Graduate Student Periodic Progress Review

The clinical faculty meets periodically to discuss student issues and meets formally at least once each year to evaluate each individual student’s progress in the program. The intent of this review process is two-fold. Faculty members strive to support student growth and development throughout the program and want to see all students succeed.  The review process uses data collected on individual student learning outcomes and professional dispositions to identify ways in which we can provide better support for each student’s progress.  Additionally, faculty members are charged with ensuring that graduates of our program are capable of providing competent counseling services to their future clients.  We use data collected on student learning outcomes and professional dispositions as we consider academic progress, clinical skill development, and personal characteristics (e.g., maturity, judgment, emotional stability, sensitivity to others, self-awareness), that affect the student’s ability to be an effective counselor. Any student who presents serious concerns including, but not limited to, failure to maintain a B average, receiving a grade of C or below, or evidence of personal difficulty which has the potential to negatively affect their capacity to function as a counselor, will be required to meet with their advisor and/or other program faculty as needed to discuss their progress in the program in addition to School of Graduate Studies consequences. If it is determined that continuation in the program is appropriate, a remediation plan will be developed. Depending upon the nature of the concern, remediation plans may be completed concurrently with enrollment or may require time away from the program. Plans may include, but are not limited to, participation in directed individual counseling to address noted concerns with periodic reports, the completion of additional coursework, or revisiting previous coursework. Students who do not successfully complete the remediation plan may be placed on programmatic suspension (with the opportunity to reapply after 1-3 years) or may be dismissed from the program.

While most instances of student difficulty may be successfully remediated, there can be exceptions that require more immediate action. Students who engage in academic dishonesty or blatantly disrespectful behavior toward faculty and/or classmates disrupt the learning environment for everyone and may call for immediate intervention in order to protect the integrity of the program. Similarly, cases of student difficulty that emerge during the clinical experiences (practicum and internship) may require immediate action in order to uphold the ethical standard of protecting clients. If it is determined that the concerns presented by the student are of such a serious nature that continuation in the program is not appropriate, the result will be either immediate programmatic suspension or permanent dismissal from the program. If the result is suspension, the student will have an opportunity to reapply after 1-3 years as specified in a suspension letter. The process for readmission following a programmatic suspension will include a meeting with at least three graduate counseling faculty in which the student presents a rationale to support readmission into the counseling program that suggests full understanding of the concern(s) presented and/or evidence that the issue(s) of concern have been addressed. The factors considered in determining readmission and potential readmission stipulations include student assessment data collected during the prior enrollment period as well as evidence of enhanced readiness to demonstrate the necessary academic skills and professional dispositions. If the result is permanent dismissal, readmission into the counseling program will not be possible.