Mission and Objectives for Clinical Mental Health Counseling
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Mission Statement
The mission of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Kent State University is to prepare research-informed, ethically sound, and multiculturally responsive Licensed Professional Counselors in a diverse and ever-changing society. We seek to a deliver the high-quality education required by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) and to prepare students/graduates to meet the requirements of the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSW&MFTB) to become Licensed Professional Counselors.
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program Objectives
The objectives of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Kent State University are to prepare students/graduates to:
- engage in extensive practica experiences in an on-site counseling facility that utilizes multiple levels of supervision;
- engage in a minimum of four semesters of supervised clinical experiences designed to effectively work with clients from a multicultural and pluralistic society;
- demonstrate knowledge in assessment, group work, career development, helping relationships human growth and development, social and cultural diversity, research, and program evaluation, and professional orientation and ethical practice;
- meet the academic components required by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board to be eligible to sit for the current licensure assessments;
- understand legal and ethical standards and practice in a legal and ethical manner (KPI 1);
- understand and demonstrate multicultural responsiveness (KPI 2);
- demonstrate a strong counselor identity (KPI 3);
- demonstrate strong clinical skills in case conceptualization, diagnosis, and treatment planning (KPI 4, KPI 8, KPI CMHC 1);
- understand and demonstrate sound counseling skills and techniques within a theoretical framework in both individual and group counseling (KPI 5, KPI 6, KPI 7);
- understand the importance of research in advancing the counseling profession including how to critique research to inform counseling practice (KPI 9); and
- effectively work with crisis, trauma, suicide, and at-risk clients (KPI 10).