Professional Licensing Disclosure

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs or CACREP is an organization that accredits counseling programs. CACREP accreditation indicates the program has been evaluated and meets select specific professional standards meets specific standards of quality and rigor, which can be important for licensure and employment in some states.

You can check the program’s accreditation status on the official CACREP website or by contacting the institution directly.

Licensure requirements vary by state, so it is important to consult the licensing board for the state(s) where you intend to practice to understand specific licensure requirements. In many states if you did not graduate from a CACREP accredited program you van still attain licensure by completing a form to demonstrate that the 8 core CACREP areas were covered as part of your degree program and that the practicum and internship hours were met as part of your degree program. In select cases you may also need to submit course syllabi. Your faculty and program administration can generally assist you with proving this information.

To find the licensure law for your state, you may join the American Counseling Association (ACA) which maintains a database of licensure laws for each state (please note, there is an annual fee to become a member of ACA).  You may also search online using the phrase “clinical mental health counselor license in (state name)”.  Most likely your search will result in a website that ends in “.gov”.  Another source of information is your states counseling organization. A search of “(state name) counseling organization” should result in the website for your state’s branch of ACA. On that site will generally be a link to the licensing board for your state. If not, you can reach out to your state organization asking for the web address of the licensing board.

Yes, financial aid options may still be available for programs that are not CACREP accredited. Sonoran University’s MSCHMC program offers financial aid to eligible students. Please contact our Financial Aid department for more information.