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Program Mission, Program Objectives & Learning Outcomes

Guiding Principles (Mission/Vision/Values) 

Stephens College Mission

Inspired by its founding commitment to women’s education, Stephens College prepares students for lives of leadership, creativity, and impact through personalized, experiential education rooted in care, mentorship, and professional engagement, cultivating graduates who act with purpose and empower others. 

Stephens College Vision

Stephens College will be known as a transformative educational institution that turns potential into purpose by centering partnership in its teaching, operations, and community engagement, creating a future where individuals, communities, and organizations grow together to meet the challenges and opportunities of a changing world. 

Mission: Stephens College Counseling Program 

The mission of the Stephens College Counseling program is to prepare ethically, culturally, and clinically competent professional counselors through evidence-based curriculums that address counseling skills, theory, technique, professional counselor identity, wellness, cultural competence/social justice, and ethics. Program graduates are well prepared to work in a pluralistic society serving diverse students and clientele within and across public and private schools and mental/behavioral health systems and organizations. 

Values (Ten Ideals): Stephens College 

Ten Ideals 

The Stephens College Counseling Program upholds the Ten Ideals, adopted in 1921. The program faculty have added statements describing their expectations for Stephens Counseling students, describing how they will evidence the Stephens College Ten Ideals as they progress through the curriculum. 

Respect for our own dignity and the dignity of others, embodied in a sense of social justice 

• Counseling students evidence respect through adopting the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics, striving to become multicultural and social justice competent, and are committed to providing others with respect. 
• Counseling students respect others regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, physical appearance, ability, or socio-economic status. 

Courage and persistence 

• Counseling students demonstrate courage through a commitment to self-growth, and through an awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and motivations. They further demonstrate courage by remaining open to confronting personal feelings and biases that may be harmful to themselves or others. 

Independence, autonomy and self-sufficiency 

• Counseling students show their independence and autonomy via taking responsibility for their education, and by becoming professionals that communicate effectively with other students, faculty, peers, and clinicians. 

Support for others through the willingness to take and give criticism, acceptance, and love 

• Counseling students support others through their commitment to giving and receiving feedback, challenging assumptions that may be harmful to self or others, and by showing care and compassion for others. 

Sensitivity to the uniqueness and fragility of the natural world of which we are part 

• Counseling students demonstrate sensitivity through empathy and kindness to self and others 
• Counseling students consistently demonstrate an ability to express feelings, be they of self or of others. 
• Counseling students work toward authenticity and congruence, which helps in the display of empathy. 

Responsibility for the consequences of our choices 

• Counseling students make the commitment to be lifelong learners and take the necessary steps to educate themselves to work ethically and empathically, and to expand the boundaries of their knowledge competence as counselors. 
• Counseling students also evidence responsibility through showing a personal integrity by remaining authentic and congruent across situations and places. 

Belief in our changing selves and in our right to change 

• Counseling students evidence the belief that others are capable of change. 
• Counseling students possess a belief that they themselves are capable of change. 
• Counseling students display a belief that all persons are equal regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, or spiritual beliefs. 

Creativity in the spiritual and aesthetic dimensions of life 

• Counseling students evidence creativity via their work in classrooms, their personal approach to counseling, and by remaining creative in their work with clients. 

Intelligence that is informed and cultivated, critical yet tolerant 

• Counseling students evidence multiple intelligences, particularly emotional and interpersonal intelligence, both of which are essential to becoming a successful counseling student. Intelligence is also displayed by demonstrating competence of self-reflection and critical thinking to aid in their development as counselors-in-training. 

Leadership which empowers others 

• Counseling students display leadership skills that advocate for clients and the profession an act as leaders by holding themselves to high standards of personal integrity though trustworthiness and dependability. 

Program Objectives & Academic Quality Indicators (AQI)

Program Objectives 

Program objectives (PO) are aligned with key performance indicators (AQI) and designed to address the requisite content knowledge, counseling skills, and personal/professional disposition to ensure program graduates are prepared to offer competent, ethical counseling services to clients and students across diverse clinical mental health and school settings and communities. The program’s core and clinical mental health counseling specialization curriculums align with the eight core content and CMHC specialization standards established by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs (CACREP, 2024; http://www.cacrep.org). The school counseling specialization areas are also generally aligned with same CACREP standards, although the program is currently not seeking CACREP accreditation for the SC specialization. Course specific performance indicators are found in individual course syllabi. 

• Objective I: Students will demonstrate content knowledge appropriate to working effectively with diverse client/student populations in a pluralistic society. 
• Objective II: Students will demonstrate knowledge of and ability to effectively apply counseling theory, skills, and techniques with diverse client/student populations in a pluralistic society. 
• Objective III: Students will demonstrate understanding of and ability to apply-the appropriate professional and ethical standards required to work effectively with diverse client/student populations in a pluralistic society. 
• Objective IV: Students will demonstrate the personal and professional dispositions appropriate to working effectively with diverse client/student populations in a pluralistic society. 

Academic Quality Indicators (AQI) 

Academic Quality Indicators (AQI’s) are program-level outcome measures used by the program to assess program effectiveness in achieving Program Objectives (PO). Academic Quality Indicators assess student knowledge, skills, and disposition, aligned with specific Program Objectives, and measured via dedicated course assignments across the curriculum. In other words, AQI’s are used to evaluate aggregate student performance, clarify learning trends, and inform program/curriculum improvement and development. The chart below outlines the program’s current AQI/PO alignment.  

AQI = Academic Quality Indicator PO = Program Objective 

Program Objectives & Individual Student Data

Program Objectives

Program objectives (PO) are aligned with key performance indicators (AQI) and designed to address the
requisite content knowledge, counseling skills, and personal/professional disposition to ensure program
graduates are prepared to offer competent, ethical counseling services to clients and students across
diverse clinical mental health and school settings and communities. The program’s core and clinical
mental health counseling specialization curriculums align with the eight core content and CMHC
specialization standards established by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related
Programs (CACREP, 2024; http://www.cacrep.org). The school counseling specialization areas are also
generally aligned with same CACREP standards, although the program is currently not seeking CACREP
accreditation for the SC specialization. Course specific performance indicators are found in individual
course syllabi.

• Objective I: Students will demonstrate content knowledge appropriate to working effectively with diverse client/student populations in a pluralistic society.
• Objective II: Students will demonstrate knowledge of and ability to effectively apply counseling theory, skills, and techniques with diverse client/student populations in a pluralistic society.
• Objective III: Students will demonstrate understanding of and ability to apply-the appropriate professional and ethical standards required to work effectively with diverse client/student populations in a pluralistic society.
• Objective IV: Students will demonstrate the personal and professional dispositions appropriate to working effectively with diverse client/student populations in a pluralistic society.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

Key Performance Indicators (KPI) represent dedicated, measurable individual student learning outcomes and their alignment with CACREP curriculum standards. Each KPI is measured using multiple assessments at multiple points across the program/curriculum. Specifically, CACREP (2024) defines Key Program Indictors (KPI) as, “Student learning outcomes that are connected to the required curriculum and that program faculty have chosen to represent student knowledge and skills related to program objectives”. The chart below shows the program’s current KPI’s along with how and when they are assessed. (See table below)