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OVERVIEW

The basic purposes of the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS) are to encourage and aid counseling services throughout the United States and internationally to meet high professional standards, to inform the public about those which are competent and reliable, and to foster communication among counseling services operating in a variety of settings.

Accreditation is open to University and four (4) year College Counseling  Services.

IACS is committed to furthering the visibility of the counseling profession and improving its quality. IACS has evolved standards that define professional quality and has established criteria for accreditation which reflect these standards. IACS accreditation also acts as a stimulus to counseling centers to upgrade their professional services to meet accreditation standards; and the Association provides the profession and the public with information about those services which it has accredited.

• Development of Standards

IACS' roots go back to the 1950's when accreditation was first extended to counseling services. Representatives of three counseling settings (University & 4 year Colleges; Community/2 year Colleges and Public and Private Counseling Agencies) comprising IACS worked for more than two years to establish an accrediting program relevant to the Association's diverse constituency. The result of this effort was adoption, by the Board of Directors in April, 1973, of common principles and procedures to govern accreditation and separate criteria and standards for the evaluation of each counseling setting.  As of April, 2005, IACS now accredits only University and 4 year College Counseling Services.


• Applying for Accreditation

To become accredited, a counseling service must meet the standards, be evaluated by the IACS Board of Accreditation, and be found qualified as a professionally competent counseling service. This process involves self study; completion of application materials for review; and an on-site evaluation by IACS representatives, which provides an opportunity to receive invaluable feedback from one's peers.

• Re-evaluation

To insure that accredited services maintain the high standards of IACS, re-evaluations are made every four years including a mandatory on-site evaluation every eight years. During the intervening years, each accredited counseling service must submit an IACS Annual Report Form to give evidence of maintaining standards.

• The Value of Accreditation

As demands for accountability increase, professional peer review is vital. Accreditation is intended to encourage and aid counseling services to continue to perform effectively and to show awareness and concern for professional growth.

The IACS accreditation certificate indicates that a counseling service did not hesitate to open its doors to a team of counseling professionals who reviewed and accredited its services. It is one thing for you to know that your counseling service is professional, it is another matter to be able to show that an outside evaluation renders the same opinion.

• Consultation

While IACS criteria for accreditation are professionally demanding, the Association is certain that most university and college counseling services, sincerely striving to assure quality services, will eventually be able to meet the accreditation standards. To assist counseling centers in solving professional problems, the Association will work with those requesting help with self-improvement projects.


• The fostering of Professional Cooperation and Communication

IACS offers a unique opportunity for professional counseling staff members from divergent universities and colleges to work together. Directors of accredited counseling services from all over the United States, Canada and Australia are eligible to be elected to serve on the IACS Board of Directors and the IACS Board of Accreditation which both conduct meetings and training workshops during professional conventions.

IACS relates important achievements and new developments within counseling services to the press, the business community, and academic circles. Additionally, IACS shares interests with a number of other professional organizations. As an accrediting association on an international basis, IACS can represent the interests of university and college counseling services in the professional and public arenas.

• The IACS Professional Series

• IACS newsletter: "Counseling Services"
  

IACS publishes a newsletter which keeps its accredited counseling services informed of association business and professional issues.

• IACS mailing labels
  

Restricted, contact IACS Office for details