Counselor Education

The Counselor Education Department, a unit within the College of Education at Portland State University, provides quality education to support the professional growth of educators, counselors, and human services professionals.

The Counselor Education Department programs offer a balance between academic excellence and direct clinical experience. The Counselor Education Department involves experts in academia and the community in all phases of the planning, development, and implementation of offerings in order to respond to community needs with innovative and effective strategies.

Our Counselor Education masters programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Please visit the Counselor Education department's program accreditation page to learn more about CACREP accreditation.

We are conveniently located in downtown Portland, Oregon. Campus facilities provide a central site for those who work and live near the city. Programs are also offered throughout the metropolitan area and in select sites statewide.

Please contact askcoe@pdx.edu for syllabi for past courses.

Vision Statement

The Counseling Program seeks to transform the field of counseling by educating clinically skilled, culturally responsive, compassionate, and equity-minded counselors. Graduates are dedicated to anti-oppressive and ethical practice, mentorship, and collaboration to cultivate meaningful change in our communities.

Mission Statement

The Counseling Program is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and accessible learning environment rooted in anti-oppressive pedagogy and ethical practice through mentorship, collaboration, and community engagement. The Counseling Program prepares counselors to meet the evolving needs of diverse communities with empathy, flexibility, and cultural responsiveness. Through meaningful partnerships, responsive pedagogy, and equity-centered field experiences, the program empowers students to become transformative leaders and advocates for justice as counselors and community members.

PSU Core Program Objectives

The Counseling Program is rooted in the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (Ratts et al., 2016) throughout our work. Our vision, mission, and program objectives were developed through this integrative and intersectional lens.

Recruitment and Retention
- The Counseling Program is committed to recruiting and retaining qualified staff, students, and faculty from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds by fostering an inclusive learning environment and supporting the development of members of the Program and advocating for access and structural support of resources that meet diverse needs.
Competencies
- Ethics and Dispositions
  - The Counseling Program seeks to train and develop ethical and culturally-responsive counselors who embody developmentally-appropriate professional dispositions, including a commitment to learning and growth, self-exploration, reflection, professional practice, and advocacy.
- Counseling Skills and Interventions
  - The Counseling Program trains counselors to use interventions that are intentional, grounded in best practices, and responsive to the diverse needs of communities we serve.
Curriculum and Program Evaluation
- The Counseling Program centers anti-oppressive pedagogy that integrates scholarly evidence, lived experience, and relational practices, and aligns with CACREP standards through curriculum that is adaptive to the evolving needs of our communities and profession.
- The Counseling Program continually improves through systematic program evaluation by gathering and integrating feedback from students, staff, faculty, our advisory board and other community stakeholders.