PAU’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Earns Full Eight-Year CACREP Reaffirmation
Palo Alto University is celebrating a major milestone. The Counseling Department’s M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program has earned a full eight-year reaffirmation of accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), continuing the program's status through October 31, 2033.
The reaffirmation represents the highest level of the full accreditation cycle awarded through CACREP’s review process and follows a comprehensive evaluation under the 2024 CACREP Standards. After reviewing the program’s self-study, the site review team’s report, and PAU’s response, the CACREP Board determined that the program fully complied with its Standards and Policies.
Donya Wallace, PhD, served as PAU’s CACREP liaison throughout the review process and saw firsthand the level of detail required to demonstrate how the program meets those standards.
“A review like this asks us to demonstrate, in detail, how the program is working across curriculum, clinical training, assessment, and student support,” Wallace said. “Having that work affirmed through this process is incredibly meaningful.”
Counseling Department Chair Donna Sheperis, PhD, sees the decision's significance extending beyond accreditation itself.
“CACREP accreditation is the gold standard for the quality of education within the counseling profession,” Sheperis said. “It tells our students that they are coming from a program that has been evaluated against the most rigorous standards our profession has set for educating emerging clinicians.”
What Accreditation Means for Students
Counseling is a licensed profession, which means students are preparing for more than graduation. Throughout the program, students move from classroom learning into supervised clinical experiences through practicum and internship while developing the professional knowledge, judgment, skills, and self-awareness expected of counselors.
CACREP establishes national standards for that preparation.
For graduates, accreditation also provides a recognizable indication of what their education included as they navigate licensure requirements. Those requirements vary by state, making accreditation particularly important for students who may eventually practice in different parts of the country.
But Sheperis believes the most important part of counselor education cannot be captured by a checklist.
“You don’t just get a degree in counseling. You become a counselor,” she said. “There is a transformation that happens through a counseling program. From day one, we want students to understand what they are learning, what is expected of them, and who they are becoming.”
A Different Program Than Eight Years Ago
This is PAU’s second CACREP accreditation cycle. When the program first went through accreditation, it was still relatively young. This time, CACREP reviewed a more established program after years of growth and development.
Today, approximately 540 students are enrolled in the program, representing approximately 64% growth since the period surrounding PAU’s initial accreditation. Faculty has grown at a similar rate.
The review also encompassed both of PAU’s delivery formats: one primarily delivered in person and one primarily delivered digitally.
The scale of the digital program has expanded the communities PAU can reach while allowing the department to bring together faculty with a wide range of clinical specialties, professional experiences, and research interests.
“What stands out is how significantly this program has grown while continuing to deliver the high-quality education and clinical preparation our students deserve,” Chung said. “Sustaining that level of excellence amid such growth is an important accomplishment for the program and for PAU.”
“Maintaining that quality during a period of growth,” Sheperis said, “depends on constant attention to the student experience.”
“Our faculty and staff are thinking about this every day: How are our students progressing? Where do they need more support? How do we make sure they are prepared when they move into practicum and internship? How are we supporting the optimum development of license eligible clinicians who will serve vulnerable populations in California, across the United States, and internationally?”
The Work Behind Accreditation
Although accreditation reviews occur periodically, the work they evaluate happens continuously.
Faculty and staff assess student learning, monitor progress, examine curriculum, support students through challenges, evaluate readiness for clinical experiences, and use what they learn to strengthen the program.
CACREP also recognized the role of institutional support in sustaining educational quality and congratulated those involved in PAU’s successful review process.
Interested in exploring PAU’s M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling?
Learn more about the curriculum, clinical training, admissions, and what makes PAU’s program distinctive.
