The accreditation recognizes the program’s curriculum, faculty, clinical supervision, and student learning outcomes

Denver Seminary’s PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, the program that prepares the next generation of counseling faculty and supervisors, has been granted national accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The doctoral program now joins the Seminary’s other counseling programs in holding CACREP accreditation.

CACREP accreditation certifies that a program meets established national standards for curriculum, faculty qualifications, clinical supervision, and student learning outcomes. At the doctoral level, those standards govern the preparation of the next generation of counseling faculty, supervisors, researchers, and professional leaders.

“Denver Seminary has trained counselors for the church and the world for decades. This accreditation names a further responsibility: forming the educators and supervisors who will prepare the next generation of counselors in turn. The world needs a Christian PhD program that forms educators who inspire joyful witness and faithful scholarship. CACREP’s review confirms what we already understood to be true,” said Dr. Mark Husbands, President of Denver Seminary.

The PhD program was founded in 2021 on the conviction that theological inquiry belongs in the same room as clinical practice. Its graduates are prepared to teach and supervise in academic settings, to conduct research that serves the counseling profession, and to lead in clinical and institutional contexts where psychological insight and theological depth are both required.

Accreditation followed several years of curriculum development, faculty investment, and self-study documentation involving faculty, staff, students, and clinical partners.

“This outcome belongs to the whole program. Faculty, staff, and students spent years building something worthy of this standard, and they did it while still teaching, supervising, and seeing their own clients. I am proud of what they built and grateful for how they built it,” said Dr. Elisabeth Suárez, Director of PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision program, who led the program through the accreditation process.

The accreditation is expected to strengthen the Seminary’s position in recruiting doctoral students and counseling faculty nationally. It also extends the reach of a program whose graduates serve congregations, counseling centers, and academic institutions across the country.

The program is housed in Denver Seminary’s School of Counseling, which now offers CACREP-accredited master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical mental health counseling and counselor education.

“While Denver Seminary is already known for producing well-educated counselors, we will now also be known for how we train, develop, and launch counselor educators and supervisors. This accreditation stands to draw new students and faculty our way.” said Dr. Liz Harper, inaugural Dean of the School of Counseling.

For more information about the PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, click here.