ACADEMICSDepartment Mission Statement
The Process
The Counseling and Educational Psychology Department seeks to provide educational excellence in a personal and professional environment by challenging and supporting individual and professional development; teaching from a knowledge base grounded in counseling research; affirming diversity of ideas, values and persons; upholding the highest of ethical principles in professional conduct; and maintaining a partnership with institutions and communities within the region. We will maintain accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and will continue our service through providing educational psychology instruction in the areas of human development, psychological and educational assessment, learning theories, and application of psychological principles to education.
The Product
Graduates will be competent, proactive professional counselors; knowledgeable, ethical, and skilled in their selected fields; flexible and comprehensive in their approach; adaptable to the needs of the people they serve; and effective in meeting those needs. They will be leaders and advocates for human development and effective living within their families, schools, institutions, and communities.
The Impact
We serve and our graduates will have an impact on the residents of the West Georgia region, the State of Georgia, and beyond. Those served by the graduates will become more effective contributors to the whole of society by increasing their educational competencies, progressing in their career development, developing skills for resolving personal problems and improvement in their family interpersonal relationships.
School Counseling Program Mission Statement
The mission of the school counseling program is to educate Professional School Counselors. Through leadership, advocacy, collaboration, use of data, and action, our graduates will be competent at identifying and removing barriers that impede equal access to educational and career opportunities for all students. We are committed to educating Professional School Counselors skilled in needs assessment who are effective counselors and strategic brokers in providing equal resources and support for all students, when needed; and who believe in and are dedicated to high academic achievement, career success, and personal/social development of all students.
Community Counseling Program Mission Statement
The mission of the Community Counseling program is to prepare skilled and knowledgeable professional counselors for work in a variety of community and agency settings. Our program is CACREP Accredited and is designed to meet educational requirements for Georgia licensure. Our graduates will be ethical, reflective practitioners competent in serving a diverse population. We are committed to the delivery of excellent client services, to understanding and respecting human diversity, to ethical and social responsibility, and to leadership in the counseling profession. Students will:
- demonstrate ability to facilitate client growth, development, and coping within individual and/or group settings
- demonstrate understanding and upholding of ethics and standards of practice endorsed by the counseling profession
- demonstrate understanding of and respect for human diversity
- demonstrate ability to use a variety of theories, therapeutic interventions, assessment tools, and communication skills to assist clients.
- develop an identity as a professional counselor
Educational Psychology Mission Statement
The teachers, counselors, speech and language specialists, and educational administrators who take our courses will be:
We will assist educational professionals in developing as reflective persons who, when confronted with the challenges of educational reform and transformation, will take steps to systematically assess needs and develop programs that meet those needs.
