COUNSELING PROGRAM MISSION

The mission of the University of Texas at San Antonio's Counseling Program is to prepare multiculturally competent professional counselors and counselor educators for south Texas and beyond who demonstrate the necessary counseling knowledge, skills, identity and scholarship, and for those seeking advanced studies, supervision and teaching competencies to enrich the quality of all peoples' lives. The program emphasizes creativity and diversity, as well as developmental and relational processes.

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.

School Counseling Objectives. In addition to the basic objectives previously listed, those completing the program with an emphasis in school counseling will:

• Demonstrate the ability to facilitate student development in the three broad areas described in the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) National Standards: academic development, career development, and personal/social development;
• Demonstrate knowledge of the role and function of the professional school counselor;
• Demonstrate leadership ability and advocacy skills in schools and communities to remove barriers to student learning;
• Demonstrate the ability to build collaborative partnerships with parents, agencies and community stakeholders for promoting access, equity and multiculturalism in all schools;
• Demonstrate expertise in working individually with culturally diverse students on educational, career, social, emotional, or personal issues;
• Demonstrate expertise in group work with culturally diverse students on educational, career, social, emotional, or personal issues that have an impact upon student achievement;
• Demonstrate the ability to consult with other professionals and administrators concerning the developmental needs of culturally diverse students;
• Demonstrate skills in developing a data-driven counseling program to meet the unique needs of culturally diverse schools;
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct research in culturally diverse educational setting.