The Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) just announced the official accreditation of Trevecca’s three graduate counseling programs: Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.A.), Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling (M.M.F. C/T.) and Counseling Education and Supervision (Ph.D.). CACREP is dedicated to providing leadership and promoting excellence in professional preparation through their accredited programs at various universities. While the graduate counseling programs have been accredited before, this is the first time they have been accredited by CACREP.

Trevecca began the accreditation process with CACREP four years ago. Peter Wilson, director and professor of graduate counseling, noticed many states are beginning to require that graduate counseling programs be CACREP accredited. While it is not yet required in the state of Tennessee, Wilson believes that it likely will be someday.

“I wanted Trevecca’s counseling program to be ahead of the curve,” he said. “The decision was made four years ago … to ensure the strength of the program and to encourage continued interest in our programs.”

Trevecca is only the third university in Tennessee to achieve CACREP accreditation for the Ph.D. in Counseling Education and Supervision, but it is the first faith-based university in the state to receive it.

The process included the submission of a comprehensive program self-study, a visit in January 2015 by a peer review team, and corresponding follow-up reports. The university’s accreditation is extended through October 2017.

“It has been a time-consuming and difficult process, but the long-term benefits to the program have been worth the efforts required to achieve this milestone," Wilson said. "I am so pleased that our graduates will be in a better position to enter the professional work of counseling after graduation.”

--Trevecca Nazarene University