Bill Burns, director of the NDSU Counseling Center, recently was named chair of the Board of Accreditation and president-elect of the board of directors for the International Association of Counseling Services. The association accredits college and university counseling centers around the world and is based in Alexandria, Va. It encourages and aids counseling services throughout the United States and internationally to meet high professional standards, informs the public about centers which are competent and reliable and fosters communication among counseling services operating in a variety of settings. The NDSU Counseling Center is one of two North Dakota University System schools accredited by International Association of Counseling Services.
The association is committed to furthering the visibility of the counseling profession and improving its quality. It has evolved standards that define professional quality and has established criteria for accreditation, which reflect these standards. International Association of Counseling Services accreditation also acts as a stimulus to counseling centers to upgrade their professional services to meet accreditation standards; and it provides the profession and the public with information about the services it has accredited.