GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Program Goals
The program emphasizes and models creativity and diversity while fostering developmental and relational processes through its relationship with the community, other university programs, and its students. Further, we strive to prepare student knowledge and commitment to the ethics of the profession and demonstration of application with multicultural and diverse populations.

Program Objectives
Graduates of the UTSA counseling program will have a basic knowledge foundation in the areas of legal, ethical, professional issues in counseling, social and cultural foundations, human growth and development, career development, helping relationships, group work, appraisal, and research and program evaluation. In accordance with UTSA counseling department’s mission and goals, graduates will also have a strong understanding of diversity issues and be able to address the needs of an increasingly diverse society.

Community Counseling Objectives. In addition to the basic objectives listed above, those completing the program with an emphasis is community counseling will:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of Community counseling including: roles, functions, credentialing, licensure and professional identity of community counselors;
• Demonstrate knowledge of policies, laws, legislation, reimbursement, right-to-practice and other issues relevant to community counselors in a culturally diverse society;
• Demonstrate knowledge of the roles of the counselor in various community settings; organizational and legal dimensions of those settings; and general principles of community intervention, consultation, education and outreach;
• Demonstrate knowledge of principles for diagnosis and the use of current diagnostic tools;
• Demonstrate knowledge of principles and models of biopsychosocial assessment and case conceptualization in a culturally diverse society;
• Demonstrate knowledge of program development and delivery to diverse populations, including prevention, support groups, parent education, career/occupational information and counseling, and self-help;
• Demonstrate knowledge of effective strategies for promoting client understanding of and access to community resources; modalities for initiating, maintaining, and terminating counseling services with diverse populations.