School and Clinical Counseling and Counselor Education
Our faculty and students embody Excellence in Counseling. The Virginia Tech Counselor Education Program prepares professional counselors, counselor educators, and leaders in the counseling field with a professional identity that incorporates the intentional use of strength-based approaches, reflective practice, innovative and evidence-based strategies, and ongoing research to support and enhance our schools and communities.
The program serves students from the Commonwealth of Virginia, the country, and the world, at campuses in Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia. Our faculty provide continuing education and consultation to school systems, community agencies, and other organizations to support the development of helping professionals already in the workforce. Our faculty and students recognize that we live in a dynamic pluralistic society, and we are dedicated to enriching the lives of children, adolescents, and adults in our schools and communities.
Our Counselor Education program offers two Master's degree tracks, one in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and one in School Counseling. The doctoral program in Counseling Education and Supervision prepares skilled counselors who both practice and teach.
Accreditations
Degree programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). They are also approved by the Virginia Department of Education for the preparation of school counselors.
Learn more about the programs and where they are offered below.
Our Programs
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Virginia Tech prepares the future of the counseling profession through teaching, supervision, advocacy, and research. We believe strongly in the researcher-practitioner model. Our students receive a strong foundation in research methods that help them to design and conduct research that can be translated into practice.
Counselors help individuals change their lives. They work in school and community settings to advocate for individuals, and support social justice. Clinical Mental Health graduates have completed all of the educational requirements for licensure as a professional counselor in Virginia. After graduation, there is a residency period (typically 2-3 years) and an exam to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).
The M.A.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is offered on our Roanoke campus.
The School Counseling Program at Virginia Tech prepares the future of the counseling profession through teaching, supervision, advocacy, and research. We believe strongly in the researcher-practitioner model. Our students receive a strong foundation in research methods that help them to design and conduct research that can be translated into practice.
Counselors help individuals change their lives. They work in school and community settings to advocate for individuals, and support social justice. School Counseling graduates have completed all of the educational requirements for provisional licensure as a Professional School Counselor. After working for two years, the provisional status is lifted, and they become fully licensed as school counselors.
The M.A. Ed. in School Counseling is offered on our Roanoke campus.
The Counselor Education and Supervision Program at Virginia Tech prepares skilled counselors who both practice and teach. Counselor educators help to support the development of counseling students through direct instruction, as faculty in colleges and universities, and also through the supervision of the work done by students and new professionals. Those are central components of ensuring high quality clinical work, and protecting the clients who are served by counselors.
Students who complete the Ph.D. program typically seek employment as counselor educators, higher education administrators, college counselors, clinical mental health supervisors, or PK-12 school counseling leaders.
The Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision is offered on our Blacksburg campus. Ph.D. students are subject to residential requirements as set forth by the Virginia Tech Graduate School. Research and teaching assistantships are available for our doctoral students.