The mission of the University of Nevada, Reno counseling program is to educate competent, culturally aware, ethical counselors who will provide exceptional services in both public and private settings to meet the needs of a increasingly diverse society.Emphasis in Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling (MCFC) is a 67 credit hour nationally accredited (CACREP) program. Graduates of the specialization in the MCFC area of emphasis are able to deal effectively with the variety of issues and family constellations. Students receive in-depth training in conceptualization skills as well as the theoretical and practical application of systems theory. Aside from formal coursework, graduate students have the opportunity to intern in the Downing Counseling Clinic, located within the College of Education and Human Development. The clinic serves as a low-cost clinic for the surrounding community.<br>From admission through exit students will demonstrate the attitudes, characteristics, and behaviors defined by the program as characteristic of exemplar counseling professionals.<br>Students will demonstrate the capacity to practice counseling from a strong foundational understanding of ethical and legal issues, intentionally integrating counseling ethical practices into day-to-day professional activities.<br>In keeping with the ACA multicultural competencies, students will develop self-awareness, knowledge, and skills to prepare them to be contemporary, relevant, and culturally informed practitioners in clinical, marriage and family, and school counseling settings.<br>Students will demonstrate knowledge of lifespan development and the capacity to integrate knowledge of developmental theory into practice.