FGCU Department of Counseling Updated Outcomes/Feedback Report

2016-17 School Year Updated
for Fall 2017 and Spring 2018

School and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Programs

Outcomes/Feedback Report

Revised April 2018
Revised February 5, 2019

Accreditation/Program Approval: Both programs completed a CACREP re-accreditation site visit in May of 2013, and received the results of the site visit in July.  The programs are fully accredited by CACREP until July of 2021.  Both FGCU MA and MED programs in School Counseling are additionally approved by Florida’s Department of Education and by CAEP (formerly NCATE) through FGCU’s College of Education.

Organizational Changes: In January, 2014 the Counseling programs were relocated from the College of Education and formed an independent department in the College of Health Professions and Social Work (since changed to the Marieb College of Health & Human Services.) As well, in 2014-15 both programs began offering a full-time option that allowed students to complete their degrees in two years in addition to the three year, part-time option. The first cohort of four full-time students in the Clinical Mental Health program graduate completed in August 2016. The second full-time cohort of two School Counseling and six Clinical Mental Health students graduated with their respective degrees in May and August of 2017. Since August of 2014, School Counseling cohorts begin in the fall instead of beginning in the spring. Because this allows the part-time School Counseling students to take two courses a semester of each year instead of the two terms during which they had to complete three courses, this schedule changes appears to have had the impact of improved program retention.

An analysis of retention efforts over the past four years indicates that changes made to admissions deadlines, improvements in admissions protocols and outreach, instituting a full-time study option, and changes in curriculum have been successful.  Specifically, the program has increased retention from program entry to graduation from an average of 50% (from 2008 to 2013) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling to 84% in 2017 and from an average of 56% in School Counseling to 73% in 2017. This increase also reflects increases in the number and quality of completed applications for both programs that yield admissions and enrollment.  Finally, FTE, which reflects student enrollment and contributes to Department support and allocation of resources has stabilized at approximately 2000 per year which equates to approximately 11% of the University’s graduate headcount and FTE enrollment.

Each year both programs monitor student performance of key outcomes for internal FGCU standards and goals, and for external Florida Department of Education annual performance reporting.  Reports for individual standards are created from the Department’s Livetext curriculum standards tracking system that indicate student performance as either target or acceptable on all accreditation and program approval standards.  Livetext software enables the program faculty to create and review reports for an individual students, each standard, each course, or on a program basis.  A review of these standards have indicated that program curriculum is appropriate to students to demonstrate their learning and performance of counseling skills.  Based on these data, no curriculum changes were made. 

Annually, Florida’s Department of Education evaluates outcome and other data from FGCU’s School Counseling program.  Program indicators were all acceptable for the last two years.  These reviews will culminate in program review and re-approval based on a site visit in spring 2018 which preliminary exit interview indicates that the program will continue to be approved for the next five years.  Records indicate that there is a 100% pass rate on the Florida Guidance and Counseling Subject Area Certification Exam on the first attempt. Students all graduate as eligible for a Florida Educator certificate in School Counseling PK-12 having completed all course and testing requirements.  Regarding employment after graduation, in the last two years, all school counseling and more than half of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduates were hired for positions in counseling by graduation, other than the few who went directly into doctoral study.  The remaining Clinical Mental Health counseling graduates were placed within three months of graduation. 

Student Enrollment/Graduates:  FGCU has two CACREP accredited counseling programs: School and Mental Health Counseling. In the year 2016-17 there were 19 admitted to the School Counseling Program and 40 admitted to the Mental Health Counseling Program of the 122 total applications received. Of these, 14 matriculated into school counseling and 28 matriculated into mental health counseling. Several in each program deferred admission to a subsequent entry period. Six (6) School Counseling students graduated in May 2016 and eleven (11) students graduated from the School Counseling program in May, 2017. Fourteen (14) students graduated from the Clinical Mental Health program in August and December of 2016 and 20 graduated from Clinical Mental Health Counseling in August of 2017.  The first dual Major graduate completed her degree in May, 2017. Between the two programs there were a total of 99 students with 19 enrolled on a full-time basis during 2016-17.  As of the fall of 2017, there were 29 new students in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and 19 in School Counseling, the latter is the largest entering class in six years.  Of these 48 students, a third (17) are pursuing their studies on a full-time basis which represents a 50% increase in full-time students. 

Enrollment in 2016-17 was 65 clinical mental health counseling students and 40 school counseling students (including two students counted in each category who are dual majors.) All of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduates that we are aware of who took the license exam in Florida, have passed it. All school counseling graduates have passed the Florida certification exam prior to graduation. Of the students we know about, all who sought employment in mental health counseling became employed within the first six months after graduation. All school counseling graduates who sought employment in the field had school counseling jobs prior to the beginning of the subsequent school year. Of the 103 students enrolled during 2016-17, 22 are male. Of these men, 14 are Caucasian and eight (8) are from among diverse ethnicities/races. Of the 81 female students, 64 are Caucasian and 17 are from diverse ethnicities/races. Thus, 24% of our students come from diverse backgrounds. 

Faculty: For Fall 2016, the program was comprised of five full-time Core faculty and a Clinical and Accreditation Coordinator; Department Chair, Professor Madelyn Isaacs, Program Director, Associate Professor Abbe Finn, Program Director, Professor Russell Sabella, Assistant Professor Molli Bachenberg, Visiting Assistant Professor, Dr. Ann Tilman. An open position for Clinical Coordinator was filled in December of 2016, by Ms. Yaro Garcia who has a long history as licensed Mental Health professional. She has supervised our students in the field and she has many significant relationships with other professionals in the local community, schools, and agencies. Ms. Garcia is also completing her dissertation in Cognitive Psychology with a focus on trauma and human trafficking victims.  In addition, Dr.  Ann Tilman joined the faculty full-time in August, 2017. She received her doctorate in Counselor Education from a CACREP accredited program and is a certified School Counselor as well as a Clinical Mental Health professional.

Other important program development/support: The Bartley family initiated the first year of a five year gift commitment totaling $1 million. This gift is intended for curriculum development, faculty/staff enhancement, student support, and to operate an on-campus counseling clinic. This clinic will serve individuals, PK-12 students and families in the local area at affordable rates. 

Curriculum: This support from the Bartley family jump-started the revision of the curriculum in both Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling to meet 2016 CACREP standards in advance of re-accreditation in 2020. It also enabled the development of a four course sequence in Relationship and Family Counseling for advanced students and post-master’s professionals. These courses are designed to meet the standards and competencies required for licensure in Marriage and Family Counseling/Therapy in Florida.  All curriculum changes were approved in 2016-17 for implementation in fall 2018.  Improvements to the curriculum include the addition of elective courses, new required courses in Crisis and Trauma, Relationship and Family Counseling, Leadership, Accountability and Supervision in School Counseling, Fostering Resiliency and Student Success, and electives in both specialties including  Counseling Technology, Play Counseling and Counseling with Children and Adolescents. 

The School Counseling program revisions were fully approved to meet CACREP 2016 requirements for School Counseling programs at 60 credits in fall 2018.  However, in light of CACREP’s announcement of a delay of the implementation of the required 60 credit program to fall of 2023 from the original deadline of 2020, the program faculty met and considered enrollments, department resources, and impact of increased credits to graduate for working professionals.  The faculty determined to defer implementation of the 60 credit curriculum to no later than fall of 2023.  Instead, FGCU has approved a revised curriculum of 50 credits which captured curriculum updates and improvements without requiring elective credits to graduate. 

  

Additionally, the department now provides two transitional post-master’s certificates. One is for school counselors who want to become licensed mental health counselors, and the other is for mental health counselors who want to become school counselors. The certification courses permit the student to enroll in needed didactic and field experience courses. A third post-master’s certificate was added in Relationship and Family Counseling that provides the competencies and course preparation for professionals with master’s degrees to seek or add a license in Marriage and Family Counseling to their credentials.   

Outcomes:

FGCU tracks its student performance outcomes using a variety of methods that include individual student performance reviews conducted every semester, student performance on certification and licensing exams, and monitoring performance on the nationally normed exit exam (the CPCE.) These measures provide information on performance against a national standard as well as providing a basis for the collection of longitudinal data .The results indicate that FGCU Counseling students exceed the national average in each of the eight subtest CACREP Core Areas and in the overall score.  Based on this data, the faculty have targeted several areas for performance improvement over the last seven years which resulted in measurable improvement during that time period.  Most recently, improvements were targeted to strengthen student performance in the area of special populations and diversity.  While this area remains at or above the national average for students who take the test as an exit exam, performance has recently dropped, against the national average by almost one point. 

As well, each of the programs documented every student’s accomplishment of every CACREP and Florida Educator Accomplished Practices and preparation competencies using the Livetext tracking system. All of FGCU’s 2016 spring and summer graduates were employed and data indicates that all 2017 school counseling graduates were employed within three months of graduation. All school counseling graduates passed the state’s certification examinations and qualified for certification in 2016 and 2017. The majority of clinical mental health counseling graduates have accepted job offers in the field, prior to graduation.

The Department engages in routine assessment in the form of entry and exit questionnaires, and evaluations of field experiences each year.  Entry questionnaires were analyzed and some differences were noted among Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling students.  While the majority of students in both programs come from the local five county area and/or FGCU undergraduate programs, approximately 25% of the entering Clinical Mental Health Counseling students in fall 2017 came from out of the region and/or out of Florida while almost all of the school counseling students are local.  The features that attract students to FGCU’s programs are CACREP accreditation and DOE program approval as well as its local reputation, the faculty, and the quality of information provided during the recruitment and admissions process.


In 2017, FGCU’s pass rate of 82% on the CMHCE is the second highest of all Florida graduate schools (in state and on-line) and the second highest in the nation (only topped by Southeastern University who had a 83% passing rate.)  In 2017 1580 graduates from 181 Universities from around the country took the CMHCE to qualify for licensure as a Florida Mental Health Counselor.  The overall pass rate for that cohort was 48%.  Of the 1291 graduates of 39 Florida or online programs that operate in Florida, 706 passed (55%).  

Questionnaires provided to students who were graduating in May and August of 2017 provided a retrospective of program experiences.  Students were highly positive about all area of their preparation, the faculty, the cohort model, the introduction of a full-time program, and the number and kinds of internship opportunities provided.  Few comments provided areas for program improvement this year other than requests for advanced/doctorate study at FGCU that persist from year to year, and excitement about pending curriculum changes. 

Feedback is sought each term from field supervisors and annually from the Department’s advisory board.  Few suggestions were made in this recent year other than to continue to pursue curriculum improvements, continue to find alternate ways to assessment interns who cannot record their sessions for feedback, excitement about opening the clinic in the next year, and to continue to support the exploration and planning for a doctorate program at FGCU. 

The one frustration during the year was attempts to reach out to employers and graduates for feedback about post-graduate performance and outcomes.  After three attempts to reach employers and graduates, only two responses were received which did not yield sufficient information for analysis or reporting.  However, data from Florida’s DOE which tracks employment of school counseling graduates in Florida indicate that all employed school counselors are performing at an acceptable or higher level and that all are eligible for reemployment. 

Summary:  The program continues to implement improvements in recruiting, admissions, and retention that are stabilizing enrollments and graduation rates.  Faculty resources have also stabilized and all have contributed to curriculum revision slated for implementation in fall 2018.  (For more information see the new Full-Time Clinical Mental Health Plan of Study and Part-Time Clinical Mental Health Plan of Study and the new Full-Time School Counseling Plan of Study and Part-Time School Counseling Plan of Study.)     

Madelyn Isaacs for the Department of Counseling 4/10/2018