Welcome to the Department of Counseling
The Department of Counseling offers CACREP-accredited master's degrees in Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, and Student Affairs Counseling. In addition, we offer a specialist degree in Counseling and a CACREP-accredited doctorate in Counselor Education and Counseling.
The Mental Health Counseling major leading to the Master of Counseling degree and the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Counseling are also offered at the ISU-Meridian Health Science Center.
Department Mission Statement
The principle mission of the Department of Counseling is to prepare quality counselors for various settings in Idaho and the nation. More specifically, we seek to prepare quality School Counselors for public schools in K-12 settings, Marital, Couple and Family Counselors and Mental Health Counselors for community agencies and other mental health settings, and Student Affairs Counselors for working in college settings such as advising, residence halls, and career centers.
We prepare doctoral level counselor educators and supervisors to serve as faculty members in counselor education programs, counselor supervisors in various settings, doctoral level counselors, leaders in higher education and counseling organizations, and scholars.
We believe it is also our mission to:
- instill a strong sense of professional identity in students,
- help students gain an appreciation of the rich knowledge base in counselor education,
- develop student expertise in the skills of counseling,
- aid students to become certified and/or licensed,
- aid students/graduates in their initial job placement,
- teach and perform research applicable to the practice of counseling, and
- aid students in understanding the diversity of views and cultures within our profession and the environment in which counselors practice.
The Department of Counseling also has a mission within the Kasiska College of Health Professions which is to represent the mental health perspective within KCHP and to consult with KCHP faculty and departments in encouraging a holistic perspective for health care services.