Counseling Mission Statement

Misssion Statement
Augusta State University 's Counselor Education Program is designed to train professional counselors at the graduate level in the specializations of School Counseling and Community Counseling. The program acknowledges a commitment both to the students who will pursue preparation as professional counselors and to the larger public served by our graduates, for whom we all share a responsibility. It is due to this commitment that the faculty holds high standards in the process of training professional counselors.

As the second largest metropolitan area in Georgia , Augusta has a large urban population; yet, we also serve suburban and rural communities. From this unique vantage point, we recognize the need to address the economic, educational, and social inequalities that prevail in our community. As a result, we expect our students to develop a commitment of service to others, both for the prevention and remediation of life's problems, and to the pursuit of excellence in the counseling profession.

Both the School Counseling program and the Community Counseling program have mission statements more specific to their specialty area.

Community Counseling Program
The mission of the ASU Community Counseling program is to prepare highly skilled professional counselors for work in a range of community and agency settings. Our graduates become knowledgeable, ethical, collegial and self-actualizing change agents who are role models and meaning-makers.

Students will:

• Demonstrate skills in counseling roles such as individual counseling, group counseling, consultation, service coordination, referral, assessment and case management.
• Demonstrate an understanding of organizational and administrative aspects of delivering counseling services.
• Demonstrate understanding of appropriate ethical principles of the profession.
• Demonstrate an understanding of and respect for human diversity.
• Demonstrate ability to use a variety of theories, therapeutic interventions. assessment tools, and communication skills to facilitate client growth.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how personal and/or professional behaviors affect both the counseling and supervisory process.

School Counseling Program
The mission of the ASU School Counseling Program is to educate Professional School Counselors. Through training in leadership, advocacy, collaboration and teaming, and systemic change, graduates become ethical, collegial, democratic, and self-actualizing change agents who enhance students' academic success and increase student social/emotional development and career preparedness. We are committed to educating professional school counselors skilled in identifying and removing barriers that impede equal access to educational and career opportunities for all students. Graduates will be competent at needs assessment, program development and evaluation, and the overall management of a comprehensive school counseling program.