Gate System FAQ

Where can I get a copy of the gate policy?

The gate policy and related forms are uploaded as a separate document on the Counseling and Pastoral Care webpage. In addition a copy of the policy and the forms arelocated in the CPC Student Handbook. Finally, you can request a hard copy of the policy and forms from the CPC Administrative Assistant.

To whom does the Gate Policy apply?

You are under the gate policy if you started your counseling program during Summer 2010 or Fall 2010. Students accepted into any of our counseling degree plans from this point forward will also be under the gate policy. If you had been accepted into the counseling program prior to Summer 2010, you are not mandated to participate in the gating system but can elect to do so.

What is the purpose of the Gate System?

The gate system serves several functions. First, it provides clearance for you to register for practicum. We want to be sure that you are ready to start practicum in all ways. Second, the gate conversations provide a way for us as a faculty to give you feedback about your professional development. We can celebrate how you have grown in your identity as a professional counselor and walk along side you as you develop a professional growth plan. Third, it provides a mid-point check if issues in your life are overwhelming you in such a way that a more structured remediation process is necessary. Finally, it will serve as an exit interview as you prepare for graduation.

When do the gating conversations happen?

There are “three gates.”

The first one happens during your application interview. If you are a student in one of our counseling degree programs then you have passed through this gate already.

The second gate conversation occurs approximately mid-way through your program. Typically this would be around the 24 credit hour mark or before you enroll in practicum, which ever comes first. For example, if you started your counseling degree in the summer or fall 2010 and were planning to start your practicum in summer 2011 or fall 2011, then your second gate interview would happen in spring 2011, the semester BEFORE you wanted to start practicum. On the other hand, if you were planning to take all of your content classes first and save your practicum for the very end of your program, you would schedule your second gate interview around the mid-way point of your degree program, most likely during your second full semester and no later than your third semester.
The third and final gate conversation happens during the fall or spring semester of graduation.

How will I be notified that I am ready for my second gate conversation?

The Administrative Assistance will email students that could participate in Gate 2 or Gate 3. We also expect students to take responsibility to notify the Administrative Assistance when they believe they are read for Gate 2 or Gate 3

Can I schedule my gate conversation at any time during the semester?

No. The CPC faculty will set specific dates for gate interviews. We will announce these dates early enough in the semester that students can make arrangements to be present.

This sounds kind of scary. The policy seems to imply that a counseling student could be asked to leave the counseling program. Is this accurate?

The simple answer to this question is “yes.” The more accurate answer is that we want to be sure that our students are not only academically prepared to be professional counselors but that they are also emotionally ready; that is, that they have addressed any personal issues that may impede their work with clients. The gate system provides an official policy for the faculty to insist that students attend to these issues for the sake of the clients that they will serve in their practicum. So if students have personal issues that we believe would interfere with their work with clients, the second gate gives those students an opportunity to develop a personal growth program to address those needs before those students will be permitted to enroll in practicum. Should students fail to follow through with their professional growth plan, then the faculty would have a conversation with those students about their goodness of fit with the profession of counseling and could potentially help those students to leave their counseling degree program.

Well, that is not particularly comforting. Let’s suppose that I am one of those students who cannot move forward with my practicum at the mid-point in my program. Can I still take classes?

The most likely answer to that question is “yes.” Many times one can engage personal and professional growth plans and continue with classes. In more extreme cases however, it maybe wisest for a student to take a break from academic pressures and concentrate on his or her emotional healing. If the student is not enrolled in any classes then the regular seminary policies pertaining to non-enrolled students apply. We recognize that a decision to withdraw from classes for a time could impact one’s financial aid and active student status.

What do I need to do to prepare for my second gate and third gate meetings?

Students will present their own self-assessment portfolio. You can obtain a copy of the current instructions from the Administrative Assistant on our campus. The ability of students to relate constructively in this academic and professional review will be taken into consideration.

Where can I find the forms and their instructions?

See the Administrative Assistant on your campus.

October 3, 2014