Content Analysis of 32 Years of American Counseling Association Convention Programs

A content analysis of American Counseling Association convention sessions offered from 1977 to 2008 was conducted. The intent was to identify changes and trends in the counseling profession. Content of more than 15,000 sessions, including educational programs, keynote presentations, and training sessions, was assigned to 1 of 86 categories. A shift from a career and school focus to clinical and mental health, as well as an increasing emphasis on multicultural; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender; and spirituality issues, was noted.     

Counseling in the República Bolivariana de Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela)

Counseling is an emerging profession in Latin America that offers people an opportunity to voice pain, exercise power, authentically connect with others, and experience healing within the community. Counseling reflects collaborative efforts between consultant and consultee who come together to reach mutual healing and growth through the use of indigenous and integrated approaches. Counseling in Venezuela includes using holistic assessment models and emancipating healing modalities centered on people's resilience, sense of hope, and community resources.     

Helping Teenage Parents: The Independent and Collaborative Roles of Counselor Educators and School Counselors

In recent years, the leadership of the American Counseling Association (ACA) has posed an earnest and urgent challenge to the counseling profession to develop and apply collaborative approaches to solve the complex problems of society. Teenage parenthood is one example of a major societal concern requiring cooperative, professional interventions. The purpose of this article is to recommend independent and collaborative roles for counselor educators and school counselors in addressing the many needs of teenage parents. In addition, this article serves as a model of how the counseling specialties can work together to resolve other critical social issues.     

Theories and Modules Applied in Islamic Counseling Practices in Malaysia

Some Malaysian scholars believe that the theoretical basis and models of intervention in Islamic counseling practices in Malaysia are deficient and not eminently identified. This study investigated and describes the nature of current Islamic counseling practices including the theories and modules of Islamic counseling that are been practiced in Malaysia. This qualitative research has employed data that mainly consist of texts gathered from literatures and semi-structured interviews of 18 informants. It employed grounded theory analysis, and the result shows that most of the practitioners had applied integrated conventional counseling theories with Islamic rituals, references, interventions and ethics. Some had also applied Islamic theories and modules formulated in Malaysia such as iCBT, al-Ghazali counseling theories, Cognitive ad-Deen, KBJ, Prophetic Counseling and Asma Allah al-Husna Counseling Therapy.     

Operationalization of the Multicultural Counseling Competencies

For the past 20 years, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) has provided leadership for the American counseling profession in major sociocultural and sociopolitical domains. Through our vision of the centrality of culture and multiculturalism to the counseling profession, we have created new directions and paradigms for change. One of our major contributions has been the development of the Multicultural Counseling Competencies (Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992).     

CACREP: Precursors,Promises, and Prospects

National accreditation of counselor education has taken on new meaning. The profession has a recognized accrediting body within the community of higher education. This article recounts the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) precursors, its founders' aspirations, and its prospects for influencing the professionalization of counseling as a discipline.     

Differential Educational Aspiration Levels in a Sample of Undergraduate Health Majors

Motive to avoid success (M-s) describes the inner conflict that high-achieving females experience when they are confronted with academic success. Little research has been done on M-s in a predominantly female occupation. Evidence of the trait was detected in a sample of 462 female students at the associate degree and bachelor's degree levels of the medical laboratory profession when they were compared with 118 male peers. An academic variable (high school rank) and two motivational variables (idealized and realistic degree aspiration) were employed. Counseling techniques and recommended areas of future M-s research are presented.     

Gone but Not Forgotten: Council Leaders, 1934–1952

The authors summarize the contributions of several leaders of the American Council of Guidance and Personnel Associations, explaining that the counseling profession owes its origin to a coalition of professional organization leaders who were committed to guidance and personnel services. In explaining these leaders' contributions, the authors provide readers with an opportunity to connect a part of the American Counseling Association's past with the present.     

I Am My Brother's (and Sister's) Keeper: Jewish Values and the Counseling Process

The author writes a rejoinder to M. S. Kiselica's (2003) article “Anti‐Semitism and Insensitivity Toward Jews by the Counseling Profession: A Gentile's View on the Problem and His Hope for Reconciliation—A Response to Weinrach (2002),” which is part of a dialogue in the fall 2003 Journal of Counseling & Development on anti‐Semitism in the counseling profession. M. S. Kiselica supports the notion that Jewish concerns are inextricable from multicultural counseling. The author has asserted that there has been a critical mass of anti‐Semitic behavior within the counseling profession, including the American Counseling Association, for more than 3 decades. The author's perspective may be viewed as an application of the Torah's dictum “I am my brother's [and sister's] keeper.” The author also argues that while culture may influence behavior, it does not determine it exclusively.     

Special Topics in the Journal of Counseling & Development,Volumes 66–80

The authors review previous examinations of the American Counseling Association's (ACA) Journal of Counseling & Development (JCD), consider various editors' policies that shaped the Journal, and update L. W. Harmon and H. E. Harker's (1989) analysis of special interest topics featured in JCD. Studying the flagship professional journal of ACA provides insight into the evolution and development of the profession of counseling.     

The Transracial Adoption Paradox: History, Research, and Counseling Implications of Cultural Socialization

The number of transracial adoptions in the United States, particularly international adoptions, is increasing annually. Counseling psychology as a profession, however, is a relatively silent voice in the research on and practice of transracial adoption. This article presents an overview of the history and research on transracial adoption to inform counseling psychologists of the set of racial and ethnic challenges and opportunities that transracial adoptive families face in everyday living. Particular attention is given to emergent theory and research on the cultural socialization process within these families.     

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs: Promoting Quality in Counselor Education

Much has changed for the counseling profession in the 30 years since the founding of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). CACREP, the primary specialized accreditor for the counseling profession, has been an influential participant in the growing recognition and professionalization of counseling. This article offers an overview of CACREP and accreditation and addresses some primary issues confronting CACREP, counselor preparation programs, and, in some instances, overall U.S. higher education.     

The Passage of Counselor Legislation in the 1991 Arkansas State Legislature

In the summer of 1990, the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Associationfor Counseling, Guidance, and Development (now the Arkansas Counseling Association) committed to proposing a legislative package to the 1991 Arkansas General Assembly that included bills to grant privileged communication to school counselors; a third-party payment bill for licensed professional counselors; and a resolution calling for the reduction of noncounseling-related duties for school counselors. This article details the legislative efforts of the Arkansas Association for Counseling, Guidance, and Development in the 1991 Arkansas General Assembly and provides insight for other American Association for Counseling and Development (now the American Counseling Association) state affiliates in planning and implementing a successful legislative program.     

Integrating Counseling Research and Practice

The current research-practice gap in the counseling profession poses a number of significant challenges to practitioners, researchers, and the profession as a whole. This introduction to the special feature, “Counseling Outcome Research: Implications for Practice,” identifies the important issues regarding the systematic integration of counseling research into practice.     

A Review of the Videotaped Proceedings of the Summit of the American Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development

The Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD), a division of the American Counseling Association (ACA), held its first summit at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland in March 1992. Titled “Multicultural Summit: A Town Meeting,” the association meeting brought together counseling faculty, practitioners, and graduate students from different ethnic groups to discuss issues that have an impact on the multicultural counseling profession. The objective of summit participants was to identify specifically elements of common language and strategies for examining counseling issues. The summit was videotaped and edited. This is a review of the proceedings.     

“Heartbreaking” Referrals,Professional “Disgrace”: The Impact of Medicare Ineligibility on the Counseling Profession

To better understand the impact of the Medicare mental health coverage gap, the authors analyzed survey data provided by 1,859 members of the American Counseling Association using a conventional qualitative content analysis. One overarching theme, direct impact of Medicare policy on the counseling profession, is presented, along with 3 thematic categories: emotional impact on providers, economic toll on providers, and negative influence on profession's credibility. Implications for the counseling profession are discussed.     

A Proposed Alternative to the Licensing of Specialties in Counseling

Counseling specialties are a natural result of a complex field. Regulation of the counseling profession has been sought and accomplished in most states. Whether the public is protected best by state regulation of the practice of counseling specialties is a question facing the profession. An alternative to governmental regulation of specialties is offered.     

Counseling in Zimbabwe: History,Current Status,and Future Trends

Counseling in Zimbabwe has a long tradition, dating back to pre‐Colonial times. In the modern context, counseling has evolved through the educational and health care sectors. Since the 1990s, Zimbabwean counselors have advocated for professional recognition, a struggle similar to that of counselors in the United States. In this article, the authors provide a historical view of counseling in Zimbabwe, discuss the current status of and future trends in counseling, and make recommendations for the advancement of the profession.     

Evolution of Counseling in Jamaica: Past,Present, and Future Trends

Counseling maintains a small yet growing presence in Jamaica as a profession. Practitioners are confronted with several societal problems. The authors provide a historical overview of Jamaica and a synopsis of the development of counseling. The emergence of counseling services through the limitations of psychiatry and psychology sets the stage for current practices and notable involvement of guidance counselors. It is concluded that the continued growth and effectiveness of counseling is dependent on overcoming negative attitudes and economic barriers.     

From Campers to Counselors: a Resource for Prospective Genetic Counseling Students

When thinking about the future of the genetic counseling field, one place to start is with prospective genetic counseling graduate school applicants. Although resources and mentorship opportunities exist for genetic counselors entering the field, the process of deciding on a career, applying to graduate programs, and being admitted can be daunting. As members of the profession, we should take responsibility for ensuring that individuals have the information and resources necessary to make an educated decision about whether genetic counseling is the correct path for them and to take the initial steps along this path. In this article, we present our Genetic Counseling Boot Camp as a model for other genetic counselors to use in developing their own local programs. This type of program can benefit prospective genetic counselors as they begin their professional journeys and can also provide value for the organizers and presenters who are already seasoned in the field.