STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Tarleton State University\u2019s Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program has received reaffirmation of its national accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs through October 2034.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The program, which is offered through the College of Education and has been accredited by CACREP since 2016, earned the maximum 8-year reaffirmation after a comprehensive review of curriculum, clinical training, faculty, assessment processes and student experiences, including interviews with students and alumni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCACREP reaccreditation of our Clinical Mental Health Counseling program reflects our continued commitment to preparing counselors who are ready to make a real difference in the lives of the clients and communities they serve,\u201d said Dean of the College of Education Dr. Lesley Leach. \u201cThis is a proud moment for our faculty, our students and the entire College of Education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tarleton State has offered a counseling program since 1978. The CMHC degree program started in 2015 and produces between 50 and 70 graduates each year. The specialized practice area degree program is currently offered at the Stephenville, Fort Worth and Waco campuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Dr. Ryan Foster, professor and Interim Department Head in the Department of Counseling, achieving the maximum eight-year accreditation is a testament to the quality of the program\u2019s curriculum, clinical training, assessment, faculty and students, as well as the graduates who represent the program out in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a communication to the department sharing the accreditation news, Dr. Foster emphasized the advantages for students enrolled in a program held to nationally recognized standards, including how it streamlines their path to licensure and enhances their employability upon graduation. It also positions graduates well for the national counselor exam and for doctoral study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A new Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling at Tarleton State\u2019s Fort Worth campus will be seeking accreditation from CACREP next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To learn more about the M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Tarleton State, visit programs.tarleton.edu\/program\/m-s-in-clinical-mental-health-counseling\/<\/a>. To learn about the Ph.D. in Counseling, visit tarleton.edu\/counsel\/future-students\/phd-in-counseling\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Tarleton State University\u2019s Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program has received reaffirmation of its national accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":473,"featured_media":55551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":382,"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,422,423,427],"tags":[437,457,459],"class_list":["post-55550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-morestories","category-academics-research","category-science-health","tag-college-of-education","tag-tarleton-state-fort-worth","tag-tarleton-state-waco"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"ehellmund@tarleton.edu","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/ehellmundtarleton-edu\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/08\/College-of-Education-Building-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["_Homepage<\/a>","_morestories<\/a>","Academics & Research<\/a>","Science & Health<\/a>"],"unlinked":["_Homepage<\/span>","_morestories<\/span>","Academics & Research<\/span>","Science & Health<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["College of Education<\/a>","Tarleton State Fort Worth<\/a>","Tarleton State Waco<\/a>"],"unlinked":["College of Education<\/span>","Tarleton State Fort Worth<\/span>","Tarleton State Waco<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 days ago","modified":"Updated 2 days ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on August 25, 2026","modified":"Updated on August 25, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on August 25, 2026 10:00 am","modified":"Updated on August 25, 2026 9:49 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/473"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55550"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55552,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55550\/revisions\/55552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}