Keeping You In The MPCAC Loop
It’s an exciting time for MPCAC! And we want to keep you in the loop so we are starting a monthly blog. We will post this on our website each month and send it to you through our listserv. As some of you have suggested, we want to keep you informed about MPCAC. This month will be a bit longer as we get started ….
CURRENT STATUS
We have 40 accredited programs at 34 institutions across 20 states. We have 7 programs in progress and over 15 recent pre-applications.
STATUS OF CHEA RECOGNITION
We are working toward seeking CHEA recognition, though CHEA has a moratorium on new applications until early 2017 while they undergo revisions of their standards. We are in touch with Tom Cornacchia (VP at CHEA) and our consultant, Dr. Susan Zlotlow, as we move forward so we are ready to GO when we get the green light!
ATTENDANCE AT AASCB CONFERENCE
Three of us (Eleonora Bartoli, chair of MCAC, Chris Walter, Member of MCAC, and Pat O’Connor, executive director) attended the AASCB (American Association of State Counseling Boards – these are the folks who actually license counselors in their respective states) conference in January. We were able to speak and network with licensing board representatives from across the country. MPCAC is an organizational affiliate of AASCB which enabled us to attend the business meetings and report on our activities. As one of the (four) conference sponsors, we were the hosts of the Award Tea. In that capacity, our name was prominently displayed in the conference program schedule, on advertisement material outside of the main hall, as well as projected on a PPT during some of the plenary sessions and business meetings. We were able to meet privately with the AASCB executive board (together with a number of allies) to discuss MPCAC’s added value to the counseling field and counseling accreditation landscape. Finally, we staffed an exhibit table, which gave us much visibility and which experienced much traffic.
STANDARDS REVISION – IN PROCESS
Probably most important is that MPCAC is in the process of standard revision, in accordance with our Manual. We are moving towards a competency-based (inspired by current trends in the field and as required by CHEA) and a unified set of standards (integrating the original MPAC and MCAC standards). Most of our accredited programs participated in town hall conference calls so we could get your feedback on our work up to that point. We will be sending out the draft standards shortly, seeking comments from you as our primary audience, and your feedback may lead to further revisions. We plan to seek broader public comments later this spring, from you and other stakeholders nationwide. The public comment period will be widely publicized. We plan to finalize the new standards early this summer, after the public comments period is closed.
SITE VISITOR TRAINING – IN PLANNING STAGES
MPCAC is also in the process of creating a training program for additional site visitors, which we plan to develop in the next few months. More information will be disseminated when the training becomes available.
WEBSITE REDESIGN – IN PROCESS
We are also in the process of re-designing our website, in both structure and content. We expect that process to take a few months.
We welcome questions and offer our support in the application process!