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UW-River Falls Counseling Program Receives National Accreditation

CACREPFebruary 18, 2016 -- The national Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) recently announced a full, eight-year accreditation for the Master of Science in Education program in the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Mark Gillen, chair of the UWRF Counseling and School Psychology Department, said the accreditation is the result of more than six years of hard work from the program's faculty and staff to improve the program. It is the first time the program has received the national accreditation.

"We're very happy," Gillen said. "We knew we were making a better program."

For the last two years, Gillen said students have experienced new elective courses, practicum opportunities and a refurbished "flow" of classes as faculty collected data on the changes for the accreditation body.

"Students are excited about it," he said. "I've had students say they are proud to be a part of a program with such a rigorous curriculum."

CACREP sets the standards for the education of professional counselors, and this accreditation recognizes that the program substantially meets those national standards.

Obtaining the accreditation is a thorough and exhaustive process. It involved detailed examinations of the program's courses, and a site visit by an external peer-review team who scrutinized the program and the way it prepares future counselors.

Larry Solberg, dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies, said he was proud of the efforts made by the faculty and staff.

"This is a testament to the strength of our counseling program," Solberg said. "It recognizes the outstanding work of our faculty and the quality education we provide to our students."

The UWRF Counseling program's mission is to prepare school counselors who exhibit excellence in counseling practice and leadership, respect human dignity and cultural diversity in the broadest sense, and commit to lifelong personal and professional growth.

For more information, call Gillen at 715-425-3890.

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