The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) is an independent, nationally recognized accrediting agency that evaluates counselor training programs to ensure they meet the profession's standards and prepare students for their careers. The overall standards are comprised of foundational standards shared by all counseling professions plus additional standards unique to each counseling specialty.

This training unit addresses the CACREP standards listed below.

2024 CACREP Learning Standards

Foundational Standards:

• the role and process of the professional counselor advocating on behalf of and with individuals receiving counseling services to address systemic, institutional, architectural, attitudinal, disability, and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success
• disproportional effects of poverty, income disparities, and health disparities toward people with marginalized identities
• principles of independence, inclusion, choice and self-empowerment, and access to services within and outside the counseling relationship
• theories and models of career development, counseling, and decision-making
• processes for identifying and using career, avocational, educational, occupational, and labor market information resources, technology, and information systems
• strategies for assessing abilities, interests, values, personality, and other factors that contribute to career development

• career and postsecondary training readiness and educational decision-making

• interviewing, attending, and listening skills in the counseling process
• record-keeping and documentation skills
• principles and strategies of caseload management and the referral process to promote independence, optimal wellness, empowerment, and engagement with community resources

Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling standards:

• environmental, attitudinal, and individual barriers for people with disabilities
• rehabilitation service delivery systems, including housing, independent living, case management, public benefits programs, educational programs, and public/proprietary vocational rehabilitation programs
• transferable skills, functional assessments, and work-related supports for achieving and maintaining meaningful employment for people with disabilities
• role of family, social networks, and community in the provision of services for and treatment of people with disabilities
• assistive technology to reduce or eliminate barriers and functional limitations
• intake interview, mental status evaluation, biopsychosocial history, mental health history, and psychological assessment for treatment planning and caseload management for people with disabilities
• strategies to advocate for people with disabilities related to accessibility, accommodations, and disability law adherence

Rehabilitation Counseling standards:

• individual response to disability, including the role of families, communities, and other social networks
• strategies to enhance adjustment and adaptation to disability
• effects of socioeconomic trends, public policies, stigma, access, and attitudinal barriers as they relate to disability
• principles of independent living, self-determination, and informed choice
• evaluation and application of assistive technology with an emphasis on individualized assessment and planning
• career development and employment models and strategies for achieving and maintaining meaningful employment for people with disabilities
• strategies to promote self-advocacy skills of individuals with disabilities
• facilitating client knowledge of and access to community and technology services and resources