Chair's Welcome

As chair of the Department of Counseling at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, I would like to welcome you to the counseling program. Our master’s degree in counseling prepares highly competent professionals to respond to the mental health needs of a multicultural community. The degree satisfies the requirements to apply for state of Texas licensure (Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC) or the School Counselor Certification. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling specialization offers flexibility in class locations, with courses available in Edinburg, Brownsville, and Laredo. Classes are offered in the evening or online, providing flexibility for working professionals. The counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and prepares graduates to emerge as leaders committed to driving positive change in the communities they serve. Students gain instruction in professional content areas and field experience hours necessary for eligibility to become a Certified School Counselor and/or apply for state licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

Our counselor education program has a process for continuous and systematic efforts to recruit, enroll, and retain students that enhance and support the program. Our counselor education program intentionally creates and effectively maintains a positive learning community that embraces all individual differences and cultivates students’ professional counseling identity. Students in the counseling program actively identify with the counseling profession by participating in professional counseling organizations and by participating in seminars, workshops, or other activities that contribute to personal and professional growth. The Counseling Student Organization does a wonderful job of facilitating workshops to support counseling students’ personal growth and professional counseling identity. We also encourage students to participate and attend professional counseling conferences such as the annual meetings for the American Counseling Association, Texas Counseling Association, American Mental Health Counseling Association, Advancing School Mental Health, and American School Counselor Association. By the time students graduate from the counseling program, we expect them to have been part of a positive learning environment and develop a strong professional counseling identity.

Faculty members in the department of counseling actively participate in professional activities, scholarly activities, and service to the profession. Counseling faculty have sustained memberships in professional counseling organizations such as the American Counseling Association. Counseling faculty members also have relevant professional counseling credentials such as Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, and Certified School Counselor. As UTRGV aims to become an R1 university, counseling faculty members are committed to quality research and scholarly activity in counselor education. Faculty members publish research in counselor education journals such as Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation, and Professional School Counseling, and obtain external grants through the United States Department of Education, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services and Administration. Students in the counseling program can become part of faculty members’ research studies through a formal experience such as working as a Graduate Research Assistantship or Presidential Research Fellow. Finally, staff members in the department of counseling are committed to providing high quality customer service and timely responsiveness to address student needs.

I encourage you to explore our website where information about the specializations is available. We hope you will join our counseling program and become a mental health leader who is committed to driving positive change in the communities you serve. You can direct specific questions to any faculty member or me (Javier.cavazos@utrgv.edu). I would enjoy talking with current and potential students.

Dr. Javier Cavazos
Department Chair