The primary purpose of the Department of Counseling is to train professional, competent, culturally sensitive counselors. Towards this end we emphasize skill development, a strong conceptual base, an ethical orientation, a sensitivity to ethnic-cultural differences, as well as a focus upon personal awareness and growth. The program prepares counselors to function professionally in a number of specialized areas: Career, College, Gerontology, School, Marriage, Family & Child Counseling, and Rehabilitation.

While the immediate goal of the Department of Counseling is to prepare counselors to work in the varied communities that make up the greater Bay Area, we are aware and responsive to the larger context of our society. We are dedicated to recruiting and accepting a diverse student body that is sensitive to the needs of the larger community.

The Department of Counseling adheres to the highest standards of curricular and fieldwork criteria as is demonstrated by the accreditation approval that the two major professional organizations that oversee our field have given to all six of our specializations/emphases.

The Department continuously modifies its curriculum and procedures through both internal (faculty and student input) and external (community advisory committees, participation in regional, state, and national professional associations) reviews. Recruitment, selection, retention, and evaluation of students are an important part of the program, as is the development of relevant curriculum. We work collaboratively with over 150 community agencies that provide services and training opportunities for our students. These agencies are carefully screened to meet our standards. Fieldwork placements are viewed as an integral part of the training of prospective counselors.

The Department of Counseling's graduate program is committed to excellence and professionalism, and the faculty strive to guide students towards that end.