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The Counselor Education program at the University of Central Florida is preparing me to be the best Mental Health Counselor that I can possibly be. I constantly feel as though I am being challenged, heard and guided. UCF is in the top 10 CACREP accredited school and I am so thankful to be a part of this community. I have elected to pay for my graduate education from my own pocket; I have not taken out any student loans. Partaking in this route for school payment, I have had to work 2-3 jobs at one... Read More time. My first semester of graduate school was a very big adjustment; a new schedule, a larger workload, and 2 jobs. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement but within my program, I felt nothing short of supported. To be in such a prestigious program, and be surrounded by such support is incredibly empowering. Anyone considering this program, I would recommend it for it's accreditation, education and the affordable in-state tuition. I'm very proud to be a Knight!

The program offers courses taught by educators who have a great deal of experience who have had leadership positions in ACA, ASERVIC, and many other prominent organizations in the counseling world. Professors are often available for students with questions and there are many opportunities for learning outside of required courses, such as workshops sponsored by our chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, guest speakers, and our annual UCF Counseling Conference. The program offers training in the basics of counselings,... Read More focusing on foundational skills rather than specific theoretical techniques.

The pros of my graduate program are the faculty, cohort model, and growth experiences. The faculty is incredibly knowledgeable, each with their own area of expertise. They are diverse, easy to talk to, and provide a great amount of support to their students. Every assignment I was ever given was relevant to my future career and helped develop me as a counselor. The cohort model helped me socialize with my graduate student peers and provided me with strong friendships throughout some of the hardest... Read More moments of my life. It also helped normalize my anxiety and stresses related to school and life in general. The growth experiences that specifically were best in my opinion are the experiential activities completed for class and attending conferences. It helped me learn more about myself and find ways to incorporate my strengths into my counseling. The cons I would have to say is the transportation nearby the school and class times. Due to the location of the school, public transportation is not reliable so if you do not own a car or do not live in nearby housing, it will be difficult to make it to class. I understand the need to have class at night but after working all day prior to class, the semester can become exhausting very quickly. There were some classes offered online or at an earlier time but I would prefer the option to have more of them earlier rather than later.

This graduate program is one of the best in the country. Not only did it make the top 100 for counselor education, but in recent years it jumped from number 11 to number 9. The program is CACREP accredited; this is important because now in the state of Florida this is a REQUIREMENT for certification as a mental health counselor. The faculty of this program take the emotional wellness of it's students seriously and they make an effort to keep up with the students and make sure that they are taking... Read More care of themselves so that they will be better able to help clients and care for themselves after graduation. Certificates in Play Therapy and Career Counseling are also available. One of the cons is the amount of time the program takes. It is a three year program, in addition to the two years after graduation required for certification by the state of Florida. Also, none of the internships which are required for graduation are paid, which is an added difficulty when it comes to trying to also hold a job and pay for school. In addition, there is no PhD program for mental health counseling at this school. There are however programs for an EdS. and PhD in School Counseling.

Our program is pretty rigorous, with a lot of expectations placed on students which force us out of our comfort zones. We are encouraged to network and participate in research projects early on in the program and many of my peers have already presented at conferences. We have on-site practicums in a free community counseling clinic, open to the public. Professors are engaged and engaging, creating interesting classes and also remaining very hands on and interested in our success. It's a long program,... Read More which can be made longer if you have many interests and opt in for some of the available certifications. For a program of its length, however, I am already seeing how I will feel prepared and confident in the field of counseling when I step out into the real world.