SMU's M.S. in counseling

[derekream]

I am applying today for SMU's M.S. in counseling. I wanted to know of any opinions out there, or some facts other than them not being CACREP accredited I need to know about. Would this program also allow me to teach psychology courses at a 2-year college after graduation? What is the employment status like from people from the M.S. program?

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[zoelee]

Hi Derek,

I came across this post of yours, and wonder where you ended up. I'm also looking at SMU v.s. UNT's Counseling Master's degree. I also have the same concern regarding SMU not being accredited.

If you do see this, would you please let me know? Thanks!

 

[Justanothergrad]

Hi Derek,

I came across this post of yours, and wonder where you ended up. I'm also looking at SMU v.s. UNT's Counseling Master's degree. I also have the same concern regarding SMU not being accredited.

If you do see this, would you please let me know? Thanks!

CACREP is of limited utility in my opinion. I respect the idea behind the accreditation process for it, but it has a unique set of limitations that restrict it's use and the veracity of the claim that unaccredited programs are of lesser quality. This has been particularly evident within counseling psychology programs that are dual degree ( MA and PhD terminal) with APA and professional psych organizations pushing back against it pretty hard. Not many (if any) of the faculty I know in counseling phd programs consider the accreditation status through cacrep when thinking about students and whether up they want to accept them.your best predictor of the quality of both is where they consistently get students into for doc programs, assuming that is your goal.

 

[sfgucadoc]

I am applying today for SMU's M.S. in counseling. I wanted to know of any opinions out there, or some facts other than them not being CACREP accredited I need to know about. Would this program also allow me to teach psychology courses at a 2-year college after graduation? What is the employment status like from people from the M.S. program?

CACREP is much more prevalent in other parts of the country. Here in Texas, we don't see it as much, though that's changing.

BUT if you EVER want to work for the VA, then you should find a CACREP-accredited program. No LPC/LPMHC can be hired in VA as a staff counselor or complete an internship in VA unless they are from a CACREP program.

I foolishly thought APA accreditation wasn't necessary because I was in a faculty position already. And I was going to stay at my UC campus forever, so CAPIC was "good enough." You know where this is going - I ended up leaving UC and California for an AMC in Texas. Not having the APA-accredited internship is a HUGE deal.

Moral: Don't paint yourself out of the picture at VA and possibly other large government agencies. I'm sure the SMU program is excellent but there are several CACREP programs in North Texas that are also public (e.g., UNT, TWU, UT Tyler), so they won't deflate your wallet as much. SMU's CACREP program accreditation is "In process" according to the CACREP website. If you are determined to go to SMU, I would want to know when their accreditation is expected to be finalized. VA rules are that you must have graduated from a CACREP program, so SMU would need to be accredited before you graduate to qualify for VA jobs.

Best of luck!

 

[Justanothergrad]

BUT if you EVER want to work for the VA, then you should find a CACREP-accredited program.

Just for sake of clarify I'll repeat/add something.

The above may be true if you want to work as a LPC/LPMHC (I don't know) in the VA. This is not true if you want to earn a PhD and want to be a psychologist because CACREP is irrelevant to that training because CACREP is not a psychology accreditation - it's counseling, but not 'counseling psychology'.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

CACREP is an organization that is slowly pushing Psychology out of training for masters-level practice. Its a shame that CACREP accreditation, but no equivalent or alternative accreditation, is required for the VA. That limits opportunities for both parties.

Aside from that, CACREP should not be a significant barrier to practice in almost all states.

 

[zoelee]

thanks sfgucaoc. Yes UNT's counseling PH.D offered by the psychology department is APA accredited. But they don't offer Master's. Only Ph.Ds. Their College of Education offers master's in counseling, but that program is not accredited, otherwise their webpage would've mentioned it.

What SMU offers is all evening /weekend classes, 5 semesters per year, so one can graduate a lot quicker. For UNT, I'll almost have to quit my job (many courses during the day, and it's 45 minutes drive one way).

BTW, is APA = CACREP?
Is VA - veteran association?

 

[sfgucadoc]

thanks sfgucaoc. Yes UNT's counseling PH.D offered by the psychology department is APA accredited. But they don't offer Master's. Only Ph.Ds. Their College of Education offers master's in counseling, but that program is not accredited, otherwise their webpage would've mentioned it.

What SMU offers is all evening /weekend classes, 5 semesters per year, so one can graduate a lot quicker. For UNT, I'll almost have to quit my job (many courses during the day, and it's 45 minutes drive one way).

BTW, is APA = CACREP?
Is VA - veteran association?

VA is the Department of Veterans Affairs. They are the largest employer and trainer of psychologists in the country. LPC's are relatively new to VA but more are being hired and new LPC internships are opening.

APA is not the same as CACREP. APA accredits doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, school psychology and some combined programs. CACREP accredits master's in counseling and doctoral programs in counselor education.

According to the CACREP website (cacrep dot org), UNT has a CACPRE-accredited master's in Dallas. Whether you pursue a master's or eventually go on to a PhD, you should ALWAYS check the website of the accrediting agency to ensure you really are going to an accredited program. Some schools will shade how they talk about their accreditation status so best to go to the source - the accrediting agency. For example, a certain professional school in Dallas said they were pursuing accreditation for their PsyD but either did not or were unable to achieve accreditation. Leaving their students high and dry with big debt and an unaccredited doctorate.

I would look at the websites for all the CACREP-accredited programs in Dallas to ensure you make the best decision for yourself financially and logistically.

Best of luck.

 

[zoelee]

Great! I'll check their websites! thanks for your help sfgucadpc, I surely appreciate it.