By University Communications
Tuesday, 03 28 2023

University’s three graduate counseling programs accredited by CACREP 

SAN ANTONIO — Texas A&M University-San Antonio (A&M-SA) has earned accreditation for its College of Education and Human Development’s (COEHD) three graduate Counseling programs by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). A&M-SA joins two other San Antonio universities and six other Texas A&M University System institutions on this elite list of programs. 

“Earning full CACREP accreditation of all three counseling specialty areas housed in the COEHD is a monumental achievement,” said Dr. Amy Lewis, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Development. “I am proud of the hard work of my colleagues in the Counseling, Health and Kinesiology Department under the leadership of Dr. Stephen Lenz, who have been working toward this goal for several years. External accreditation recognizes the quality of our programs and students and the hard work of our faculty and staff. We are excited about the opportunities this accreditation will offer our students.” 

Beginning this path to excellence in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) crafted a body of standards and documents of guidance for accreditation that provided the opportunity to offer voluntary accreditation via extensive internal reviews of institutions and their programs. Texas A&M University-San Antonio houses one of CACREP’s 374 accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs, one of 50 accredited Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling programs (one of only two in South Texas), and one of 269 accredited School Counseling programs. 

“This accreditation disposition is the product of a multi-year effort by A&M-SA faculty, staff, alumni and students to develop and deliver a curriculum that is consistent with the highest standards of knowledge attainment, skill development and practice-based preparation for entry into the counseling profession,” stated Dr. Stephen Lenz, professor and department chair of Counseling, Health and Kinesiology. “It is also an indicator of our programs’ stability and a signal of promising things to come by way of our ability to bridge mental health provider shortages in San Antonio and our neighboring communities.” 

CACREP’s core areas of counselor preparation recognized within accredited institutions and programs are professional counseling orientation and ethical practice, social and cultural diversity, human growth and development, career development, counseling and helping relationships, group counseling and group work, assessment and testing, and research and program evaluation. Each of these areas encompasses fundamental knowledge that is critical for excellence in the counseling profession. Receiving this accreditation offers assurance that these programs have met and surpass the highest standards of educational quality and experiential preparation. A CACREP accredited program offers degree recipients portability for licensure in other states, offering wider reach of professional opportunity. 

“We have a lot of knowledge between all these leaders in the Counseling program, and the faculty members who are very well qualified,” said Dr. Mohamed Abdelrahman, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “Our CACREP accreditation is a testament to our investment into the quality of our faculty and support for our students within the program. This is one step towards us maturing as an institution.” 

The announcement of the CACREP accreditation of Texas A&M University-San Antonio’s three graduate counseling programs arrived within the same week as the announcement of the College of Business accreditation from AACSB.

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About Texas A&M University-San Antonio
Established as a stand-alone university in 2009, Texas A&M University-San Antonio is a comprehensive four-year public university that reflects the culturally diverse, heritage-rich community it serves. Situated on nearly 700 acres in South San Antonio, the University offers 37 undergraduate degrees and 19 graduate degrees to more than 7,300 students. A&M-San Antonio is home to the Henry G. Cisneros Institute for Emerging Leaders and the Cyber Engineering Technology/Cyber Security Research Center. The University holds the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation and is one of only 30 higher education institutions in the U.S. to have received the Seal of Excelencia certification from Excelencia in Education for its support of Latino student success. More than 77 percent of A&M-SA students identify as Hispanic, and approximately 60 percent are the first in their family to attend college. A&M-San Antonio is a military-embracing institution and was recognized as a Military Friendly® School for 2023-2024, receiving a Silver ranking. Visit tamusa.edu for more information. #onamission