Galloway, N.J. — The independent agency that reviews graduate Counseling programs in the United States has approved Stockton University’s program for accreditation.

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) approved Stockton’s Master of Arts in Counseling program at its July meeting. The university’s program joins more than 950 master’s and doctoral degree programs in Counseling and its specialized practice areas offered by more than 460 colleges and universities across the United States.

“I am very excited that the Counseling program has earned this remarkable achievement,” said Marissa Levy, the dean of Stockton’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. “The Master of Arts in Counseling is SOBL’s signature program that’s offered at Kramer Hall in Hammonton, and I look forward to it continuing to grow.”

Fifty-one students have graduated from Stockton’s program, which began in 2019 and is based at Stockton’s Kramer Hall location in Hammonton. The program is designed to educate students about best practices in mental health and human services and train students in the skills necessary to work with clients in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, social service agencies, residential treatment centers, community mental health centers and other organizations.

The curriculum includes instruction in human development, psychopathology, individual and group counseling, personality theory, career assessment, patient screening and referral, observation and testing techniques, interviewing skills, professional standards and ethics, and applicable laws and regulations.

“I am very proud of my faculty colleagues, Dean Marissa Levy and SOBL staff, and Kramer Hall staff for all of their hard work and dedication to making this accreditation happen,” said Sara Martino, a professor of Psychology and the director of Stockton’s program. “We have been working on this for several years now and head into our sixth year of the program fully accredited.”

Stockton was one of three institutions in 2020 that received a CACREP grant to assist with the accreditation process. The accreditation cycle runs through Oct. 31, 2032, with retroactive recognition of program graduates extended back to July 11, 2022.

Click here to learn more about the program and how to sign up for an open house at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17 and a virtual information session at noon Tuesday, Nov. 12.

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