to benefit society and reduce human suffering by promoting mental health, wellness, social justice, education, and vocational well-being.

The program is committed to five core values: creating and nurturing a diverse and inclusive learning community for all students, faculty, and staff; providing excellent education and clinical supervision for students; promoting healing and empowerment by addressing social privilege and oppression; generating knowledge through research and scholarship of the highest level; and providing services to the local, national and international community informed by science and scholarship.

• Outcome 1- Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice: Graduates will have internalized and integrated roles, responsibilities, and relationships of a professional counselor in alignment with ethical and legal standards of practice with a focus on serving as an advocate on behalf of clients to address systemic, institutional, architectural, attitudinal, disability, and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success. (CACREP Standards 3.1.c., 3.1.j., 3.1.d., WASC CC 1, ILO 7)
• Outcome 2 - Social and Cultural Diversity: Graduates will have developed an understanding of the effects of various socio historical and cultural factors on mental and physical health and wellbeing as well as strategies for identifying and eliminating barriers created by discrimination, oppression, implicit bias, and prejudices. (CACREP Standards 3.2.f., 3.2.i., WASC CC 1, 2, ILO 4)
• Outcome 3 - Lifespan Development: Graduates will have integrated an understanding of the theories of individual and family development across the lifespan including systemic, social justice, cultural, and environmental factors that affect lifespan development, functioning, behavior, resilience, and overall wellness. (CACREP Standards 3.3.a., 3.3.k., WASC CC 1, ILO 1, 5)
• Outcome 4 - Career Development: Graduates will have demonstrated the ability to apply theories and models of career development, counseling, and decision making to employ strategies for improving access to educational and occupational opportunities for people from marginalized groups. (CACREP Standards 3.4.a., 3.4.k., WASC CC 1, 4, ILO 1)
• Outcome 5 - Counseling Practice and Relationships: Graduates will have applied theories and models of counseling through essential interviewing, counseling, and case conceptualization skills and will have integrated a critical thinking approach to conceptualizing client development, presenting issues, and culturally relevant counseling strategies and approaches. (CACREP Standards 3.5.a., 3.5.b., 3.5.c., 3.5.g., WASC CC 1, ILO 2, 4, 5)
• Outcome 6 - Group Counseling and Effective Leadership: Graduates will have incorporated theoretical foundations of group work to become a group process facilitator and a positive force in achieving high levels of participation, cooperation and cohesion in group work across diverse counseling settings and with diverse client populations. (CACREP Standards 3.6.a, 3.6.b., 3.6.f., 3.6.h., WASC CC 1, ILO 2, 4, 5)
• Outcome 7 - Assessment and Diagnosis: Graduates will have acquired, refined, and demonstrated appropriate ability to assess diverse client issues for diagnosis and treatment planning using culturally informed approaches and assessments. (CACREP Standards 3.7.e., 3.7.k., WASC CC 1, 2, ILO 1, 2)
• Outcome 8 - Research and Program Evaluation: Graduates will have demonstrated the ability to critique research and evaluate client (and/or program) outcomes in order to incorporate evidence-based, culturally responsive, counseling practices in a variety of settings. (CACREP Standards 3.8.a., 3.8.b., 3.8.i., WASC CC 1, 3, ILO 1, 3)
• Outcome 9 CMHC Specialty - Professional Practice: Graduates will have acquired, refined, and demonstrated appropriate knowledge, skills, and dispositions to effectively assess, diagnose, and treat clients in a variety of settings as well as advocate for equitable care for the communities they serve. (CACREP Standards 5.a., 5.c., 5.d., 5.e., WASC CC 1, 2, 4, ILO 1, 2, 6, 8)
• Outcome 10 (MFCC Emphasis Only*) - Professional Practice: Graduates will have acquired, refined, and demonstrated appropriate knowledge, skills, and dispositions to effectively work with couples, families, and other systems in a variety of settings. (CACREP Standards 5.g., 5.h., 5.j., WASC CC 1, 2, 4, ILO 1, 2, 6, 8) *This outcome is required only for students who select the MFCC emphasis.