CACREP: The Need for a Mid-Course Correction

Since its inception in 1981, CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) has been AACD's (American Association for Counseling and Development) program accrediting agency. As of April 1991, 72 counselor preparation programs have earned CACREP accreditation. Recommendations to modify CACREP's standards and system of governance are made with the intention of increasing CACREP's influenceand making it accountable to the constituents it serves.     

An Assessment of the Perceived Relevance of the CACREP Standards

This study examined the extent to which the 1988 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) Standards were judged by counselor educators as relevant to the preparation of counselors. A majority of the 102 institutional representatives, regardless of whether they represented CACREP-accredited or nonaccredited programs that offered a master's degree only or a master's degree and doctorate and had few or many faculty members, judged the CACREP Standards to be crucial or important to accreditation. Respondents' judgments of the relevance of the CACREP Standards, however, differed significantly (p<.05) by numerical size of program faculty and by whether the program was CACREP-accredited or non-CACREP-accredited.     

An Emergent Theory of Gatekeeping Practices in Counselor Education

This article summarizes findings from a qualitative study involving 8 counselor educators who taught in master's programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Data analysis revealed an emergent theory of gatekeeping practices that includes 4 phases: preadmission, postadmission, remediation plan, and remediation outcome. The authors detail each phase and relate this process to counselor education. They outline implications of the findings for standards proposed by CACREP (2009) and American Counseling Association (2005) guidelines and offer suggestions for future research.     

Negotiating CACREP Accreditation Practices,Religious Diversity,and Sexual Orientation Diversity: A Rejoinder to Sells and Hagedorn

The authors write a rejoinder to Sells and Hagedorn's ( 2016 ) article, “CACREP Accreditation, Ethics, and the Affirmation of Both Religious and Sexual Identities: A Response to Smith and Okech,” which supports Smith and Okech's ( 2016 ) assertion that a dialogue examining the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs' accreditation practices pertaining to counseling programs in institutions that disaffirm/disallow diverse sexual orientation is germane. The authors articulate the common ground they share with Sells and Hagedorn while also highlighting areas of dissension.     

The Evolution of Specialties in the CACREP Standards: CACREP's Role in Unifying the Profession

This article explores the evolution of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs’ (CACREP's) accreditation of program area specialties and how CACREP's decision to accredit specialties as separate programs has affected the counseling profession's ability to view itself as a single profession. The article links the development of CACREP and its accreditation structure to other historical and political events occurring within the profession and includes documentation of CACREP's efforts to self‐correct through policy development that emphasizes counseling first and specialties second.     

Spirituality and Religion: The Ninth CACREP Core Curriculum Area

On the basis of the ACA Code of Ethics (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014) and ACA‐endorsed competencies, the ability to address spirituality and religion is a recommended skill set of counselors. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) addresses the “spirit” in the standards; however, in the training of students, additional focus could be placed on this competency. The authors introduce expert‐reviewed standards to be considered as a 9th core curriculum area of the CACREP Standards (CACREP, 2015 ) titled Spirituality and Religion .     

The Impact of the Accreditation Movement on One Counselor Education Program: Idaho State University

This article covers a 30-year-long relationship between the accreditation standards and the development of the counselor education program at Idaho State University. Specifically, accreditation's impact on the faculty members as they pursued doctoral study, the years following the approval of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Standards, and the current impact of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accreditation on the program are addressed.     

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs: Promoting Quality in Counselor Education

Much has changed for the counseling profession in the 30 years since the founding of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). CACREP, the primary specialized accreditor for the counseling profession, has been an influential participant in the growing recognition and professionalization of counseling. This article offers an overview of CACREP and accreditation and addresses some primary issues confronting CACREP, counselor preparation programs, and, in some instances, overall U.S. higher education.     

CACREP: Precursors,Promises, and Prospects

National accreditation of counselor education has taken on new meaning. The profession has a recognized accrediting body within the community of higher education. This article recounts the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) precursors, its founders' aspirations, and its prospects for influencing the professionalization of counseling as a discipline.     

Addiction‐Specific CACREP Standards in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Programs: How Are They Met?

In 2009, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) included training standards specific to addiction for clinical mental health counseling programs. This study surveyed CACREP‐accredited program coordinators to determine how addiction‐specific standards were addressed.     

The Pursuit of Quality: A Look Into the Future of CACREP

This is a look into the future of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). A brief review summarizes the context in which it will find itself in the next decade. Two primary issues that must be addressed should serve as the basis for changes. First, what are the societal needs that counselors will be required to address? Second, what preparation is appropriate for counselors to meet these needs? Suggested changes with supporting rationale are discussed for the preparation standards, the board structure, and relationships with other accreditation agencies. CACREP has made significant contributions to the counseling profession and to society.     

Multicultural Competence and Counselor Training: A National Survey

The extent to which practicing professional counselors perceive themselves as multiculturally competent and the basis for their training experiences in multicultural counseling have not been determined. This article reports the results of a survey on practicing professional counselors' perceptions of their multicultural competence and the nature of their pre- and in-service professional preparation in this area. There was no significant difference in self-perceived multicultural competence between graduates of Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited and nonaccredited programs. However, ethnicity was related to higher levels of perceived multicultural competence.     

Inclusion of Substance Abuse Training in CACREP‐Accredited Programs

Professional counselors and counselors‐in‐training continue to serve clients who have substance abuse issues, yet systematic training in substance abuse counseling is not available to many counselors. The authors investigated the extent to which students in programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP; 2001) are exposed to clients presenting with substance abuse issues and the relationship between state licensure or certification in substance abuse and the resulting perception of the need for the inclusion of substance abuse training in these programs. Three methods are presented for possibly including substance abuse training in CACREP standards.     

Spiritual and Religious Competencies: A National Survey of CACREP‐Accredited Programs

In this study of 94 Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)‐accredited counselor education programs, 69% of respondents reported their programs addressed spiritual and religious issues; however, only 46% of CACREP liaisons perceived themselves as prepared or very prepared to integrate material related to spirituality and religion in counseling into their teaching and supervision activities. In addition, only 28% of respondents viewed their colleagues as similarly capable of addressing these issues as a component of counselor preparation. The authors discuss implications for training and practice.     

1994 CACREP Standards: Will We Make the Grade?

This article presents a review of literature related to the process of accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, or CACREP, and identifies several areas of concern common to counseling programs seeking accreditation. A departmental case is then presented that describes how one program at a mid-size university addressed these concerns and completed a self-study.     

Graduate Training of Counselors in the Addictions: A Study of CACREP-Approved Programs

Results are reported from a survey of counselor education programs approved by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The survey focused on counselor training in the addictions.     

Incorporating Spirituality Into Core Counseling Courses: Ideas for Classroom Application

Recently, spirituality has received increased attention in the counseling field, and both spirituality and religion have been acknowledged as important aspects of multiculturalism. The role of spiritual and religious beliefs is mentioned throughout the Standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and guidelines for working with spiritual issues within various cultural paradigms are emerging. Nevertheless, many counselor educators seem unsure about how to infuse spiritual issues into courses. This article presents a rationale for inclusion of spiritual issues in counselor education curricula and provides activities to incorporate knowledge and skills for dealing with spiritual and religious diversity in CACREP core courses.     

An exploration of factors contributing to multicultural counseling self-efficacy in addiction counselors

A non-experimental, correlational survey design was used to explore relationships between counselor recovery status, training, and counselor demographic variables on multicultural counseling self-efficacy in addiction counselors (N = 283) using the Multicultural Counseling Self-Efficacy – Racial Diversity Form. A multiple-indicators and multiple-causes model analysis indicated significant differences based on race, multicultural education, and CACREP program attendance on multicultural counseling self-efficacy. Implications from this study and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Rethinking Multicultural Counseling: Implications for Counselor Education

This article looks at the current usage of the term multicultural counseling and analyzes the emerging concept by identifying the premises on which it is based. It explores the potential contribution of multiculturalism to the theory and practice of counseling. The current status of training in cross-cultural and multicultural counseling is briefly reviewed, and curricular content is suggested for upgrading the preparation of multicultural counselors in light of the new standards set by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Some concrete proposals toward implementing CACREP standards are presented.     

Spirituality,Religion, and CACREP Curriculum Standards

Survey data of the general population, counselors, and counselor educators indicate that spiritual and religious issues are therapeutically relevant, ethically appropriate, and potentially significant topics for counseling and counselor education in secular settings. In this article, the authors propose that a balanced, thoughtful inclusion of these topics in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) core curriculum areas is a reasonable and sound approach to preparing counselors to work ethically and effectively with these issues in secular counseling settings. Methods and examples for achieving this inclusion are presented for each of the CACREP core curriculum areas.