Georgia Southern University Counseling Center receives Re-Accreditation

February 11, 2015

The Counseling Center at Georgia Southern University has recently been re-accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services Inc. (IACS), an Alexandria, Virginia, based organization of United States, Canadian and Australian counseling agencies.

The Counseling Center was evaluated by IACS against high standards of counseling practice and was found to offer competent and reliable professional services to its clientele. Approval by IACS is dependent upon evidence of continuing professional development as well as demonstration of excellence of counseling performance. IACS is the only accreditation association which accredits counseling services on university and college campuses.

“Our maintenance of IACS accreditation is a testament to the commitment of the Counseling Center staff, as well as the administrators who provide us support, to provide only the highest quality of care and training to students of Georgia Southern University,” said Dr. Jodi Caldwell, director of the Center. “Presently, there are only 167 university counseling centers that have achieved and maintained this international accreditation.”

Accreditation by IACS is a voluntary evaluative process involving a written self‑study and the adherence to established standards of practice. These standards are articulated by the IACS Board of Accreditation, which are directors of counseling services located throughout the United States and internationally.

The Counseling Center offers individual, couples and group therapy. In addition, it offers training programs for students at the bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral level. The Counseling Center is a University Counseling Center serving full-time, matriculating, Georgia Southern University students.

IACS was established in 1972 to encourage and aid counseling agencies to meet high professional standards through peer evaluation and to inform the public about counseling services that are competent and reliable. The organization provides guidelines for counseling centers to ensure that their clients are receiving the best possible care. These guidelines address areas such as staffing requirements, technological changes in the field and how best to balance providing individual care with other options such as group therapy, outreach programming and crisis response.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125-degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education.