Faculty & Staff Resources
- CASE Resources
- General
- The department of psychology is committed to a student body that is representative of the community in which it is located and the greater global society in which its alumni will work, teach, serve and conduct research. To this end, the department aligns with the mission of an Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) which is to support expansion of educational opportunities for Hispanic Americans and other underrepresented populations. Our programs are compliant with national accreditation standards, including the American Psychological Association (APA) and Master’s in Psychology and Counseling and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC).
- The APA Accreditation Standards require psychology programs to engage in specific activities, approaches, and initiatives to implement and maintain diversity and ensure a supportive learning environment for all students. APA Accreditation requires that programs recognize the importance of cultural and individual differences and diversity in the training of psychologists. The Commission on Accreditation defines cultural and individual differences and diversity as including, but not limited to, age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, national origin, race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. The accreditation standards require that programs make systematic, coherent, and long-term efforts to attract and retain students and faculty from diverse backgrounds into the program. Consistent with such efforts, it acts to ensure a supportive and encouraging learning environment appropriate for the training of individuals who are diverse and the provision of training opportunities for a broad spectrum of individuals.
- MPCAC standards emphasize students demonstrating competence in the practice of counseling and psychology. Competencies include • Communication and therapeutic relationship-building • Conceptualization and intervention • Diversity • Ethics • Integration of research and evidence-based practice • Methods of evaluation and assessment. MPCAC accreditation standards further require programs to have statements regarding the program’s concern for diversity among students, including efforts to recruit students who reflect the diversity of the population, descriptions of diversity among students, and diversity statements in program materials.