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The ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Counseling Program is committed to providing a rigorous and comprehensive online program that prepares students to become compassionate, skilled, social justice-focused, and ethical counselors. We strive to foster a learning environment that is both supportive and challenging to prepare school and clinical mental health counselors to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to work with diverse populations and communities. Our program is committed to social justice and advocacy initiatives to foster diversity, inclusivity, and cultural humility, which are embedded within the courses and field experiences. We encourage our students to become leaders and advocates to positively impact their communities.

Counseling Program’s Core Objectives

These objectives are focused on preparing the student holistically for the profession of counseling:

• Counseling students will demonstrate a strong professional counselor identity through the completion of Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Assignments in each of the core courses that are designed to prepare students to form therapeutic relationships with clients/students.
• Graduate students in the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Counseling Program will acquire foundational knowledge centered around becoming culturally responsive counselors focused on social justice within the program through engagement in the curriculum, specifically the Multicultural Counseling and Social Justice course, and demonstrate these skills during practicum and internship through successful completion of KPIs in practicum and internship.
• After completing core courses, students will be able to apply the necessary foundational counseling therapeutic techniques through a theoretical framework within the helping relationship and demonstrate their knowledge through recordings and case conceptualizations.
• Throughout the program, students will be exposed to counseling research that is rooted in advocacy and leadership for advancing the program and advocating for clients/students, and through the evaluation of this research, students will create advocacy presentations focused on addressing the gaps in the research which impact underrepresented clients/students.

School Counseling Speciality Objectives

• School Counseling trainees will demonstrate their ability to support students in the K-12 setting to ensure student’s needs are met in the areas of academic, social/emotional (mental health), and career with an emphasis on support for students from diverse backgrounds through the use of needs assessments and data collection to create a comprehensive school counseling program (CSCP).
• Trainees will be able to support students’ social and emotional needs through the implementation of brief individual counseling, small group counseling, and classroom instruction utilizing the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to incorporate the Ohio State Board of Education (SBOE) K-12 Social and Emotional Learning Standards to acquire the five competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making).
• Acquire the foundational knowledge necessary to successfully pass the Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) that is required for licensure in the state of Ohio as outlined by Ohio State Board of Education.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Objectives

• Clinical Mental Health Counselor trainees will demonstrate their ability to support clients through engagement in core and specialty courses focused on developing the therapeutic relationship in connection to culturally responsive diagnosis and treatment through the completion of KPI assignments and will be monitored through supervision.
• Acquire the foundational knowledge necessary to successfully pass the National Counselor Examination (NCE), completion of courses as outlined in the program of study, and the requirements needed by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board to obtain licensure.
• Graduates will be able to utilize assessments and knowledge gained through the program to demonstrate effective diagnosis and treatment planning to support clients, as evidenced through case conceptualization and supervision.

Objectives for the Dual Specialization, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and School Counseling

• Clinical Mental Health Counselor trainees will demonstrate their ability to support clients through engagement in core and specialty courses focused on developing the therapeutic relationship in connection to culturally responsive diagnosis and treatment through the completion of KPI assignments and will be monitored through supervision.
• Acquire the foundational knowledge necessary to successfully pass the National Counselor Examination (NCE), completion of courses as outlined in the program of study, and the requirements needed by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board to obtain licensure.
• Graduates will be able to utilize assessments and knowledge gained through the program to demonstrate effective diagnosis and treatment planning to support clients, as evidenced through case conceptualization and supervision.
• School Counseling trainees will demonstrate their ability to support students in the K-12 setting to ensure student’s needs are met in the areas of academic, social/emotional (mental health), and career with an emphasis on support for students from diverse backgrounds through the use of needs assessments and data collection to create a comprehensive school counseling program (CSCP).
• Trainees will be able to support students’ social and emotional needs through the implementation of brief individual counseling, small group counseling, and classroom instruction utilizing the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to incorporate the Ohio State Board of Education (SBOE) K-12 Social and Emotional Learning Standards to acquire the five competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making).
• Acquire the foundational knowledge necessary to successfully pass the Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) that is required for licensure in the state of Ohio as outlined by SBOE.