Standards of Performance
By policy, students are expected to uphold standards of academic and moral excellence consistent with their commitment to Christian faith and scholarship. Richmont students must demonstrate readiness to meet the level of professional behavior and service expected of graduate students in professional counseling, including but not limited to:
- Exhibiting conduct consistent with his or her profession of faith as a follower of Christ
- Maintaining a minimum term GPA of 3.0 (B)
- Abiding by the formal Statement of Community
- Participating in Richmont functions
- Exhibiting adequate social and interpersonal skills, self-awareness, and receptivity
- Exhibiting resilience and self-regulation, free from any impairment that might place self or another at risk
- Conducting herself or himself with confidentiality, honesty, and integrity
- Relating respectfully and professionally to faculty, staff, fellow students, and others
- Responding appropriately to supervision, class instruction, and other sources of constructive feedback
- Recognizing his or her limits of competency
- Appropriately translating academic preparation to clinical performance
- Providing competent service to counselees without academic or personal limitations, when compared to others at the same level of training
- Committing to and abiding by the standards set in the code of conduct established by the appropriate licensure boards and professional societies
Within the School of Counseling, faculty have the responsibility to monitor students’ academic progress, clinical skills, and their professional dispositions. While an individual may have the academic ability to successfully complete a graduate program at Richmont, some students remain unsuited for the necessary responsibilities of a professional counselor or marriage and family therapist. The faculty take this gate-keeping responsibility seriously.
Students are evaluated based on their knowledge, clinical skills, and dispositions during their training at Richmont. Academic knowledge, clinical skills, and general professional dispositions are all factors considered each semester by the faculty and staff as part of the Student Performance and Dispositions Review (SPDR). A dean or the student’s advisor provides feedback based on the SPDR Review. At times, a student development plan is required.
Students are encouraged to initiate a meeting with their advisors at any time to receive feedback about their progress in the program. Moreover, feedback sessions with advisors can be scheduled after the faculty has completed a review and the student has received their Student Performance Review Feedback Form.