CMHC Program Retention and Review Policy

Explanation of Purpose

The CMHC program prepares students for roles as professional counselors. It entails development that goes beyond academic coursework to include intrapersonal/ interpersonal skills and ethical behavior. So that students are clear about their ongoing progress in the program, the following content indicates how students will be assessed, and what processes are in place to address any problems that may arise for students in any of these areas. The faculty members of this program have established a policy, which is developmental, that is, its intent is to provide opportunities for growth and change wherever possible. However, this approach is balanced by the need to protect future clients and the counseling profession so that only qualified individuals graduate and are endorsed by the program. Applicants and students are asked to read and sign this statement to indicate that they understand the policy.

The CMHC Program is committed to assisting students to achieve their goals while in the program. The Retention and Review Policy of the Program is designed to ensure that a student’s failure to demonstrate the core knowledge and skills necessary to be a successful counselor is addressed in a timely and coherent fashion. All students must sign the Agreement to the Retention and Review Policy form in their admissions portal.

When a faculty member observes a student’s inability to adhere to the standards of Candidate Status identified below, either prior to or after attainment of Candidate Status, the faculty member is required to meet with the student in question, express the specific concern(s) to the student, and seek to establish a mutually agreed upon Informal Plan to resolve the situation before more action is required.

Candidacy and Clinical Candidacy

All graduate students admitted to the CMHC program at Wilmington University are subject to candidacy review upon completion of 12 Credit Hours and again before they enter their clinical coursework. Thus, admission into this program is considered to be provisional during the first academic year (or time period to complete 12 Credit Hours). During this time period, the student is expected to establish him/herself as a student in good standing, who demonstrates the skills and aptitudes necessary to develop into a professional counselor. There are several criteria listed below which the student must meet during the first academic year in order to be accepted as a full degree candidate and to be allowed to proceed to his/her second academic year as a Candidate for the CMHC degree. These criteria are reviewed by the student’s Academic Advisor and the CMHC faculty upon receipt of the student’s grades following the second semester of the student’s first academic year (or upon completion of 12 Credit Hours). Successful completion of these criteria as determined by the CMHC faculty will result in the Academic Advisor granting approval to the student to register for further courses in the CMHC program. Upon completion of the Candidacy Review process all students will be notified in writing of their Candidate Status. Failure to successfully meet these criteria may result in a remediation plan and the student being placed on probation or dismissed from the program.

Students will also be reviewed a second time for Clinical Candidacy by their advisor and program faculty in the spring semester before practicum. The same criteria utilized for candidacy review will be utilized for clinical candidacy review. The purpose will be to assure continued progress and development in the criteria noted below and to assure that the student is ready for clinical work. Successful completion of these criteria as determined by the CMHC faculty will result in the Academic Advisor granting approval to the student to register for practicum. Upon completion of the Clinical Candidacy Review process all students will be notified in writing of their Clinical Candidate Status. Failure to successfully meet these criteria may result in a remediation plan and the student being placed on probation or dismissed from the program.

Criteria for Advancement to Degree Candidacy

Academic Performance – Each student is expected to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in each course and may be required to retake courses as determined in candidacy review. Students must obtain a 3.0 in MHC 6501 and MHC 6503 in order to advance to other courses in the program, as these courses are basic skills courses which are a prerequisite to many courses in the program.

Intrapersonal/ Interpersonal Skills and Personal Growth – Each student is expected to demonstrate effective intrapersonal/ interpersonal skills and a commitment to personal growth, both of which are considered requisite to the counseling field and include:

• Displays psychological insight and self-awareness;
• Identifies and expresses feelings appropriately;
• Demonstrates motivation and commitment to personal growth;
• Capacity for self-reflection;
• Copes effectively with stressors;
• Demonstrates appropriate sensitivity and respect in peer interactions
• Displays appropriate decorum in interactions with instructor;
• Maintains appropriate emotional boundaries with others;
• Expresses feelings appropriately/ good communication skills
• Functions effectively with others;
• Open and adaptable in relationships.

Professional Attitudes and Skills – This is a professional program. Students should conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times with faculty, fellow students, college staff, and with the staff with whom they work with at practicum and internship agencies. The use of profanity and other forms of socially inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. The CMHC Program expects proper regard for the professional status of faculty, supervisors, administrators, and fellow students. When conflicts arise, they should be handled with appropriate attentions the maintenance of dignity and respect for all parties involved. Professional behavior and decorum also includes that the student:

• Displays the interest, motivation, and commitment necessary to complete the education and training to become a professional counselor;
• Demonstrates the attitudes, skills, demeanor, and maturity necessary to perform the duties of a professional counselor;
• Displays professional conduct and behavior;
• Is open to and responds well to feedback;
• Ethical Behavior – Each student is expected to demonstrate awareness of and concern for the ethical standards of mental health and all other disciplines within the counseling field. Ethical behavior will be monitored and assessed in several venues throughout the student’s academic career, including:

In the classroom, as evidenced by ethical conduct in issues concerning peer relationships and works of scholarship; and

Criteria for Advancement to Clinical Candidacy

Academic Performance – Each student is expected to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in each course and may be required to retake courses as determined in candidacy review. Students must obtain a 3.0 in MHC 6501 and MHC 6503 in order to advance to other courses in the program, as these courses are basic skills courses which are a prerequisite to many courses in the program.

Intrapersonal/ Interpersonal Skills and Personal Growth – Each student is expected to demonstrate effective intrapersonal/ interpersonal skills and a commitment to personal growth, both of which are considered requisite to the counseling field and include:

• Displays psychological insight and self-awareness;
• Identifies and expresses feelings appropriately;
• Demonstrates motivation and commitment to personal growth;
• Capacity for self-reflection;
• Copes effectively with stressors;
• Demonstrates appropriate sensitivity and respect in peer interactions
• Displays appropriate decorum in interactions with instructor;
• Maintains appropriate emotional boundaries with others;
• Expresses feelings appropriately/ good communication skills
• Functions effectively with others;
• Open and adaptable in relationships.

Professional Attitudes and Skills – This is a professional program. Students should conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times with faculty, fellow students, college staff, and with the staff with whom they work with at practicum and internship agencies. The use of profanity and other forms of socially inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. The CMHC Program expects proper regard for the professional status of faculty, supervisors, administrators, and fellow students. When conflicts arise, they should be handled with appropriate attentions the maintenance of dignity and respect for all parties involved. Professional behavior and decorum also includes that the student:

• Displays the interest, motivation, and commitment necessary to complete the education and training to become a professional counselor;
• Demonstrates the attitudes, skills, demeanor, and maturity necessary to perform the duties of a professional counselor;
• Displays professional conduct and behavior;
• Is open to and responds well to feedback;
• Ethical Behavior – Each student is expected to demonstrate awareness of and concern for the ethical standards of mental health and all other disciplines within the counseling field. Ethical behavior will be monitored and assessed in several venues throughout the student’s academic career, including:

In the classroom, as evidenced by ethical conduct in issues concerning peer relationships and works of scholarship; and

Readiness for Clinical Work – The student will have demonstrated a readiness to progress to clinical work in having continued to establish themselves and grow in the above noted areas. Students will need to be emotionally ready and professionally ready. Specifically they will have attained sufficient interpersonal skills and clinical skills necessary to begin practicing counseling. This is the criteria for Advancement to Degree Candidacy and Clinical Candidacy.

Intervention Process Initiation and Steps

The Retention and Review Intervention Process will be initiated upon one of three conditions:

1. The faculty member and student are unable to agree upon or develop an Informal Plan to resolve the situation;
2. The faculty member observes continued difficulty on the part of the student to adhere to the standards of Candidacy despite the institution of the Informal Plan; or
3. The situation or issue is so serious that more formal actions/ proceedings are warranted immediately.

The steps in the Retention and Review Intervention Process are as follows:

1. Step One: The faculty member will present the student’s ongoing difficulty to the CMHC Program Faculty (this should include at least the Chair and potentially one other faculty member. The CMHC Program faculty will assist the faculty member in the development of a Corrective Action Plan.
2. Step Two – Corrective Action Plan: In consultation with the Program Faculty and Chair, the faculty member will develop a written plan (“Corrective Action Plan”) that specifies Goals (areas of difficulty targeted for improvement), Objectives (required activities on the part of the student), Interventions (required activities on the part of the faculty member meant to facilitate the student’s progress), and Outcomes (observable behaviors that indicate attainment of the Goal(s) assigned to the student in the Corrective Action Plan). The Corrective Action Plan will include a timeframe, usually no longer than sixty (60) days, for its successful completion by the Student. The Corrective Action Plan will be reviewed by the Program Chair for approval and then distributed to the Student.
3. Step Three – Corrective Action Plan Review: Upon completion of the timeframe specified in the Correction Action Plan, the faculty member will meet with the Student to review his/her progress. If all Goals in the Corrective Action Plan have been met then the faculty member, with approval from the CMHC Program Faculty, should discharge the Student from the Retention and Review Intervention Process. If the Student has not demonstrated sufficient progress toward the Goal(s) of the Corrective Action Plan, then the faculty member must consult with the Program Faculty prior to advising the Student of his/her failure to achieve these Goals. The Program Chair may direct the faculty member to extend the timeframe of the Corrective Action Plan, modify the Goals, Objectives, Interventions, and/or Outcomes of the Corrective Action Plan (if the timeframe has been extended), or initiate a Retention Review Hearing (Step Four).
4. Step Four – Retention Review Hearing: The purpose of the Retention Review Hearing is to determine if the Student’s failure to achieve the Goal(s) in the Corrective Action Plan warrants further actions, including either the discharge of the Student from further Corrective Actions, the creation of another Corrective Action Plan, or termination of the Student from the CMHC Program. The Retention Review Hearing shall be conducted by the CMHC Program Faculty and any designee assigned by the Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

During the Retention Review Hearing, the CMHC Program Faculty will review the student’s academic performance, interpersonal skills and commitment to personal growth, and ethical behavior, and will determine the student’s status in the program. The student will be provided the opportunity to present any appropriate information specific to the situation which led to the Retention Review Intervention Process. The faculty member will also have an opportunity to elaborate on the nature of the concern and the Student’s progress on the Corrective Action Plan instituted in Step Three. The student may not bring a lawyer or any other third party to the meeting.

After the concerned faculty member and the student have been heard by the CMHC Retention Review Committee, a decision will be made which may include one of the following:

1. The concerns raised by the faculty member do not warrant further action, and the student will be allowed to continue in the program without restriction.
2. The student will be placed on “Professional Probation” with specific requirements established for remediation. Procedures will also be specified for progress to be monitored by the concerned Faculty member, the student’s Academic Advisor, and the CMHC Chair Program Faculty... The CMHC Program Faculty will also decide if and/or when the student may be removed from “Professional Probation.” While on “Professional Probation,” the student will not be allowed to enroll in Practicum or Internship courses, but may be enrolled in other courses upon requesting and receiving permission to do so from the CMHC Program Chair.
3. In accordance with the 2014 American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (SectionF6.) the CMHC Program faculty understands and accepts the responsibility to dismiss students who are unable to render competent professional service. This would include instances where an impairment is affecting competent professional service. Therefore in following this ethical obligation it may be determined that a student should be terminated from the Program and not allowed to enroll in further CMHC courses at Wilmington University.
4. After the CMHC Program Faculty makes a determination, the student will be informed of the decision through written communication within 10 working days of the committee meeting. The student may appeal the CMHC Program Faculty’s decision to the Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science. Such appeal must be in writing and must be postmarked no more than thirty (30) days following the date of the written notification of the decision from the Retention Review Committee.

Please note that this Retention and Review Policy is not intended to replace or supersede actions that may be taken against a student by Wilmington University, for unsatisfactory academic progress or for violations of the student code of conduct, by the Academic Review Committee or the Student Disciplinary Committee, respectively.