Mission
The mission of the Counseling Program at Governors State University is to train culturally competent professional counselors who possess substantive knowledge and skills to practice effectively and ethically in community, marriage and family, and school counseling settings. The nationally renowned faculty is dedicated to providing the highest quality of training and education as achieved through the integration of theory, research, cross cultural studies, social justice and advocacy as well as a strong emphasis on clinical practice. The Counseling Program is also committed to serving the local population with its diverse cultures by providing services and liaisons with community agencies and schools.
Goal and Objectives
The Goal of the Counseling Program is to prepare professional counselors with personal and professional integrity. This endeavor requires, at a minimum, institutional and departmental support, a programmatic structure meeting credentialing requirements, qualified faculty, and dedicated students. In order to help prepare students to enter the field of counseling, they will be provided with specialized curricular, experiential, supervisory, and professional experiences. These include coursework, practicum, internship, supervision, and opportunities for professional experiences.
Students are encouraged to attend workshops, conferences, and to work with faculty on presentations/research. Faculty and students are expected to participate in local, state, and national professional activities and associations such as the American Counseling Association (ACA), its divisions, branches, and its affiliate organizations. We encourage participation and contribution to seminars, workshops that contribute to personal and professional growth. In addition, the counseling faculties are dedicated to recruiting students from underrepresented groups and to educating future counselors on issues related to working with diverse populations.
Upon graduation from the GSU counseling program graduates should meet the following objectives:
Learn about the various aspects of professional functioning and identity, including: the history and philosophy of the counseling profession, professional roles and ethics, functions and relationships with other human service providers and the importance of ACA and its division, branches and affiliates.
Know literature related to the cultural context of relationships, issues, and trends in a pluralistic society.
Understand the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels through the application of theory, learning, personality development, and human behavior.
Understand the nature of career development and life factors that relate to career decision making, labor market information, career planning and career assessment.
Understand helping relationships as related counseling and consultation practices across the lifespan.
Learn group theory and group practice as related to dynamics, counseling theories, group counseling methods, and group approaches.
Understand individual and group assessment approaches and their utility in a pluralistic society.
Understand appropriate research methods (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, case study), statistical analysis,, needs assessment and program evaluation methodologies, as well as ethical concerns for conducting research and evaluating research in a pluralistic society.
Be able to use basic technology needed for academic excellence and professional use.
