Department of Counselor Education

The Department of Counselor Education offers students advanced programs of study in school counseling, clinical mental health counseling (generalist practice or substance abuse and addiction specialization) and marriage, couples and family counseling and therapy.  As a unit within the School of Education of The College of New Jersey the department embraces the mission of Creating Agents of Change, the overarching goal of the Conceptual Framework of the Professional Education Unit at the College.

Since becoming the first program in the state of New Jersey to be accredited by the *Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the department has striven to maintain national accreditation status for the Master of Arts (MA) programs in counseling.   These highly regarded programs stress theory and practice, assessment and treatment, ethical, legal and professional issues, and a strong commitment to cultural diversity, tolerance, and human rights.

In addition, the department offers a 21 semester hour graduate program to prepare students to be eligible for the Substance Awareness Coordinator Certificate in the public schools in New Jersey, and a 24 semester hour Post Master's Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) Degree Program in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Why Study Counseling at TCNJ?

*On 1st July 2009, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) published the 2009 CACREP standards that took effect on that date.  The new standards substantially changed the accreditation process for the 48-credit masters-degree program in Community Counseling.  Specifically, the capacity to re-accredit Community Counseling programs at the 48-credit level was eliminated. 

PLEASE NOTE: This does not change our current Community Counseling accreditation status. We are fully-accredited with CACREP in both the School Counseling and Community Counseling programs through 2013 (and, as has been our practice, we will continue to seek re-accreditation through CACREP for our MA counseling programs).

Additionally, although there have been some important adjustments in terms of our curriculum offerings in the School Counseling program (CPSA) in response to the new 2009 standards, this program will remain as a 48-credit graduate program, which is in-line with the 2009 CACREP standards, as well as the certification standards for school counseling in New Jersey.

As a faculty, we developed a plan for re-accreditation in 2013 under the 2009 CACREP-standards.  Specifically, we have expanded our Community Counseling options by developing them into two 60-credit programs, which will continue to lead to a Master of Arts in Counseling.  One is a program in Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling and Therapy (MCFCT) and the other is a Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program.  We feel that these changes will facilitate future CACREP-accreditations, and be responsive to the growing needs of our profession, as well as the professional licensure process in New Jersey.

In order to facilitate a timely transition, the Department gained college-level approval for the expansion of our current curriculum as follows: 

• The “Community Counseling: Human Services” program (CPSE) has been expanded to become a 60-credit program in Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling and Therapy.  We will seek accreditation in 2013 for this program under the 2009 CACREP-standards for Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling programs.  We have submitted documents to the state licensure board that describe how graduates from this 60-credit program will have met the educational requirements for licensure as both a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in New Jersey.

• The “Community Counseling: Substance Abuse and Addiction” program (CPSD) has been expanded to become a 60-credit program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. We will seek accreditation in 2013 for this program under the 2009 CACREP-standards for Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs.  We have submitted documents to the state licensure board that describe how students within this program will be able to choose to take electives in addiction counseling that would meet the educational requirements for licensure as both a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in New Jersey.  Likewise, if students are interested in general practice as a mental health counselor, then they may pursue the same by taking a variety of elective courses with their core mental health counseling coursework.  This general practice option would meet the educational requirements for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in New Jersey.

We recognize that students may have a number of questions pertaining to these changes in our programs.  In light of these expanded options, if you are currently enrolled student, we strongly encourage you to meet with your advisor individually to plan your program of study.