Thursday, September 3, 2009

Office of Counseling Services Re-Accredited

The Florida A&M University (FAMU) Office of Counseling Services has been re-accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services, Inc., (IACS) an Alexandria, Va. based organization of United States, Canadian and Australian counseling agencies.

IACS found the Office of Counseling Services to offer competent and reliable professional services while being evaluated against high standards of counseling practice.

“Re-accreditation validates the consistently high standards that our professional and support staff apply to the delivery of mental health services to FAMU students in counseling, community outreach, consultation and crisis intervention,” said Yolanda K. Bogan, Ph.D., director of counseling services.

According to Bogan, re-accreditation is in part due to ongoing collaborations with the Offices of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, partners in the administration of external grants and student support programs to underscore and advance the importance of mental health care for FAMU students.

Approval by IACS is also dependent upon evidence of continuing professional development as well as demonstration of excellence of counseling performance.
The FAMU Office of Counseling Services serves registered students. The office offers individual and group counseling, couples counseling, psycho-educational workshops, academic support services, psychiatric consultation and self-help information.

About IACS
The basic purposes of IACS are to encourage and aid counseling services throughout the U.S. and internationally to meet high professional standards, to inform the public about those which are competent and reliable, and to foster communication among counseling services operating in a variety of settings.

Accreditation is open to universities and four-year college counseling services.

IACS is committed to furthering the visibility of the counseling profession and improving its quality. IACS has evolved standards that define professional quality and has established criteria for accreditation, which reflect these standards. IACS accreditation also acts as a stimulus to counseling centers to upgrade their professional services to meet accreditation standards. The Association also provides the profession and the public with information about those services, which it has accredited.

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