Welcome to The College of New Jersey’s Department of Counselor Education Self-Study Report created for accreditation review by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling-Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This Self-Study was created during the 2011-2012 Academic Year and was captured on this CD in September of 2012.
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As you are aware, on July 1st, 2009, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) published the 2009 CACREP standards that took effect on that date. The new standards substantially changed the accreditation process for our current 48-credit masters-degree program in Community Counseling. Specifically, the capacity to re-accredit our Community Counseling program at the 48-credit level was eliminated.
As a faculty, we developed a plan for re-accreditation during this 2013 cycle under the newly released 2009 CACREP-standards. Specifically, we have expanded our Community Counseling options by developing them into two 60-credit programs, which will continue to lead to a Master of Arts in Counseling, namely: 1.) a program in Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling and Therapy (MCFCT), and 2.) a Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program. We feel that by expanding from two CACREP-accredited programs (in School and Community Counseling) to three CACREP-accredited programs (in School, Clinical Mental Health, and Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling) we are being responsive to the growing needs of our profession, as well as the professional licensure process in New Jersey.
In order to facilitate a timely transition, we gained college-level approval for the expansion of our current curricula as follows:
- The current “Community Counseling: Human Services” program (COUN_MA_03) was expanded to become a 60-credit program in Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling and Therapy (COUN_MA_06). With this application, we are seeking accreditation for this program under the 2009 CACREP-standards for Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling programs; and
- The current “Community Counseling: Substance Abuse and Addiction” program (COUN_MA_02) was expanded to become a 60-credit program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (COUN_MA_07). With this application, we are seeking accreditation for this program under the 2009 CACREP-standards for Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs.
THE TIMELINE IN WHICH THESE CHANGES HAVE OCCURRED:
SUMMER OF 2010: Working with Records & Registration, we created new program planners for these 60-credit MA programs, which we released in August of 2010.
FALL OF 2010: We requested that all currently fully-matriculated students in the Community Counseling programs (COUN_MA_02 or COUN_MA_03) inform us about their plans in regards to these changes (Please see “OPTIONS for the Fall of 2010” below). Also, in the fall of 2010, we mailed out forms for Community Counseling students to complete and return to the Department that served as an Informed Consent about these changes in our Community Counseling programs.
SPRING OF 2011: The Department of Counselor Education admitted its first classes under the new 2009 standards described above in the spring of 2011. Therefore, after the Fall of 2010 we no longer admitted students into the 48-credit MA programs in Community Counseling.
OPTIONS for the Fall of 2010:
Two options for students who were enrolled in the 48-credit Community Counseling programs in the Fall of 2010 were provided:
- Complete the 48-credit degree program requirements by May of 2013 in order to graduate within the timeframe remaining for our current Community Counseling CACREP-accreditation status. It was explained to students that they may also choose to complete the same 48-credit degree program, plus 12 additional credits, to have the 60-credits needed for licensure during (or after) their current program of study; or
- Choose to switch to one of the new 60-credit programs in the fall of 2010, with the understanding that we would be seeking CACREP-accreditation status for these programs in the 2013 re-accreditation cycle.
We have recognized that students may have a number of questions pertaining to these changes in our programs, and in light of these expanded options, we have strongly encouraged them throughout the process to meet with their advisor to plan their program of study.
Additionally, although there have been some important adjustments in terms of our curriculum offerings in the School Counseling program in response to the new 2009 standards, this program will remain as a 48-credit graduate program, which is in-line with the 2009 CACREP standards, as well as the certification standards for school counseling in New Jersey.
Lastly, in order to develop a comprehensive, systematic student learning outcomes assessment plan in relation to the 2009 CACREP program area standards, the Department faculty created an online E-Assessment system through the use of course management software (called “SOCS” – Simple Online Course Software) that was developed locally by instructional technology personnel at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). We pilot tested this system during the Fall of 2011, and in the Spring and Summer of 2012. This online E-Assessment system is fully-implemented as we begin the Fall 2012 semester. It should be noted, however, that the College is planning to transition to Instructure Canvas in the Fall of 2013, which has been chosen to replace SOCS as the college’s official learning management system. Canvas will be available to all instructors for Fall 2013 courses. Importantly, Canvas does not have an assessment component (like SOCS) and therefore the School of Education (for its NCATE and CACREP assessment needs) will be implementing a new online assessment system in the Fall of 2013 (e.g., TK20). The Department will keep CACREP abreast of any changes to our assessment system as these processes unfold in AY 2012-2013.
Following is a complete listing of all of pages in the Self-Study:
Contact information for the Department of Counselor Education’s CACREP liaison:
Mark S. Woodford, Ph.D., LPC, MAC
Chair, Department of Counselor Education
The College of New Jersey
2000 Pennington Road
Ewing, New Jersey 08628
Email: woodford@tcnj.edu