Student Counseling earns IACS accreditation

Student Counseling at the University of North Georgia (UNG) has been accredited by International Accreditation of Counseling Services (IACS), the premier leader in setting the benchmark for the full range of professional counseling services on college and university campuses worldwide.

The rigorous IACS accreditation process involves detailed documentation, a comprehensive site visit evaluation and multiple peer reviews in five areas: relationships within the college/university community, counseling and clinical services, ethical standards, personnel, and resources/infrastructure.

"This speaks to the high quality of service that Student Counseling has consistently provided over the years. We have a great team of licensed professionals who really value working with students and helping them to be successful," said Dr. Darcy Hayes, associate vice president for well-being. "Students can feel comfortable and confident that the level of care they are getting from Student Counseling matches or exceeds what they would receive in the community."

UNG Student Counseling was evaluated by IACS and was found to offer a high standard of competent and reliable mental health professional services to its student community. Approval by IACS is also dependent upon evidence of continuing professional development as well as demonstration of excellence in counseling performance.

Dr. Simon Cordery, director of Student Counseling, used IACS as the model for building out his group to serve students after taking on his current role in 2010. That makes this accreditation more fulfilling.

"We were going to model ourselves after these standards. That way we could be sure we were operating by best practices," Cordery said. "This is a nice achievement, but it's not the end of the road. It's a milestone. We want to continue to pursue these standards as we grow as a university."

Cordery expressed gratitude to Dr. Kel Lee Cutrell, associate director of Student Counseling, for her role in leading UNG's accreditation process. Cutrell was excited to see it all come to fruition.

"This shows our staff that their hard work is being noticed. They are doing a great job at helping our students," Cutrell said. "It shows the community that we are professionals and do good work. Students can trust that they can come to us for their well-being."