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School of Counseling Goal Statement Guidelines November 2020

School of Counseling

MS Goal Statement Guidelines We are excited that you have decided to apply to Walden University’s School of Counseling.

Our counseling programs meet the rigor of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and

Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and our faculty is committed to positive social

change. We commend you for beginning this personally enriching and professionally fulfilling

journey; we are ready to meet you and eager to count you as one of our colleagues in a few

years.

Directions: Answer each question concisely with specific details. You are strongly encouraged

to proofread, grammar check, and spell check your responses before submission; your

application will be evaluated not only on content but also on the presentation of written skills. Be

sure to answer each question completely. Responses that do not address the content of the

question may delay review of your application and could result in non-acceptance to your desired

degree program.

Name: You must provide your full name (first and last) on your goal statement for it to be

accepted by admissions.

Degree: You must clearly indicate to which degree program you are applying.

Content: There are five sections described below. Please include the following information

when preparing your goal statement. While not required, we strongly suggest that you format

your goal statement by heading each section with the headings shown below. Write your

information in paragraph form and do not use bullet format under the section headings.

Please note that applicants with incomplete goal statements will not be considered for

admission.

Counselor Definition

• In a few sentences, describe what led you to graduate education in the counseling

profession and your career goals.

Life Skills

• Many life experiences and skills developed in your past will serve you as a professional

counselor. Consider skills (do not include technology skills) you have obtained from

current or past employment, community volunteer services, or extracurricular activity

experiences. Summarize two or three skills that will make you a competent professional

counselor.

Feedback

• Training to become a professional counselor requires deliberate growth and development

including receiving and applying constructive feedback. As a student, you will receive

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School of Counseling Goal Statement Guidelines November 2020

ongoing and substantial constructive feedback regarding your scholarly performance (i.e.,

knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors). Share how you have processed,

responded to, and applied past constructive feedback that was difficult to hear.

Multiculturalism/Diversity

• Multicultural/Diversity competence is explored extensively in the School of Counseling

graduate programs. Considering that having a cultural or implicit bias is a normal

experience for all individuals, identify a closely held value or belief that will be the most

difficult for you to respect while interacting with others and explain why.

Self-Care

• Identify three to five activities that you do to manage personal mental health, emotional

problems, stress, and/or interpersonal relationships effectively.

Admission Committee

Prior Academic Experience (applicable for applicants applying with a GPA below 2.5 or were

academically dismissed from Walden)

• If your most recently completed degree GPA is 2.49 or below, please add a paragraph

explaining the reasons for the low GPA and how you believe you will be able to be

successful as a graduate student.

• If you were academically dismissed from Walden and are seeking readmission, please

add a paragraph explaining the reasons for your low academic performance and how you

will be successful now (i.e., what is different now so you can be successful).