The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) has been the national accrediting body for professional counseling since 1981. Accredited Programs provide the following to students: recognition that the program has been evaluated and meets or exceeds national standards knowledge that the graduate has met prerequisites for credentialing and is ready for entry into professional practice understanding that the focus of the program will be on professional counseling, not psychology, education or other helping professions Graduating from a CACREP accredited program is important for a number of other, practical, reasons. For students wishing to become Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC):Several states have begun the process of requiring graduation from a CACREP accredited program in order to be eligible for licensure as a counselor. For example, the licensure law in Ohio states that starting in 2018 applicants for licensure will have to have graduated from a CACREP program in order to be eligible. Currently, in order to be an approved counselor for TRICARE (the military medical system) you must be a fully licensed counselor (LPC) who has graduated from a CACREP accredited Masters program and who has qualified to be a Certified Clinical Mental Heath Counselor (CCMHC). Other federal agencies also specify CACREP in their hiring requirements, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Army Substance Abuse Program. Effective January 1, 2022 a Masters degree from a CACREP accredited Masters program will be required in order to obtain any certification issued by the National Board of Certified Counselors. These certifications include National Certified Counselor (NCC), Certified Clinical Mental Heath Counselor (CCMHC), Master Addictions Counseling (MAC), and National Certified School Counselor (NCSC). The New Jersey state statute regulating licensure as an LPC in New Jersey is based on the CACREP standards and graduating from a CACREP program speeds up the licensure process. For students wishing to become a certified school counselor, the New Jersey Administrative code is based on the CACREP standards and any school counseling student who graduates from a CACREP program will get certified. Midcycle Program Evaluation Report 2023 CACREP Annual Assessment Report 2022-2023
