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6 Offer quality graduate degrees and emphases.Accentuate graduate and professional programs that meet the education needs of the citizens ofNevada.Emphasize doctoral level research and organized research programs in counselor education.Provide undergraduate education programs and students with background knowledge and skillsrelated to counseling.Offer selected community and public service programs in counseling.Contribute to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge in counseling, and counseloreducation that will help improve society at the state, regional, and national levels.Reflect and respect the rich ethnic and cultural diversity of the citizens of Nevada in academicresearch and service initiatives.Licensure and CertificationFor the purpose of facilitating a smooth transition from the academic to the professional arena, the UNRCounseling Program has aligned curricular experiences and requirements with the State of Nevadalicensure entities and with certification with the National Board of Certified Counselors. The MFC programis aligned with eventual licensure as an LMFT; the CMHC program is aligned with eventual licensure as aCPC; and the School Counseling program is aligned with licensure as a Nevada School Counselor. Whilethe program makes every effort to align the curricular experiences with licensure, eligibility for licensure isa student responsibility and licensure is a relationship between the various boards and the individual, notthe academic program. Therefore, students are expected to be aware of licensure requirements andadjust their professional activities accordingly. The University of Nevada, Reno does not have theauthority to guarantee licensure to counseling graduates. In addition, students should be aware thatlicensure is a state-to-state process. Students interested in becoming licensed in other states should checkthe eligibility requirements of the other state early in their UNR academic program, and bring thisinformation to the attention of their academic advisor. When asked, advisors will assist students to aligntheir programs of study with other state licensure laws to the extent possible.The specific process and criteria for licensure in the State of Nevada as well as NBCC certification will bepresented in required counseling courses.

7PART II: PROGRAM OBJECTIVES, KEYPERFORMANCE INDICATORS, STUDENTDISPOSITIONS, AND STUDENT/PROGRAMASSESSMENT PROCESSESCounseling Program ObjectivesCounseling program objectives are built upon the program mission statement and are designed to bemeasurable. Student learning outcomes, shown in the syllabi for all courses, are identical to or reflect thecounseling program objectives.Program Objective #1: DispositionsFrom admission through exit students will demonstrate the attitudes, characteristics, and behaviors definedby the program as characteristic of exemplar counseling professionals.Program Objective #2: Ethical PracticeStudents will demonstrate the capacity to practice counseling from a strong foundational understanding ofethical and legal issues, intentionally integrating counseling ethical practices into day-to-day professionalactivities.Program Objective #3: Social and Cultural DiversityIn keeping with the ACA multicultural competencies, students will develop self-awareness, knowledge, andskills to prepare them to be contemporary, relevant, and culturally informed practitioners in clinical,marriage and family, and school counseling settings.Program Objective #4: Human Growth and DevelopmentStudents will demonstrate knowledge of lifespan development and the capacity to integrate knowledge ofdevelopmental theory into practice.Program Objective 5: Career DevelopmentStudents will demonstrate competence in understanding the world of work and the relationship betweenmental health and life roles such as work, school, and home.

8Program Objective #6: Counseling and Helping RelationshipsStudents will gain an understanding of the theories and research related to helping relationships, and willdevelop the skills to apply their knowledge in professional, therapeutic relationships.Program Objective #7: Group Counseling and Group WorkStudents will demonstrate knowledge of group process dynamics, group counseling, and group work,including group theories, stages of group, leadership styles, and therapeutic factors.Program Objective #8: Assessment and TestingStudents will demonstrate a broad understanding of validity and reliability of assessments, the selection anduse of assessment tools, client assessment and diagnosis, trauma assessment, and the assessment of selfinflicted harm and danger to others.Program Objective 9: Research and Program EvaluationCounseling students will demonstrate the capacity to select, analyze, and apply research to inform practice,including evidence-based practices and theory based interventions appropriate to their designated settingand personal theoretical orientation.Program Objective: Clinical Mental Health CounselingClinical Mental Health Counseling students will demonstrate an understanding of foundational knowledge(such as psychological testing), contextual factors (such as trauma, co-occurring disorders, poverty, andculture), and the demonstration of competence in clinical mental health fieldwork.Program Objective: Marriage, Couple, and Family CounselingMarriage, Couple, and Family counseling students will demonstrate an understanding of foundationalknowledge (such as family systems theory and assessment), contextual factors (such as trauma,intergenerational influences, and culture), and the demonstration of competence in the practice ofmarriage, couple, and family counseling.Program Objective: School CounselingSchool counseling students will demonstrate an understanding of foundational knowledge (such as modelsof school program development and school assessment), contextual dimensions (such as the roles of schoolcounselors, signs of substance abuse, and effective school leadership), and the demonstration of competencein the practice of school counseling.Note: Doctoral Program Objectives are located in the Counseling Program Doctoral Student Handbook

9Key Performance IndicatorsKey Performance Indicators (KPIs) are aspects of the Program Objectives that are being measured duringa given cycle. KPIs are directly associated with one or more CACREP standards, and are usually denotedas either a Knowledge measure (what you know) or a Skill measure (what you can do). Students must passall KPIs to graduate from the UNR program; successfully passing all courses will not lead to graduationunless all KPIs have been passed and other exit criteria passed or completed. (See Exit Criteria in thismanual.) KPIs for the core are noted in the following charts as well as in the relevant course syllabi.KPIs for the three program areas with be explained in program specific courses and are noted on coursesyllabi.CACREP standards covered in courses but not measured in this round of the assessment plan are notedunder the “Content” heading in course syllabi.Student DispositionsAs indicated in Program Objective #1, students are screened at admission and checked at gates to ascertaintheir demonstration of the following student dispositions. The dispositions below are agreed upon by theUNR counseling faculty as representing dispositions we desire in students because they will serve thestudents well in the professional counseling field.Conscientiousness - The ability to plan, deliberate, persevere, and demonstrate evidence of self-discipline,a strong sense of responsibility, and a preference toward planning.Self-Awareness - A conscious knowledge of one’s own traits, character, motive patterns, emotions, andbehavior, evidenced by depth of self-understanding.Coping and Self-Care - Engages in appropriate levels of self-care. Identifies and responds appropriately topersonal stress, burnout, situational impairment, loss, trauma, medical issues, and crisis. Uses positivecoping and stress management mechanisms.Interpersonal Skills - Engagement with the external world, capacity to interact effectively with others,energy in interpersonal relationships, and warmth. Capacity to demonstrate state extroversion. Ability todeal appropriately with conflict.Legal, Ethical, and Professional - Integration of professionalism and ethical standards into day-to-daybehavior. Behavior conveys the ability to judge the rightness or wrongness of actions and act upon thejudgment. Except in rare circumstances, upholds rules, policies, and laws.

10Emotional Stability - Ability to control negative emotions (such as anger and anxiety) and adopt a generallypositive perspective; effective management of psychological dysfunction and/or excessive emotionalreactions that could potentially interfere with professional functioning.Honesty - Academic honesty; reliable and truthful in dealings with others; engenders public trust.Critical Thinking - Demonstrates fairness in behavior toward others. Flexibility in problem solving and awillingness to abandon nonproductive strategies. Demonstrates the ability to analyze and synthesize.Openness - Tolerance for ambiguity; tolerance for the culture and lifestyle differences of others;imaginative; curious; open to new experiences; intellectually interested and engaged.Cultural Sensitivity – Behaviors that suggest tolerance for the culture and lifestyle differences of others;cultural sensitivity to the multiple possible factors that make up an individual’s identity; aware of one’s ownheritage and the impact on others.Cooperativeness – Behaviors that suggest cooperation, such as working well with authority figures; avoidinginappropriate competition or power struggles; accepting influence from supervisors and other experts; ageneral display of helpful behaviors; collaborative.Student/Program Assessment ProcessesThe dispositions above are assessed at five gates in the program:Gate 1: AdmissionsGate 2: Completion of Pre-Practicum, CEP 600, and Counseling TheoriesGate 3: Completion of PracticumGate 4: Completion of first semester InternshipGate 5: Program ExitStudents are given feedback on their performance on the student dispositions as well as KPIs at each gate.In addition, when dispositional issues arise between gates faculty file a form called aRed/Yellow/Blue/Green. This process initiates a faculty meeting to discuss the individual student anddetermine if the student needs additional support, remediation, suspension, or dismissal from the program.While some concerns require remediation, other concerns may require suspension or dismissal withoutremediation. The purpose of the gate checks is to give students early and ongoing feedback, as well as toprovide the counseling faculty with a process to screen the profession, per the ethical requirements of theAmerican Counseling Association.

11PART III: STUDENT EXPECTATIONS,REQUIREMENTS, AND POLICIESExpectations for Students1. Students are expected to follow the ACA code of ethics and the ethical codes of other relevantcounseling professional organizations and Nevada state law from matriculation to exit.2. Students are expected to undergo a self-designed program of growth and development—bothpersonal and professional-- while enrolled in the program. This could include participating inseminars, workshops, or other activities that contribute to personal and professional growth. Facultymay offer formal or informal suggestions, but students are expected to be dedicated to their ownpersonal and professional growth.3. Students are expected to show respect for cultural differences. Students have first amendmentrights and are encouraged to speak their opinions and engage in meaningful dialogue, but areexpected to do so in a way that respects the lifestyle and cultural differences of other students andfaculty.4. Though not all classes take attendance, students are expected to regularly attend classes and fieldexperiences.5. Students are encouraged to communicate with faculty directly when conflicts occur. It is expectedthat counseling students will avoid pulling other students into their conflicts. Similarly, when peerto-peer conflicts occur, professional behavior is expected of students.6. Students are expected to know and follow the policies and procedures in the Counseling StudentHandbook, as well as the policies and procedures of the University of Nevada, Reno and theGraduate Catalog.7. Students are expected to dress professionally when engaged in field site activities.8. Students are responsible for meeting deadlines, completing all UNR forms, and for making advisingappointments when they need assistance with advising. Faculty advisors are not responsible for anadvisee missing deadlines.9. Students are expected to engage in activities of professional counseling organizations while enrolledin the program.

12Matriculation PoliciesPer the graduate catalog, after admission students must maintain certain enrollment and certain academicstandards. Please see the Graduate Catalog for specific details on continuous enrollment and leave ofabsences policies.Policy for Retention, Remediation, and DismissalIn keeping with the ethical guidelines of the American Counseling Association and state counseling law,counselor education faculty are ethically mandated to screen the profession from students who showinadequate student competence or dispositional issues. (See Gate Checks). In some cases students will beinvited to remediate these issues, however, if the faculty deem that remediation is unlikely to be successfulstudents may be suspended or dismissed from the program for academic, dispositional, or field workproblems. In these situations student have due process available to them. See the Counseling StudentHandbook section on Appeals.Assigned AdvisorsAs indicated in your admittance letter, counseling students have an assigned advisor at all times during theprogram. Your advisor will help you develop your Program of Study. If you do not know the name of yourfaculty advisor, please ask the CEP Program Assistant.Professional Counseling OrganizationsStudents are expected to identify with the counseling profession by participating in professional counselingorganizations. See Exit Requirements.Exit Criteria for Graduation from the ProgramIn order to graduate from the UNR Counseling Program, students must meet the requirements of the UNRGraduate School and successfully complete the program requirements. Students are required to keep recordof their Exit Criteria Activities on the Exit Criteria Check list. Faculty signature is required for each activitylisted. The Exit Criterial Checklist is to be submitted with the Notice of Completion (discussed below) Theexit criteria are listed below:1. Completion of all required courses and field experiences (including 600 clock hours of Internship)with a B or Better grade point. A pass in Internship and a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 isrequired to graduate from the counseling program.

132. Passing all KPI and Dispositional Requirements. Regardless of grades in the course, students arerequired to pass all dispositional student learning outcomes, CORE student learning outcomes, andstudent learning outcomes for their specialty area. Students may not graduate from the programwith an unresolved “red” on the Red/Yellow/Green forms filed by faculty members. Students willbe required to earn at least “Expected Target” on all identified key performance indicators and keyassignments. These assignments are a sample of the knowledge and skill expectations of theprogram, and are aligned with the standards of the Counsel for the Accreditation of Counselingand Related Educational Programs (CACREP). If a student does not earn “Expected Target” theywill be given a remediation opportunity, asked to retake the course, suspended from the program,or dismissed from the program.3. CPCE Examination. The comprehensive content exam is the Counselor PreparationComprehensive Examination, which must be passed at the level required by the program. NCE,while important for licensure, is not the exam used for graduation from the program. The CPCEconsists of 160 items, multiple choice, with 17 items per the eight CACREP areas of: (1) Humangrowth and development, (2) Social and cultural foundation, (3) Helping relationships, (4) Groupwork, (5) Career and lifestyle development, (6) Appraisal, (7) research and program evaluation, and(8) Professional orientation and ethics. The CPCE is similar in content and format to the NationalBoard of Certified Counselor (NBCC) National Counselor Examination (NCE). The average scoreof the pool of examinees nation wide determines the CPCE minimum passing score. The exam hasa total possible of 136 correct answers. The examination fee for registering, scoring, and handlingis approximately 100 per student. The CPCE will be taken in the fall semester prior to Maygraduation. The program will send out an email with detailed information about registering for thetest. The fees are to be paid upon enrollment for the test. There is no “class” in which to enroll forthe semester students take the CPCE (Fall). If students are not successful in passing the exam, theywill be required to register, pay and take the test again in the spring semester. The NCE will bescheduled and offered in the Spring semester. Pending NAC changes considered, it is suggestd youtake the NCE at that time.4. Student Symposium. In the spring semester, prior to graduation, students will attend and presentat a symposium held by the UNR Counseling Program. The date for this event will be given tostudents as soon as possible. At this event, students will be required to create a professional posterpresentation. The topic of the poster should be something related to the student’s counseling track.The poster should include reseach and should use professional references. Students should beprepared to talk about their research poster with attendees. The posters will be evaluated by facultyand by the students’ committee members. There will be an informational meeting to orient studentsto prepareing and presenting a professional poster. All students applying applying for Maygraduation at the M.A. level must register for CEP 795 (1-3 credits) in the Spring semester in whichthey present at the symposium. Credits are determined by student need. Most students enroll in 1

14credit of CEP 795, however, sometimes it is necessary for students to enroll in more credits forfinancial reasons or to retain graduate standing.5. Membership in a Professional Organization and Professional Insurance. Beginning withenrollment in the course, Pre-Practicum in Counseling, students must be a member of aprofessional organization in counseling. Recommendations are ACA, ASCA, IAMFC, or AAMFT.Also required is professional liability insurance, generally available to members for a drasticallyreduced fee.6. Professional Organization Contribution. While enrolled in the program students are required (asan exit criteria) to make a contribution to a professional organization. Faculty recommendsactivities such as serving on a committee, assisting with a conference, or serving as a studentrepresentative. In lieu of this requirement, you may also co-publish an article with a facu

University of Nevada, Reno is fully accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, the official accrediting agency of most Western states. The University of Nevada, Reno was founded in 1874 as the State University of Nevada in Elko, Nevada, about 300 miles northeast of its present-day campus in Reno. The site for the university