Department of Counseling

Mission Statement and Program Objectives

Mission Statement

The Wake Forest University Department of Counseling prepares exemplary counselors to serve humanity - Pro Humanitate.

We provide a rigorous intellectual climate and a supportive atmosphere for personal and professional development to a diverse student body in order to prepare professional counselors who

Vision Statement

The Wake Forest Department of Counseling aspires to be a dynamic and engaging academic community that...

Program Objectives

Common Program Objectives
The objectives of the Wake Forest University Counseling Department correspond to the mission statement.

We provide a rigorous intellectual climate and a supportive atmosphere for personal and professional development to a diverse student body in order to prepare professional counselors who

Acquire knowledge and skills to practice effectively and ethically:
  1. Educate students to be highly skilled and competent counselors first and counseling specialists second.
  2. Ensure excellence in curricular experiences in all eight common core areas of CACREP: professional identity, social & cultural diversity, human growth & development, career development, helping relationships, group work, assessment and research & program evaluation.
  3. Transmit currency and diversity in the presentation of theoretical approaches so that students might begin to develop personal models of counseling and consultation.
  4. Seek to encourage habits of mind that ask “why,” that evaluate evidence, that are open to new ideas, that attempt to understand and appreciate the perspectives of others, that accept complexity and grapple with it, that admit error, and that pursue truth.
  5. Instill an understanding of ethical and legal issues in counseling and a commitment to practicing within those parameters.
  6. Prepare students to work the most effectively with diverse populations.
Possess a deep awareness of themselves and of their impact on others:
  1. Remain small in size in order to function as a community of learners in a cohort environment with collegial relationships between faculty and students.
  2. Enable students to develop their fullest potential through a transformation process that challenges the student intellectually, emotionally and professionally.
  3. Promote personal growth by providing experiences that encourage self-examination and an openness to the perspectives of others.
  4. Emphasize the appreciation and celebration of the similarities and differences of others.
Commit to the compassionate service of humanity and foster the well-being of people at the local, state, national and international level:
  1. Produce counselors who believe in the potential and worth of all human individuals and who are committed to removing barriers that impede those potentials.
  2. Teach the importance of advocacy, social responsibility and the rejection of hatred and bigotry in any form.
Value professional diligence and life-long learning:
  1. Understand the necessity of practicing ethically, staying current, and using an evidence-based conceptual framework for work with clients.
  2. Develop an awareness of the need for life-long learning and the value of continuing to seek opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Excel as community leaders, advocates and practitioners:
  1. Encourage students to become actively involved in professional organizations such as ACA (American Counseling Association) and NCCA (North Carolina Counseling Association) and Chi Sigma Iota.
  2. Illustrate by faculty example the importance of leadership in professional organizations and in school and community settings.

School Counseling Program Objectives
In addition to the common program objectives outlined previously, students in the school counseling track will be expected to successfully complete the following:

  1. Students will engage in a continuous process of monitoring their growth and development as school counselors through reflection and self-evaluation and will utilize opportunities to obtain feedback from peers and supervisors.
  2. Students will develop attitudes, knowledge and skills to design, deliver and evaluate school counseling programs that are integral and supportive parts of the school’s mission.
  3. Students will learn to work effectively with the system of people who affect the lives of children such as parents, teachers, administrators, community service providers, legislators and others. They will learn to assume appropriate leadership roles.
  4. Students will acquire knowledge and skills required for the functions of a school counselor who advocates for children. Those include counseling, coordinating, collaborating, consulting, case management and design of a program that includes the guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services and system support.
  5. Students will demonstrate their ability to use multiple sources of data and make appropriate use of technology.
  6. Students will understand and appreciate the present and future needs of a pluralistic society and roles of schools and school counseling in enhancing the well being of children in the world.

Community Counseling Program Objectives
In addition to the common program objectives outlined previously, the Community Counseling Program has the following additional objectives:

  1. Provide students with a comprehensive understanding of community counseling from the foundations of community counseling through its current status and trends.
  2. Prepare students for the multidimensional roles of community counselors in various settings with opportunities to develop various strategies for development, implementation and /or evaluation of diverse community counseling programs.
  3. Assist students in recognizing diverse populations served in community counseling settings, where specific services are offered and methods of service delivery. The program will prepare students to incorporate assessment, diagnostic, care planning, closure, referral and advocacy skills pertinent to client needs.

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