School Counseling
SchoolCounseling@Denver's mission is to develop the next generation of school counselors into agents of change, embracing a holistic approach to meeting the academic, career and social/emotional needs of students from diverse backgrounds within the P–12 school system and throughout the communities in which they serve.
Learning Objectives
Core faculty — all graduates of CACREP accredited programs — grounds the SchoolCounseling@Denver curriculum in the following learning objectives, adopted from the 2024 Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards:
Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice – Students will be able to articulate the elements related to professional identity including; the history and philosophy of the counseling profession, the value of professional organizations, the need for legal and ethical practice, and advocating for the profession and clients that are served.
Social and Cultural Identities and Experiences – Students will demonstrate multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary for competency in working with a diverse population.
Lifespan Development – Students are able to demonstrate an understanding of development across the lifespan and the impact on normal and abnormal functioning.
Career Development– Students are able to utilize career development theory in the development of individualized and developmentally appropriate career development activities and interventions.
Counseling Practice and Relationships – Students are able to demonstrate the skills necessary to engage in an effective and therapeutic helping relationship.
Group Counseling and Group Work – Students demonstrate competency in preparing and facilitation of group counseling.
Assessment and Diagnostic Processes – Students demonstrate the ability to identify effective assessment strategies in order to facilitate treatment planning.
Research and Program Evaluation– Students will demonstrate an understanding of research methods to inform evidence-based practice.
School Counseling Focus– Students will demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply the foundations, contextual dimensions, and practice of school counseling as a specialty area, with emphasis on promoting the academic, career, and personal/social development of all P-12 students through data-informed school counseling programs.
Certification
The SchoolCounseling@Denver program can lead to licensure as a School Counselor. Please click here for more information on the process of obtaining licensure in the state of Colorado and to see whether this program meets licensure requirements in states other than Colorado.
To explore program outcomes and more, visit the SchoolCounseling@Denver Annual Report.