Warner School counseling programs are now among a handful of programs in New York State to receive accreditation from the national Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). According to Howard Kirschenbaum, chair, counseling and human development, about one third of the nation's counseling institutions have met the standards for accreditation. Warner doctoral programs in counselor education and supervision, and the doctoral offerings at Syracuse University, are the only two in New York State with CACREP accreditation. Two additional Warner master's level programs, one in community counseling and the other in school counseling, were also accredited.

"Our programs have always been of the highest quality," Kirschenbaum says. " Now they have also been measured against rigorous national standards. The process gave us an excellent opportunity to assess our own performance and make the kinds of mid-course adjustments that every program needs to stay current."

The accreditation process involved an extensive self-review and a CACREP evaluation of the review materials, followed by a team site visit. Founded in 1981, CACREP is a corporate affiliate of the American Counseling Association, designed to strengthen the counseling field by establishing and maintaining uniform professional standards. The criteria for evaluating programs were established as a result of input from educators, practitioners, and the public.

Schools with accredited programs agree to provide high-quality counselor training, continually evaluate their own performance, and revise curricula as necessary to respond to the changing needs of society and the counseling profession. The Warner School CACREP accreditations are valid for eight years, which is an indication of the strength of the program. Most programs are initially accredited for two years.

Go to Counseling & Human Development.