The Counseling Program Mission
The East Tennessee State University graduate program in counseling is in the Human Development and Learning Department within the Clemmer College of Education. As part of ETSU, the counseling program is committed to diversity and does not discriminate against applicants or students based on age, sex, race, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
The mission of the counseling program is to provide academic and clinical training to prepare students to function as knowledgeable, ethical, and effective community, higher education, marriage and family, and school counselors in a pluralistic society. Although each of our counseling faculty members have various specialties and interests, the faculty teaches and supervises across concentration areas and makes every attempt to focus on excellence in the preparation of professional counselors regardless of the setting in which they will be employed. Instruction in counseling is founded upon commitment to the following beliefs held by the counselor education faculty at East Tennessee State University:
- That the work of the professional counselor is to promote mental health, social and physical well-being, and development of the person, families, organizations and community with whom the counselor interacts as a professional.
- That counseling is a unique, interactive relationship process which focuses on prevention, problem resolution, mental health, and development by using an understanding of individual, systemic, and social contexts.
- That it is important to aspire to create an atmosphere that promotes self-examination and self-determination.
- That counselors should continue their own growth, study and learning throughout their career.
- In the importance of a heightened awareness of a multicultural and diverse world and the impact of the dominant culture, the family, and individual behavior on the clients with whom we work, the students we are training, and ourselves.
- That, as counselor educators, we are committed to facilitate intellectual and emotional development, including critical and reflective thinking, in counseling students.
Counseling faculty is committed to creating teaching-learning environments that encourage the active participation of students. Students are invited to join faculty in advocating for clients’ and human rights and for professionalism which requires adequate reflection and careful consideration of the interest and welfare of the persons affected by their decisions.
The ETSU Counseling Program has traditionally served full-time and part-time students since 1963. Four master’s level concentrations are offered: Community Agency Counseling, Counseling in Higher Education, Marriage and Family Therapy, and School Counseling. In addition, the program offers an Education Specialist Degree in Counselor Leadership in partnership with the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA) Department through Cohort Programs.