School of Education E-newsletter

by: Dr. George T. Williams, Coordinator

A historical milestone for the SOE Division of Counselor Education was the initial granting of CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) in July 2005 to The Citadel’s School Counseling Programs. Among the 22 school counseling programs seeking CACREP accreditation during CACREP’s July 2005 Board of Directors meeting, 15 were granted two-year accreditation and seven were granted eight-year accreditation. Ten of the 22 programs were seeking initial accreditation (including The Citadel) and among the 10 programs, five were granted two-year accreditation and five were granted eight year accreditation. The Citadel was one of seven master’s degree school counseling programs, among the 22 that was granted the maximum eight year accreditation through October 31, 2013!

A benefit for having CACREP accreditation is that it allows counseling candidates to register for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) Exam immediately upon graduation. The NCC Exam was offered for the first time on campus at The Citadel in April 2006 and will be regularly scheduled twice a year during the months of April and October.

All of the 15 school counseling candidates graduating from The Citadel in December 2005 and April 2006 have been hired in professional positions as either school counselors or career counselors! The three additional candidates who completed the program in May 2006 as certification-only candidates are also employed in a professional school counselor position! Graduate Tina Marie Ferguson (April ’06) and past president of GSCA (Graduate School Counseling Association) was the recipient of the Hirshey Award during Commencement April 30, 2006!

For the past six summers, two special topics courses, EDUC-587: DSM-IV-TR and EDUC-587: Assessment of Abnormal Behavior, have been offered for school counseling candidates and alumni choosing to complete the required coursework to meet the eligibility requirements to become Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) in the State of South Carolina.

For the past nine years at the beginning of fall and spring semesters, The Division of Counselor Education has offered Town Hall Gatherings for all school counseling candidates. These meetings have been co-sponsored by The Citadel’s GSCA and Alpha Tau Chi chapter of Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International. A wealth of information including meeting agendas, photos of school counseling candidates, PowerPoint slide shows and videos, and other professional events are included on the Division of Counselor Education website at: http://www.citadel.edu/education/academic_programs/counseling.html. Application to the ASCA (American School Counselor Association) National Model and the South Carolina Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program Model is online in a PowerPoint slide show and videos created by candidates as a class project for Dr. Wehrman’s EDUC-521: Program Planning, Management, and Evaluation in School Counseling, summer 2006 course.

The School Counseling Community Advisory Board serves as a liaison for the School of Education and convenes at least once a year on campus at The Citadel and offers guidance for adjusting the counselor education programs to best meet the needs of schools in the Lowcountry and state of South Carolina. The Board is chaired by the Division Coordinator of Counselor Education Programs and has a membership comprised of practicing professional school counselors, Citadel counselor educators and supervisors, professional school counselor leaders representing the Tri-Country area, professional organization leaders, a representative from the South Carolina Department of Education, a graduate school counseling candidate leader representative, and a representative from the South Carolina Board of Examiners for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Psycho-educational Specialists.

The Division of Counselor Education will sponsor the Third Annual Winter School Counselor Supervisor Orientation Workshop for Citadel Site Supervisors in January 2007. This two-hour workshop facilitates communications and expectations among Citadel faculty supervisors, school counselor supervised trainees, and contracted Citadel site supervisors.