SUNY New Paltz’s graduate programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling are now accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), which signifies that the programs meet national quality standards and best practices developed by established experts in the counseling field.
CACREP is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as a leading indicator of quality in counselor education programs nationwide.
Students who earn degrees from CACREP-accredited programs gain access to job opportunities that are not available to other counselors. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is an example of a major employer that only hires Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) who have graduated from CACREP-accredited programs.
Credentials from accredited programs are also more portable, making it easier for graduates to relocate and get certified and/or licensed in other states.
Programs earn accreditation through a rigorous process of demonstrating that they cover knowledge and skill areas that are appropriate and relevant to modern best practices. CACREP-accredited programs also must show that they require students to complete a set number of clinical contact hours working in real-world scenarios with clients.
The CACREP Board approved a two-year provisional accreditation for New Paltz’s Counselor Education program, which went into effect in March 2021.
“This big achievement could not have been accomplished without the help of Professors Jonathan Raskin, Jonathan Rust, Michael Gayle, Adam Stephens and David Bright, as well as the support of the administration at SUNY New Paltz,” said Melanie Hill, director of the Counselor Education program.
Any alumni who graduated from the Counselor Education program since July 16, 2018, have been grandparented in and can benefit from having graduated from a CACREP-accredited program.
Interested in learning more about CACREP accreditation? Here are a few additional resources to get you started:
- “What is CACREP accreditation?” (Best Counseling Degrees, April 28, 2021)
- Student Frequently Asked Questions (CACREP.org)
- “How important is CACREP accreditation?” (Best Value Schools, May 7, 2021)
More information about SUNY New Paltz’s graduate program in Counselor Education is available at this link.
