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Counseling

"The Department of Counselor Education at Western Illinois University has afforded me the opportunity to explore my passion to help others, expand my knowledge as a helper, and develop a professional identity as a professional school counselor." -- Dail Rice, '11

Options

• School Counseling
• Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Program Overview

By enacting our values and supporting the synergy between instruction, research, creativity, and service, the Department of Counselor Education prepares counseling professionals to lead in the global society, emphasizes applied and conceptual skills, affirms diversity of values, ideas, and persons, and promotes educational excellence and ethical commitment.  The faculty provides a challenging and supportive environment that encourages personal growth and development.

Possible Careers

The School counseling option prepares students for work as elementary and/or secondary school counselors in public and private schools.  The Clinical Mental Health Counseling option prepares students for work as a clinical mental health counselor in a variety of settings, such as mental health centers, rehabilitation hospitals, recovery centers, private practice, university counseling centers, and employee assistance programs.

Why Choose Counseling at WIU?

The Counseling curriculum offers a unique blend of courses designed to provide the skills and knowledge necessary to become a competent counseling professional.  Solid academic performance and experiential mastery are required.

The Counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of  Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).  The School Counseling option is also accredited by both the Illinois and Iowa Educational Examiners boards.

Extracurricular Activities

The Western Illinois University - Quad Cities Counseling Association promotes counselor development through education and community involvement.  This association is a Chapter of the Illinois Counseling Association (ICA).

Western Illinois University's XI Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) is an international, academic and professional honors society for counseling students, counselor educators, and professional counselors.  Its mission is to promote scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership, and excellence in counseling, and to recognize high attainment in the pursuit of academic and clinical excellence in the field of counseling.

Our students have exciting opportunities to participate in several university-community partnerships as well as state, regional, and national conferences.

Faculty Information

Our faculty bring a wealth of experience from within school settings, private practice, residential chemical dependency centers, and non-profit community mental health centers.  Faculty mentoring is available to interested students.  Our fall/spring semester courses are primarily offered during the evening in order to accommodate students who also work during the day and our summer courses are offered in a variety of formats.