Mission & Values

Mission Statement

The University Counseling Center is committed to the mental health and wellbeing of all members of the university community. We strive to facilitate growth and enhance understanding of self and others by providing culturally responsive clinical services to our students, prevention-based education and outreach to our community, and specialized training and supervision to emerging mental health professionals.

Our Commitment to Ethical Practice

The Wake Forest University Counseling Center is committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and affirming environment for all. This includes students who access our services, as well as all individuals who are part of our University community. We strive to make the University Counseling Center a safe place where individuals can strengthen their self-acceptance, confidence, and comfort with their own individual identities.  

As counselors,  psychologists, and social workers, we are licensed in the state of North Carolina and bound by the laws and ethical codes of our respective disciplines.  The American Counseling Association (ACA), American Psychological Association (APA), and National Association of Social Workers (NASW) have each put forth a set of principles and standards for how professionals in our fields should conduct themselves. Below are excerpts from each discipline’s code or published priorities with a snapshot of the frameworks that guide our practice:

1. “Counselors do not condone or engage in discrimination against prospective or current clients, students, employees, supervisees, or research participants based on age, culture, disability, ethnicity, race, religion/spirituality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/ partnership status, language preference, socioeconomic status, immigration status, or any basis proscribed by law.”
   
   2014 ACA Code of Ethics, American Counseling Association (2014) Section C.5. Nondiscrimination
   
2. “Psychologists are aware of and respect cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status, and consider these factors when working with members of such groups. Psychologists try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or condone activities of others based upon such prejudices.”
   
   Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, American Psychological Association (2017) Principle E: Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity
   
3. Social Workers Section 1.05 Cultural Competence
   (a) Social workers should demonstrate understanding of culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.
   
   (b) Social workers should demonstrate knowledge that guides practice with clients of various cultures and be able to demonstrate skills in the provision of culturally informed services that empower marginalized individuals and groups. Social workers must take action against oppression, racism, discrimination, and inequities, and acknowledge personal privilege.
   
   (c) Social workers should demonstrate awareness and cultural humility by engaging in critical self-reflection (understanding their own bias and engaging in self-correction), recognizing clients as experts of their own culture, committing to lifelong learning, and holding institutions accountable for advancing cultural humility.
   
   (d) Social workers should obtain education about and demonstrate understanding of the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical ability.
   
   (e) Social workers who provide electronic social work services should be aware of cultural and socioeconomic differences among clients’ use of and access to electronic technology and seek to prevent such potential barriers. Social workers should assess cultural, environmental, economic, mental or physical ability, linguistic, and other issues that may affect the delivery or use of these services.
   
   National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of Ethics. NASW. Section 1.05 Cultural Competence