The mission of the Department of Counselor Education at Northeastern Illinois University is to provide a quality graduate education in Clinical Mental Health, Couple and Family, Rehabilitation, and School Counseling. Through a reflective, collaborative pedagogical approach, graduate students acquire transformative as well as culturally-sensitive knowledge and skills that promote personal, interpersonal, and professional development. The program trains graduate students to become skilled counselors in a diverse and changing world.

 mission and Objectives

  1. The Department of Counselor Education will recruit qualified applicants from culturally diverse backgrounds and will train counselors-in-training to be self-reflective, effective, and competent providers of services.
     
  2. Program faculty will endeavor to include the most current evidence-based and outcome-based research in their coursework.
     
  3. Syllabi will include current CACREP standards, as well as information from other sources to maintain an open and engaging curriculum that equips students to work in a variety of counseling settings.
     
  4. The Department will conduct program evaluations, including recommendations and feedback from advisory board meetings, employers, program faculty, and current and former students. The information obtained will be reviewed annually for program evaluation purposes and incorporated into the program as appropriate.

student Learning Outcomes

At completion of their training program, Counselor Education students will:

  1. understand ethical standards of professional counseling organizations in all program areas and credentialing bodies, and demonstrate application of ethical and legal considerations in professional counseling in a multicultural context;

  2. demonstrate the ability to integrate awareness, knowledge and skills in advocacy and social justice competencies within a multicultural counseling context;

  3. understand and consider the application of developmental theories across the lifespan, including ethical and culturally relevant strategies for promoting resilience, optimum development, and wellness;

  4. demonstrate understanding of career development in a multicultural setting and demonstrate the application of clinical interventions that consider the interrelationships among related life factors including work, well-being, mental health, relationships, and other life roles;

  5. demonstrate understanding and competent application of counselor characteristics, behaviors, interviewing, techniques and counseling skills that influence the helping relationship for diverse clients across the lifespan;

  6. demonstrate understanding and competent application of the dynamics, strategies, and conditions associated with effective group work with diverse clients in various counseling settings;

  7. demonstrate understanding of principles and practice of culturally-informed and ethical use of strategies for the assessment and diagnosis of mental and emotional disorders, academic/education, career, personal, and social development; and 

  8. understand how to critique research to inform culturally informed and trauma-sensitive clinical practice and demonstrate competent use of research methods, needs assessment, and program evaluation skills important to the counseling profession.

    Student Learning Outcomes for Each Program Speciality

  9. Students who are preparing to specialize as clinical mental health counselors will demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to address a wide variety of circumstances within the context of clinical mental health counseling.

  10. Students who are preparing to specialize as marriage, couple, and family counselors are expected to possess the knowledge and skills necessary to address a wide variety of issues in the context of relationships and families.

  11.  Students who are preparing to specialize as school counselors will demonstrate the professional knowledge and skills necessary to promote the academic, career, and personal/social development of all P-12 students through data-informed school counseling programs.

  12. Students who are preparing to specialize as rehabilitation counselors will demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to address varied issues within the rehabilitation counseling context. 

    Student Professional Counseling Dispositions

  13. Students demonstrate the interpersonal capacity and ability to relate to others in the appropriate and professional manner, as expected of professional counselors, including, receiving and giving feedback.