Counseling Academic Unit Mission Statement and Program Objectives

Mission Statement

Using current professional standards, the Counseling Academic Unit (CAU) Faculty at Oregon State University prepares professional counselors and counselor educators who promote the holistic wellness of individuals, families, communities, and organizations. These counselors and counselor educators are prepared to be change agents who are competent, ethical, and proactive in the face of injustice. We prepare counselors in antiracist practices to dismantle racism invariably tethered to other forms of oppression, such as genderism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, and ableism. They are lifelong learners whose work is informed by lifespan development, theory, and evidence-based practice, and a local and global perspective. Their work as counselors, supervisors, educators, researchers, and advocates demonstrates multicultural and diversity competence and a commitment to social justice.

Program Objectives

1. Students demonstrate sufficient knowledge and skill aligned with core and specialty areas of the CACREP standards, including multicultural and social justice counseling competencies.
2. Students demonstrate professional dispositions required for vocational success in the counseling fields, including an orientation towards multicultural and social justice counseling.
3. Students within the counseling program reflect the demographic diversity of the communities in which they will be working.