Author: ytao17

NIU PhD Program in Counselor Education & Supervision Info Session

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The CACREP accredited PhD program in Counselor Education & Supervision at Northern Illinois University is accepting applications for its Fall 2026 cohort. We will be hosting two virtual info sessions for prospective applicants:
Some highlights of our program include:
  • Funding: 100% of our doctoral students who request funding have been successful in securing graduate assistantships for the past several years. These are 10-20 hour per week paid positions during the fall and spring, with a tuition waiver that covers summer courses
  • Expert faculty mentorship: Our faculty are highly productive researchers, averaging 3.5 peer-reviewed publications per faculty member in the last year. Faculty provides hands-on research mentorship for doctoral students through co-authored manuscripts and conference co-presentation. Moreover, many faculty members hold elected leadership positions in national and regional counseling organizations.
  • Award-winning excellence: in 2025, we were honored by the North Central Association for Counselor Education & Supervision with the Innovative Counselor Education Program Award (Doctoral Program). Our doctoral students have also earned numerous prestigious accolades in the past year, including the ACA Glen E. Hubele National Graduate Student Award, multiple research grants (ACES, AARC Sponsored Scholarship Program, NCACES, Association for Play Therapy), NCACES Emerging Leaders, among others.
  • Program Structure: Full time doctoral students can complete the program in just three years. Our on-ground format offers vibrant in-person engagement complemented by hybrid online experiences for added flexibility.
  • Hands-on clinical experience: Our in-house clinic, the Community Counseling Training Center (CCTC), provides our doctoral students exceptional learning opportunities in providing clinical supervision and opportunities to conduct clinical research.
  • Long-standing accreditation: Our doctoral program has held continuous CACREP accreditation since 1987.
  • Vibrant community and resources: We have active student organizations such as the CSI Chapter Rho Alpha Kappa (CSI), NIU Counseling Association, and Black Counselors Association. Doctoral students also have the opportunity to earn a graduate certificate in Trauma-Informed Counseling
  • Ideal Location: Located in DeKalb, Illinois—just 60 miles west of downtown Chicago—our students can enjoy access to Chicago’s world-class cultural, professional, and recreational opportunities while living in a cost-effective, welcoming college town. Our diverse student and faculty body, drawn from urban, suburban, and rural backgrounds, fosters a rich, inclusive learning environment.
Prospective students must apply to our program through the NIU Graduate School, and if invited, attend our program’s virtual Pre-Admissions Workshop held in December for group and individual interviews. For admission to the Graduate School, you’ll need to apply, submit a written statement of goals, official transcripts, and three letters of recommendation (at least one from individuals holding a doctoral degree and/or able to speak to your academic aptitude). If you are an international student, you must also submit official English translations of your academic records and all test scores, including the TOEFL or IELTS. All applicants complete the Ph.D. applicant essay, and submit a résumé or CV.

Apply online

For the best opportunity to secure GA funding, please apply early.
Early admissions deadline: November 15
General admissions deadline: February 1
If you have any questions, please contact cahc_admissions@niu.edu
Counseling Programs Admissions Coordination Team
Counseling Admissions Office
cahc_admissions@niu.edu
815-753-5749
​Clinical Mental Health Counseling  ~  School Counseling
School Counselor Institute  ~ Trauma-Informed Counseling Certificate
PhD Counselor Education & Supervision  ~ Undergrad Minor in Counseling
Counseling and Higher Education Department
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115

2nd Year Professional Practice Orientation for School Counseling – This Saturday Oct 4th!

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Professional Practice Orientation for School Counseling – This Saturday Oct 4th!

Hello Current Second Year School Counseling Students,

We look forward to seeing you all this Saturday! Please see the room number below, and make sure to bring your student ID in order to swipe into the building.

There will be a mandatory, in-person 2nd Year Professional Practice Orientation on Saturday, October 4th from 10:00 am – 12:30 pm. This meeting is mandatory for all school counseling students completing Practicum in Spring of 2026 and Internship in Fall 2026 – Spring 2027. It is required even if you have already attended this meeting in the past because there are changes and updates on key information year to year. This meeting will take place in person on Lincoln Park Campus. We will be discussing all things related to Practicum and Internship that you will encounter during your Professional Practice experience. Look for additional future communications on CSL News and via email and please plan accordingly.

Please reach out to Jay Lesenko jlesenko@depaul.edu if you will not be completing Practicum and Internship in 2026 – 2027 so you can be removed from the email list. Please reach out to Jay Lesenko jlesenko@depaul.edu or Dr. Hamm jhamm@depaul.edu if you have any questions.

Saturday October 4th

School Counseling Professional Practice Orientation

10am – 12:30pm

DePaul Lincoln Park Campus

College of Education Building

2247 N. Halsted St. Chicago, IL 60614 

Room #LL 103 (Lower Level)

Save the Date! Sat Oct 25th – 2nd Year Professional Practice Orientation for CMHC

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Professional Practice Orientation for CMHC- This Saturday Oct 25th!

Hello Current Second Year CMHC Counseling Students,

We are a few weeks away from our Professional Practice Orientation in October! We have confirmed the room for the Professional Practice Orientation- please see details below:

There will be a mandatory, in-person 2nd Year Professional Practice Orientation on Saturday, October 25th from 10:00 am – 12:30 pm. This meeting is mandatory for all CMHC students completing Practicum and Internship in 2026-2027. It is required even if you have already attended this meeting in the past because there are changes and updates on key information year to year. This meeting will take place in person on Lincoln Park Campus. We will be discussing all things related to Practicum and Internship that you will encounter during your Professional Practice experience in 2026 – 2027. Look for additional future communications on CSL News and via email and please plan accordingly.

Please reach out to Jay Lesenko jlesenko@depaul.edu if you will not be completing Practicum and Internship in 2026 – 2027 so you can be removed from the email list. Please reach out to Jay Lesenko jlesenko@depaul.edu or Dr. Hamm jhamm@depaul.edu if you have any questions.

Saturday October 25th

CMHC Professional Practice Orientation

10am – 12:30pm

SAC Rm#161

Schmitt Academic Center (SAC)

2320 N Kenmore Ave

Chicago, IL 60614

Advocacy in Action | Latest News and Updates

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Federal Updates

Update on Conversion Therapy Case Before the Supreme Court

On March 9, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review  to rule on the constitutionality of Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors.

In August, ACA collaborated with the American Psychological Association, the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities and other key stakeholders to file an amicus brief in the case to urge the Supreme Court to uphold Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy and affirm the authority of states to protect the health, safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals by prohibiting this harmful practice.  about efforts to uphold Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy.

988 Day & the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Thank you for joining us in celebrating 988 Day to raise awareness about the . Thanks to you, 988 resources were shared over 1,000 times, and we sent over 250 letters to Congress in support of 988.

988 continues to offer free compassionate support for people in crisis 365 days a year — let’s continue to raise awareness and advocate for funding the Lifeline!

Medicare Providers – Counselors are Eligible!

Counselors can now apply to be a Medicare provider. 

State Updates

The Counseling Compact Is Now Live!

The Counseling Compact launched today, Tuesday, Sept. 30, with Arizona and Minnesota being the first of , prepared to start granting privileges to practice. Several additional states are expected to be online in the coming weeks and months.

 about the application process.

Thank you for all your hard work to make this a reality!

Connect with Other Advocates at Advocacy Power Hour

Advocacy Power Hour (APH) connects advocacy leaders and interested members with our team to discuss state policy updates, advocacy strategies at the state level and our national policy agenda.

The next APH is Thursday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m. ET.

 for the next APH.

Events

Advocates in Action Month

October is Advocates in Action Month! It’ll be a jam-packed month with lots of advocacy opportunities leading up to our two flagship events: Hill Day and Spotlight on States. Share your advocacy stories throughout the month with #CounselorsAdvocate.

Stay tuned for more details about Advocates in Action Month.

Hill Day

Hill Day is approaching fast! Over 100 counselors will join us in Washington, D.C., Oct. 21-22, to advocate for mental health parity, counseling workforce development programs and grants, and telehealth. We look forward to showing why counselors are essential for healthy communities.

Spotlight on States

Hear from state legislators, ACA branches and ACA staff at our virtual Spotlight on States event on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 3 p.m. ET, for an in-depth discussion on what happened during the most recent legislative session. Attendees will leave with practical tips and tools to prepare for next year. 

Get Involved

Are you ready to advocate for the counseling profession? Here are steps to kickstart your advocacy journey:

Please note that trainings are an exclusive benefit for ACA members only.

ACA actively works on legislative and public policy issues that matter to our members. Priorities include Medicare reimbursement for counselors, the Counseling Compact and increased funding for mental health care.

American Counseling Association

2461 Eisenhower Ave.
Suite 300

Alexandria, VA 22314

(p) 800-298-2276 | (f) 800-473-2329

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Free Webinar for Counseling Students

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Brightside Health is offering complimentary webinar for master’s-level counseling students and alumni to register for our upcoming “How to WOW a Recruiter in Telehealth” webinar.
Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Time: 1:00–2:00 PM EST | 10:00 AM–11:00 AM PST
Location: Virtual via Zoom (RSVP here)
This session offers advice to help students and alumni confidently enter the growing field of telehealth.

We Need Your Voice: Counselor Advocacy

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Illinois HB1085 is a bill with real impact on students’ practicum/internship accessibility to clients and on your future clinicians’ ability to practice in-network soon after graduation. Information about the bill is included below. 

WHAT HB1085 WOULD DO:

  • Permit supervised therapists-in-training to be billed towards insurance, billed under the supervisor—so training clinics can bill commercial insurance.

  • Set a statewide reimbursement floor for in-network mental health & SUD services, helping stabilize rates across commercial plans. (Some bill summaries currently describe this as ~141% of Medicare for common psychotherapy codes like 90837.)

  • Reduce administrative burdens by limiting extra documentation/audits singled out for common psychotherapy codes (e.g., 90837).

  • Allow same-day coverage for multiple clinically necessary mental-health services.

  • Require insurers to complete contracting within 60 days for new in-network clinicians (and pay contracted rates from completed application until the contract’s effective date).

Why this matters for students and their future clients:

  • More training sites can bill insurance, which expands in-network access for clients and helps students meet program hour requirements in a timely way.

  • LPCs gain a clearer path to paneling, improving early-career employment and helping them reach the 1,680 direct client contact hours required for independent licensure without pushing clients to out-of-network care.

  • Earlier, fairer reimbursement helps graduates shoulder supervision rates, student loans, and basic living costs in the two-year supervised period after graduation – and all the years after.

Timing: The bill is expected to be considered during the October veto sessions (currently scheduled for Oct 14–16 and Oct 28–30). 

HOW STUDENTS, ALUMNI, FACULTY, AND SUPERVISORS CAN GET INVOLVED: 

If you are interested, you can write a letter to your State Representative and State Senator. A short, self-authored email during this window can genuinely help. (See the attached student letter as an example). Or you can also contact your State Representative and State Senator and ask them to support HB1085 in the upcoming veto sessions. You can find their contact information HERE.

Please share this information with anyone who may be interested. 

FALL 2025 STUDENT TEACHING AND INTERNSHIPS SCHOLARSHIP OPEN NOW

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The College of Education Fall 2025 Student Teaching and Internships Scholarship application is open NOW through Sunday, September 28th.

This award is offered to College of Education students who are currently participating in their capstone clinical experience – student teaching, counseling internship, or another field-based capstone. Counseling interns may only receive this scholarship for one academic quarter of their internship.

You must be a COE student who is student teaching or actively working in your required internship during Fall 2025 in order to qualify.

The maximum award amount is $3,000 and the minimum is $350. Students will be awarded within that range.

Applications are open from 9/10-9/28. Apply online at: depaul.academicworks.com/opportunities/55160

DePaul Graduate Ambassadors Program is Recruiting!

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We’re excited to officially launch the DePaul Graduate Ambassadors Program — and we’re looking for passionate students like you to join us.

If you’re currently enrolled in a graduate program in the College of Communication (CMN) or College of Education (COE) and want to connect with others, share your student experience, and get more involved, this is a great opportunity. 

Apply now by scanning the QR code below or visiting our Google Form link.

Have questions? Reach out to us at gradcom@depaul.edu and edgradadmission@depaul – we’re happy to help.

#DePaulGradAmbassadors

2025 COE Student Participation Survey – YOUR INPUT MATTERS!

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Dear College of Education Students,

Each year, the COE asks students to participate in our annual COE Student Perception Survey, and this year WE NEED YOU!! Here is the link for this year’s survey: https://rebrand.ly/2025_Student_Perception_Survey

Your voice and ideas are so important as we strive to create the best experiences for you. We use your feedback to improve the college’s programs and services, and YOUR INPUT MATTERS!

The survey will close on June 2nd. Students who submit completed surveys will be entered into a raffle for one of ten $25 Amazon gift cards.

25-26 CMHC Internship Opportunities

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Family Guidance Centers has an internship opening for the 25-26 year. Interested students can visit Current Employment Positions – Family Guidance Centers, Inc (atsondemand.com) for more details and to apply.

https://www.fgcinc.org/

The Josselyn Center Northbrook location currently has an internship opening for the 25-26 year. The Josselyn Center is prioritizing interns who can see themselves staying at Josselyn if offered employment after their internship. Interested students can view the link below and reach out to Thomas Tharayil at ttharayil@josselyn.org for more details.

https://www.josselyn.org/about-us/clinical-internship/

Mosaic Nature Therapy and Wellness in Homewood, IL currently has an internship opening for the 25-26 year. Interested students can reach out to Rosa King at rosievera2005@yahoo.com for more details.

https://www.mosaicnaturetherapy.com/