Area Goals

As Counselor Educators in the Educational Psychology Department at The University of Texas at Austin, we are committed to providing graduates with knowledge necessary to provide effective, evidence-based prevention and intervention services in academic settings in a diverse society. Our curriculum addresses the following components*:

1. Developing a professional identity as a counselor and knowledge of the ethical mandates of the profession.
2. Developing the awareness, knowledge and skills essential for competence in multicultural counseling and program development in educational settings.
3. Utilizing a developmental perspective for applying evidence-based prevention and intervention programs on their campuses.
4. Applying models of career assessment and development to ensure a link between the world of school and the world of work.
5. Understanding models of helping skills at multiple levels on a campus including wellness and prevention programming, counseling and consultation.
6. Developing group counseling skills to facilitate groups in the promotion of student success and social-emotional learning.
7. Understanding assessment principles to select, administer and interpret appropriate assessment strategies on campuses, as well as to interact with assessment professionals in the community.
8. Understanding principles guiding research and program evaluation in counselor education to enhance their ability to provide evidence-based services in schools and institutions of higher education.

* Although not accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the core competencies described above have been influenced by those developed by this Council.

The program has two concentrations of study: school counseling and higher education counseling.  Students in the school counseling concentration are trained to become K-12 school counselors in public and private schools. Graduates with a higher education concentration work in a variety of student affair roles in institutions of higher education.

We are committed to counseling excellence through scholarship, self-reflection, collaboration and practical experience. We encourage leadership and advocacy in making system level changes on campuses to promote success for students in today’s schools. Students and faculty work together in a learning community dedicated to advancing the field of counseling by adhering to the professional and ethical standards promoted by the American Counseling Association. We foster the belief that learning continues beyond graduation through participation in research and membership in professional organizations.

The Counselor Education curriculum in Educational Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin meets the educational requirements for licensure as an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) and for certification as a School Counselor in the State of Texas.