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A nationally accredited program


SUNY Plattsburgh is one of nine Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs accredited colleges and universities programs in New York State.

Counselor Education Department


We offer a nationally accredited CACREP program in clinical mental health counseling. The program received CACREP accreditation in 2008 and is accredited through October 31, 2029. This program satisfies all the academic requirements leading toward professional licensure as a mental health counselor.

Benefits of National Accreditation


National accreditation means high standards, translates into immediate benefits to you in terms of future employment and an enhanced counseling student status.

Our department has an outstanding faculty of five full-time counselor educators with years of experience in each of their specialties.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Counselor Education at SUNY Plattsburgh is to educate persons to become professional counselors and educators who have the commitment, knowledge, skills and self-awareness to offer quality counseling and advising, developmental and prevention services to individuals, groups and families in educational and community settings. The Department of Counselor Education is further dedicated to preparing professional counselors who have a working knowledge of ethical standards of practice, have developed cultural self-awareness and skills for working effectively with diverse populations, and have committed to ongoing professional development.

Counseling Program Philosophy

The comprehensive counseling programs combine theoretical and applied approaches to serving clients. Courses in all of the programs provide a balanced selection of academic and experiential education, with an emphasis on reflective practice of skills. The programs prepare professionals to help people develop their resources to resolve problems, to make decisions and to facilitate growth and development.

Counseling Faculty Perspective

The counseling program faculty recognize and stress:

  1. The importance of a multifaceted approach to the preparation of counselor candidates, emphasizing knowledge and skills about self, processes and content in counseling interactions.
  2. An open stance on counseling approaches rather than providing specialization in any one point of view.
  3. Candidates to become professionals in the broadest sense of the term. This includes preparing candidates to take their places as fully contributing members of the counseling profession and of society as a whole.
  4. The inter-relatedness of the individual, the family and social systems.
  5. Excellence in teaching, supervision of students’ clinical practice and scholarly work and faculty advisement.

***Graduates of the Counselor Education Program at SUNY Plattsburgh are eligible to sit for the National Counselor Exam (NCE). Passage of the NCE is a requirement for recognition as a National Certified of Counselor (NCE). Counselor certification is overseen by NBCC.

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