Master of Arts in Counseling
Candidacy

Determination of Candidacy
Evaluation for Clinical Fitness
Professional/Continuing Review

At Candidacy, the Department affirms your clinical potential and declares that you are a candidate for the degree. A student must have completed Candidacy before beginning Internship. There are several components to the Candidacy step:

1. Have two Student Fitness Evaluations Forms in departmental records
2. Completion of 12 graduate credits with a GPA of 3.0 or better
3. Completion of specific courses:
   
   Clinical Mental Health Counseling: CN 6150, CN 6253, CN 6354, CN 6355
   Marriage and Family Therapy: CN 7372
   
4. Maintained B average in your graduate work
5. Regular admission status
   Those admitted will have to complete a Change of Status application.
6. Submitted application for Candidacy
7. GRE or MAT scores are on file in the Graduate Office

DETERMINATION OF CANDIDACY

1. The faculty reviews the academic performance of the applicant. If all criteria have been met, the faculty proceeds with the clinical review. If academic criteria have not been met, the faculty recommends that candidacy be denied.
2. If academic performance is satisfactory, the faculty evaluates the clinical potential of the applicant by considering data from all sources, including the Graduate Battery and the Student Fitness Evaluation Forms. The faculty may also consider supporting statements and recommendations from professional counselors student colleagues or other informed persons. Strengths and weaknesses are identified and discussed with the applicant.
3. If, in the clinical judgement of the faculty, the applicant's weaknesses or problems would prevent his/her rendering the desired counseling or therapeutic care to a client, the faculty will recommend that the Graduate Council deny candidacy. If, in the clinical judgement of the faculty, the applicant could remedy the weaknesses or problems, the faculty may recommend that the Graduate Council approve candidacy effective upon the remediation of the weaknesses or problems as judged by the faculty. If, in the clinical judgement of the faculty, the applicant possesses the potential for rendering the desired counseling or therapeutic care to a client, the faculty will recommend that the Graduate Council approve candidacy.
4. The Graduate Council approves or disapproves requests for candidacy.

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EVALUATION FOR CLINICAL FITNESS

Students receive on-going evaluation of the quality of their academic performance in each course. However, faculty recognizes that student preparedness for clinical practice encompasses personal and interpersonal aspects in addition to the knowledge base required for competent practice. The faculty closely monitors student preparedness through regular evaluation of each student€„¢s clinical potential.
During each semester until a student completes Candidacy, the faculty evaluates each students clinical potential using the Student Fitness Evaluation Form. Sources of information for the evaluation include class experiences, student-teacher interaction, student-peer interaction and the Graduate Battery, a set of personality instruments taken by the student. The evaluation helps give the faculty and students a clear picture of student strengths and weaknesses.
Each semester faculty will complete one Student Fitness Evaluation Form on each student who has not completed Candidacy. A faculty member will meet with each student to discuss strengths, weaknesses, and clinical potential.

If deficiencies are identified that appear to limit a student€„¢s clinical potential, the faculty and student will develop a remediation plan. The remediation plan my include personal therapy, volunteer experiences, or additional training. If a student is referred for personal therapy as part of a remediation plan, it is expected that the student will sign necessary releases of confidential information to allow a faculty member to communicate with the therapist about the student deficiencies and progress through therapy.

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PROFESSIONAL/CONTINUING REVIEW FOR COUNSELING STUDENTS

The faculty makes every reasonable effort to facilitate a student's progress toward degree completion. Once candidacy has been granted it is anticipated that students will develop the skills necessary for rendering appropriate counseling or therapeutic care to their clients. However, if the Program Director identifies weaknesses or problems in a student at any time during their academic program and it is the clinical judgement of the full-time faculty that the student is not capable or does not have the potential for rendering the desired counseling or therapeutic care to a client, further enrollment will be denied until the student remediates the weaknesses or problems to the satisfaction of the faculty.
This policy is supported by the accepted codes of professional ethics of counselors and marriage and family therapists.

ACA (American Counseling Association) Code of Ethics (2005):

F.9. Evaluation and Remediation of Students

F.9.a. Evaluation
Counselors clearly state to students, prior to and throughout the training program, the levels of competency expected, appraisal methods, and timing of evaluations for both didactic and clinical competencies. Counselor educators provide students with ongoing performance appraisal and evaluation feedback throughout the training program.

F.9.b. Limitations
Counselor educators, throughout ongoing evaluation and appraisal, are aware of and address the inability of some students to achieve counseling competencies that might impede performance. Counselor educators

1. assist students in securing remedial assistance when needed,
2. seek professional consultation and document their decision to dismiss or refer students for assistance, and
3. ensure that students have recourse in a timely manner to address decisions to require them to seek assistance or to dismiss them and provide students with due process according to institutional policies and procedures. (See C.2.g.)

AAMFT (American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy) Code of Ethics (July, 2001):

3. Professional Competence and Integrity

3.3 Marriage and family therapists seek appropriate professional assistance for their personal problems or conflicts that may impair work performance or clinical judgment.

4. Responsibility to Students and Supervisees

4.4 Marriage and family therapists do not permit students or supervisees to perform or hold themselves out as competent to perform professional services beyond their training, level of experience, and competence.

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