Doctoral Program Mission

Our CACREP-accredited doctoral program in Counselor Education and Counseling is dedicated to advancing the field of counselor education and supervision through rigorous scholarship, innovative andragogy and supervision, and active engagement with leadership and advocacy. Our mission is to cultivate the next generation of leaders in counselor education and supervision who will shape the future of the counseling profession via transformative learning experiences, mentorship, and scholarly inquiry. 

We believe it is also our mission to:

• instill a strong sense of professional identity as counselor educators, supervisors, social justice advocates, and researchers,
• help students gain an understanding of the rich history and knowledge base in counselor education,
• facilitate expertise in the skills of teaching, supervision, advocacy, and research,
• aid students/graduates in their initial job placement as a counselor educator,
• teach and perform research applicable to the practice of counselor education, supervision, and counseling,
• aid students in developing lifelong cultural humility and its integration into their roles as counselor educators and supervisors. 
• The Department of Counseling also has a mission within the Kasiska Division of Health Sciences, College of Health, which is to represent the mental health perspective within the Division and to consult with Division faculty and departments, encouraging a holistic perspective for health care services.

Doctoral Programs Objectives

The Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Counseling is designed to prepare graduates for work in counselor education programs. The major emphasis of this program is to prepare graduates for a career in university teaching, supervision, and research in counseling programs.

Counselor education and counseling students at Idaho State University will be:

• Prepared to teach courses in counseling skills and counseling theories.
• Prepared to supervise counselors and counseling students via individual/triadic and group supervision across all counseling specialties (i.e., CMHC, CRC, MCFC, SA, and SC).
• Prepared to teach selected courses in one or more of the CACREP counseling specialty areas.
• Prepared to teach selected courses within 3 of the CACREP core areas.
• Prepared to evaluate counselor education programs and counseling sites.
• Knowledgeable of professional issues in the field of counselor education and the profession of counseling.
• Knowledgeable of ethical issues and practices in the field of counselor education and the profession of counseling.
• Experienced in developing and conducting qualitative and quantitative research.
• Experienced in writing for professional publications.
• Experienced in the advisement and mentorship of master’s level counseling students.
• Knowledgeable and skilled in providing advanced clinical counseling skills.
• Knowledgeable and integration of sociological manifestations of cultural diversity, intersectionality, and positionality and the roles and duties of a counselor educator.