IACS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ACCREDITATION
ABOUT THE IACS STANDARDS
THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS
IACS MEMBERSHIP
What Is
Accreditation?
Major professional
organizations have established standards and codes of ethics for the training and practices of
members of their professions. Sometimes these standards and codes become
the basis for recognition of the professionalism of individuals, educational
programs and services. Accreditation by the International
Association of Counseling Services (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, the members of which are directors of
counseling services located throughout the United States and internationally.
IACS is the only Accreditation Association which accredits counseling services on
university and college campuses. return to top
How Long Has IACS
been accrediting counseling services?
IACS has been accrediting counseling centers since the late 1940's. First as a Committee of the National
Vocational Guidance Association's (now the National Career Development
Association-NCDA) With the establishment of the American Personnel and
Guidance Association (now known as the American Counseling
Association-ACA) in 1952, the responsibilities and duties of the NVGA
committee were assumed by the APGA Professional Practices Committee and
became the American Board on Counseling Services. APGA accepted the
Board's plan for the establishment of an independent affiliate and in March
1971, the organization known as the International Association of Counseling
Services (IACS) began. In 1993 IACS
discontinued its affiliate status with the ACA and became an independent
organization.
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Who can apply for
IACS accreditation?
Accreditation is open to university and college counseling services with
an FTE (Full Time Equivalent) of at least two (2) professional staff members. return to top
What is meant by the term
Professional Staff FTE.?
The definition of an FTE. Professional staff
member adopted by the IACS Board of Directors is one full time
clinical/administrative position, excluding clerical and trainee staff. return to top
What is the value of
IACS accreditation?
As demands for accountability increase, professional peer review is vital. IACS Accreditation is intended to advocate
for quality counseling services that continue to perform effectively and to
show awareness and concern for professional growth. An IACS certificate
indicates that a counseling center did
not hesitate to open its doors to a team of counseling professionals who
reviewed and certified the service as one which meets the highest established
standards in the field. return to top
Who Writes the
Standards?
The Association ‘s Board of Accreditation members
are directors of IACS accredited counseling centers who volunteer their time to
the organization. The Board is responsible for the development and
maintenance of standards for the evaluation of counseling services within each
of their appropriate counseling settings. In addition, IACS maintains a Board
of Directors whose members are also directors of accredited services. This
Board directs the affairs of the Association. return to top
How often are IACS
Standards updated?
Standards are reviewed on a
continual basis by the accrediting board to make sure they keep abreast with
the changing face of counseling centers today.
If warranted, an accrediting board can amend the standards at any time;
however, the IACS Standards are usually revised every ten years. return to top
If
a counseling center does not meet the IACS Standard regarding the ratio of staff
to students, should the service still seek accreditation?
If your Service does not
exactly meet the ratio of one FTE staff member for every 1,000 to 1,500
students, this does not mean that it would be automatically excluded from the possibility of
attaining accreditation. Certain standards use the word “must” (usually around
ethical issues) while others employ the word “should” as is the case with the
staff to student ratio. Most Centers
approach this ratio to some degree but many accredited Centers do not
necessarily meet it. In examining this
issue, the Board takes into account how closely a site approximates this ratio,
the existence of other campus mental health agencies, budgetary constraints,
impact on service, etc. Often IACS will recommend and advocate for additional
staffing for a center as part of the evaluation review (For Additional Information, Please See the IACS Statement Regarding Recommended Staff to Student Ratios). return to top
If we employ student
workers at our center, does this prohibit us from obtaining IACS accreditation?
Not necessarily. The Standards state that students “should be assigned tasks limited to their training that do not compromise
the confidentiality of clients.” In particular, students must not have access to client
files or confidential records and they should
not do client scheduling. return to top
Do the IACS Standards
require a specific ratio of professional staff to trainees? While keeping in mind that IACS accredits centers/services
and not training programs, the Standards do address a number of issues
regarding the role, duties and responsibilities of trainees. IACS is more
concerned about the overall role of training in Center operations. The
Standards note that “While training and supervision are legitimate functions,
they should not supersede the primary service role of the agency.” While no
specific ratio of staff to trainees is cited, if trainees deliver the majority
of the client contact hours, questions arise as to whether or not this unit is
a Training Center rather than a Counseling Center. return to top
Must the director of a
counseling center have a doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology for the
center to obtain accreditation?
No. The IACS Standards do not
require this specific degree, but a director’s degree must have relevance in
terms of the counseling profession. In
order for the doctorate to be waived, counseling center directors must hold at
least a master's degree in a counseling related field, which included a
supervised field placement; have graduate level training in clinical and
professional functioning; have a minimum of five years experience in a clinical
and/or counseling setting; be able to provide evidence of involvement and
commitment to educational and professional development; and a licensed,
registered or certified professional must be present in the counseling service
who has a doctorate in a counseling related field and is responsible for the
clinical services. See the
"Equivalency Criteria: Non Doctorate" section of the IACS Standards for more detailed information.
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Will IACS accredit a
university or college counseling service that is merged with the campus health
center or other student services?
Centers may often be merged with health centers or other entities such
as career counseling, academic or disability services, etc. There are special
concerns that arise for merged centers and these are detailed in IACS Standards under the section on
“Counseling Center Mergers”. These concerns typically involve the independence
of the Center, role and functions of the Center, and the autonomy of the Director. return to top
How does a center apply
for IACS Accreditation?
The first
step is to purchase an Application Packet.
Under “Order Forms” on the IACS Home Page, click on “Accreditation
Application Order Form”. Print out the form and mail it to IACS with a
check or money order (IACS does not accept credit card orders) for $35.00 (payable in U.S. currency only
through a U.S. Banking facility). return to top
What does the Application
Packet include?
The application is a self-study document that closely follows the IACS
Standards. In addition to the paper
document, each packet includes a computer disk
with the Application in MS Word format. The applicant center must
complete this report an add any ancillary materials requested, the point of
course being to let the IACS Accrediting Board see how closely the service
meets the IACS Standards. Centers are
directed to organize their application and ancillary materials for submission
in a specific manner and the entire packet must be submitted in triplicate to
the IACS Office along with a check or money order for the Initial Evaluation
Fee.
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How much does it cost
to become accredited?
The initial evaluation fee is currently $700.00. This includes the
cost of the initial on site visitation. The fee must accompany the application. For additional member fee information see the
Fee Schedule which is included
on the IACS Website. return to top
Once an application is submitted, what happens
next?
When the materials arrive at the IACS office our staff checks to make
sure that all the required documentation is included. They will
let you know if additional information is needed. Once the
application is found to be in order, it is sent to two (2) members of
the IACS Board
of Accreditation for what we call a First
Board Review.
The reviewers fill out a checklist which is based on the
Standards. They send their reviews to the IACS Senior
Consultant who determines if the
center is ready for the next phase of the accreditation process which
is the
on-site or field visit review. return to top
If the counseling
service appears to meet the Standards, then it is approved for a field visit and the IACS
Executive officer is instructed to send
a Memo to the center director which includes instructions on how to proceed and
a list of potential visitors. The
director of the center must contact the potential field visitors and have them
agree to visit the campus. An on-site review must be at least one full day in length.
Once the visit takes place, the Field Visitor(s) have one month to
submit the report to the Chair of the Accrediting Board who in turn sends the
report to the center director and requests a written response. Once the written response from the director
of the applying center is received, the Chair will then approve the center for
what is called the Final Board Review. return to top
The Final Board Reviewers are two members of the
Accrediting Board who have not seen the center's Application materials before,
which now include the First Board Reviews, the Field Visit Report and the director's
written response to the on-site review.
The Board Members send their review forms to the Chair of the Board who
makes the final decision regarding the applicant center’s Accreditation Status. return to top
Does a center have to pay for all of the field
visit expenses on top of the Initial Evaluation Fee? No, the cost of the on site visit is included
with the Initial Evaluation Fee; However, a center should be prepared to pay
the Annual Accreditation Fee once
they become accredited. return to top
Is there more than
one type of IACS Accreditation?
According to the IACS By-Laws, Full
Accreditation may be granted a university or college counseling service
which fully meets the established Standards. Provisional Accreditation
may be granted a center which upon initial review is in accord with the ethical
standards and broad criteria for acceptable professional practice, but which
does not meet fully the IACS Standards. Probationary
Status is granted to a previously IACS accredited center that currently is
not in satisfactory compliance with the Standards. return to top
What is the annual
cost of being accredited?
The Annual Accreditation Fee is $800.00. return to top
Once accredited, how
often will a counseling center be reviewed?
Centers
must complete a brief IACS Annual Report Form and every four years, centers are
completely re-evaluated which means they again fill out the same application materials that they
completed when they were first accredited.
A center's first re-evaluation includes a mandatory field visit. After that, field visits are mandatory every
eight years. Every 4th year,
only the written application is required. return to top
What are the costs
associated with a center being re-evaluated?
Currently, a Re-Evaluation Fee
of $150.00 must be submitted with
the center's re-evaluation application.
The Field Visit Fee for
accredited centers is $500.00 per
visitor. The number of visitors to a
center depends on the size of the professional
staff - less than 7 FTE professional staff members (excluding
trainees and clerical staff) requires only one visitor. If a
center has 7 or more FTE Professional Staff members, 2 visitors are required. return to top
Does
IACS provide professional assistance?
The Association’s Staff, Officers and Accrediting Board Members are all
highly qualified professionals who are willing to assist counseling centers that
are sincerely striving to assure quality services. return to top
How
can someone become a Field Visitor for the Association?
If you are a professional staff member from an IACS
accredited center, please contact the IACS office to obtain a Field Visitor
Roster Form and additional information on becoming an on-site visitor for the
Association. New field visitors are encouraged to attend a Field Visitor
Training Workshop presented periodically by IACS Accrediting Board Members in
conjunction with professional conferences and conventions. return to top