As members of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program of James Madison University, we have formed a dedicated learning community of faculty, staff, and students. We vary in abilities, age, class, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, and place of birth, but we share a common vision of achieving a vitally important mission – transforming students into successful clinical mental health counselors.
Our clinical mental health counseling alumni are dedicated to providing competent, caring, and ethical services to diverse clients in public agencies, community programs, and private practices. Putting our principles into practice, we strive to create a caring community in which we can thrive personally and grow professionally. While many of our graduates work in rural communities in Virginia, many also serve in other communities across the nation. We invite our students to embark on a life-long journey of exploring new possibilities, refining their skills, and staying professionally current throughout their careers. We encourage them to support one another in the formidable task of facilitating the change process in individuals, couples, families, groups, and communities as licensed professional counselors. Finally, we challenge our graduates to advance the mental health counseling profession through service, research, innovation, advocacy, and training
Our Objectives
The collective objectives of the Counseling Programs and specific objectives of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program are as follow:
JMU Counseling Program graduates are able to take responsibility for embodying and practicing professional and ethical standards at the degree of mastery. Graduates are able to and hold themselves and colleagues accountable for practicing as ethical professional counselors.
JMU Counseling Program graduates are able to work collaboratively and responsibly with colleagues, clients, and community members representing a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Graduates are able to recognize their own beliefs and values and embrace attitudes and practices of understanding, respecting, and competently addressing the beliefs and values of others.
JMU Counseling Program graduates are able to apply developmentally appropriate counseling theories and techniques, which are ethically and culturally relevant, in the best interest of their clients.
JMU Counseling Program graduates are able to provide developmentally appropriate career assessment and intervention strategies. Accounting for the clients’ varying stages of career and educational development, program graduates employ relevant assessments and apply labor market trends.
JMU Counseling Program graduates are able to provide evidence-based counseling service to diverse clients, grounded in principles of developmental competence, empathy, humanism, and social justice. Program graduates are able to make decisions that are in the best interests of their clients.
JMU Counseling Program graduates are able to employ relevant assessments related to clients and programs in their respective workplaces. Program graduates are able to assess clients for serious and foreseeable harm to self or others and/or abuse and neglect.
JMU Counseling Program graduates are able to critically evaluate research related to core areas of counseling practice and use data-informed decision-making practices for program evaluation and management.
JMU Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program graduates demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to address a wide variety of circumstances within the context of clinical mental health counseling. Applying evidence-based interventions for prevention and treatment of a broad range of mental health issues, graduates also demonstrate skills for interprofessional collaboration and advocacy.
