The Pursuit of Quality: A Look Into the Future of CACREP

This is a look into the future of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). A brief review summarizes the context in which it will find itself in the next decade. Two primary issues that must be addressed should serve as the basis for changes. First, what are the societal needs that counselors will be required to address? Second, what preparation is appropriate for counselors to meet these needs? Suggested changes with supporting rationale are discussed for the preparation standards, the board structure, and relationships with other accreditation agencies. CACREP has made significant contributions to the counseling profession and to society.     

The Evolution of Specialties in the CACREP Standards: CACREP's Role in Unifying the Profession

This article explores the evolution of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs’ (CACREP's) accreditation of program area specialties and how CACREP's decision to accredit specialties as separate programs has affected the counseling profession's ability to view itself as a single profession. The article links the development of CACREP and its accreditation structure to other historical and political events occurring within the profession and includes documentation of CACREP's efforts to self‐correct through policy development that emphasizes counseling first and specialties second.     

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.     

Rethinking Multicultural Counseling: Implications for Counselor Education

This article looks at the current usage of the term multicultural counseling and analyzes the emerging concept by identifying the premises on which it is based. It explores the potential contribution of multiculturalism to the theory and practice of counseling. The current status of training in cross-cultural and multicultural counseling is briefly reviewed, and curricular content is suggested for upgrading the preparation of multicultural counselors in light of the new standards set by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Some concrete proposals toward implementing CACREP standards are presented.     

Addiction‐Specific CACREP Standards in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Programs: How Are They Met?

In 2009, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) included training standards specific to addiction for clinical mental health counseling programs. This study surveyed CACREP‐accredited program coordinators to determine how addiction‐specific standards were addressed.     

Increasing CACREP's Name Recognition: The Effect of Written Correspondence on Site Supervisors' Awareness Level

This article describes a simple yet significant change that 1 counseling department made in their correspondence with site supervisors as a first step in educating their communities about the significance of CACREP accreditation. The results indicate a statistically significant positive relationship between the changes that were made and recognition of CACREP, both in identification and purpose, among the 52 site supervisors who participated in the study. The implications of these findings and additional ways to promote the CACREP credential are discussed.     

Incorporating Spirituality Into Core Counseling Courses: Ideas for Classroom Application

Recently, spirituality has received increased attention in the counseling field, and both spirituality and religion have been acknowledged as important aspects of multiculturalism. The role of spiritual and religious beliefs is mentioned throughout the Standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and guidelines for working with spiritual issues within various cultural paradigms are emerging. Nevertheless, many counselor educators seem unsure about how to infuse spiritual issues into courses. This article presents a rationale for inclusion of spiritual issues in counselor education curricula and provides activities to incorporate knowledge and skills for dealing with spiritual and religious diversity in CACREP core courses.     

The Impact of Musical Lyrics on the Lives of Graduate Counseling Students

Abstract

This study surveyed 28 graduate students in counseling on the meaning of lyrical music in their lives in a CACREP accredited program at an independent, southeastern university. Results showed that some songs were more popular or better remembered than others. It also showed that while some lyrics are personally meaningful and others convey important messages, a number of lyrics are just relaxing, joyful, and entertaining without a deeper level of significance to them.     

Spirituality,Religion, and CACREP Curriculum Standards

Survey data of the general population, counselors, and counselor educators indicate that spiritual and religious issues are therapeutically relevant, ethically appropriate, and potentially significant topics for counseling and counselor education in secular settings. In this article, the authors propose that a balanced, thoughtful inclusion of these topics in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) core curriculum areas is a reasonable and sound approach to preparing counselors to work ethically and effectively with these issues in secular counseling settings. Methods and examples for achieving this inclusion are presented for each of the CACREP core curriculum areas.     

Technology of Counseling and the Science of Behavior: A Rapprochement

Analysis reveals that as the profession of counseling has increasingly been defined by the solitary practice of counseling, it has narrowed its vision and mission. Misdirected specialization has resulted in a highly skilled technology with a primary emphasis on the method(s) of counseling. In turn, this specialization has restricted the focus of counseling to areas amenable to that technology. Part of the diminution of counseling perspective is the result of a distancing of the counseling profession from the social and behavioral sciences, the humanities, and philosophy. The article presents examples from the social and behavioral sciences to demonstrate how their contributions could strengthen the profession and practice of counseling.     

The State of Community Counseling: A Survey of Directors of CACREP‐Accredited Programs

Directors of CACREP‐accredited community counseling programs were surveyed on plans for their programs, needed curricular changes, professional organization and publications desired, and what makes community counseling distinct as a counseling specialization. Respondents were evenly divided between those who seem to see community counseling as generic counselor preparation for nonschool settings and those who seem to see it as a community‐oriented specialization in its own right. This division of opinion suggests a need to resolve this issue.     

Needed: A Rededication to the Counselor's Primary Commitment

The counseling aspect of the counselor's role has been eroded recently by a number of negative influences. If this erosion is not halted the counselor will not have enough time to counsel because of an overinvolvement in noncounseling activities. Counselors must focus on and preserve counseling as their primary function if the counseling profession is to have a clear identity.     

Inclusion of Substance Abuse Training in CACREP‐Accredited Programs

Professional counselors and counselors‐in‐training continue to serve clients who have substance abuse issues, yet systematic training in substance abuse counseling is not available to many counselors. The authors investigated the extent to which students in programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP; 2001) are exposed to clients presenting with substance abuse issues and the relationship between state licensure or certification in substance abuse and the resulting perception of the need for the inclusion of substance abuse training in these programs. Three methods are presented for possibly including substance abuse training in CACREP standards.     

Spiritual and Religious Competencies: A National Survey of CACREP‐Accredited Programs

In this study of 94 Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)‐accredited counselor education programs, 69% of respondents reported their programs addressed spiritual and religious issues; however, only 46% of CACREP liaisons perceived themselves as prepared or very prepared to integrate material related to spirituality and religion in counseling into their teaching and supervision activities. In addition, only 28% of respondents viewed their colleagues as similarly capable of addressing these issues as a component of counselor preparation. The authors discuss implications for training and practice.     

George Gazda: Steps Ahead of the Group

Dr. George Gazda has been and remains a pioneer in the counseling profession. During the past several decades, he has been instrumental in several movements and has influenced the direction of the field of counseling. His leadership in bringing group counseling to the respected status it holds today is a remarkable feat. The development of the comprehensive and practical “Life Skills Model” has influenced the way many counselors work with clients. In this brief interview, he talks of the significant people in his professional development, and some of the many people he has touched speak to his caring and commitment to his chosen profession. This short synopsis of Dr. Gazda's career hardly does justice to his many contributions. He is indeed a remarkable professional and person. The counseling profession, in may ways, owes him considerable credit for where we are today and for where we may strive in the future. His dreams provide a true vision for the rest of us.     

Counseling psychology and employee assistance programs: Previous obstacles and potential contributions

In the last two decades, an important new therapeutic delivery system has been emerging to serve the needs of the American workforce. Known as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), these company and community based programs were created to provide mental health services to workers whose job performance is impaired due to substance abuse or other difficulties. Although there are obvious similarities between the mission espoused by EAPs and traditions of the counseling psychology profession, many members of our discipline have only recently become involved in these programs. This paper discusses various reasons why counseling psychologists have not become involved with EAPs. It also presents some ways that counseling psychologists may contribute to these programs and it highlights the similarities in the philosophies and the activities of EAP and counseling psychology practitioners and scientists. Additionally, some suggestions for how to prepare counseling psychologists for entrance into the EAP profession are offered. Finally, a brief research agenda designed to guide counseling psychologists who are interested in the study of EAP related variables is presented.We are appreciative of Karen Novak's and Marilyn Bayer's editorial assistance on this paper.     

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

This article presents an overview of the history of counseling in Malaysia, provides an update of its current status, and discusses some anticipated future trends for the profession in light of recent developments in the country. Counseling in Malaysia began with school guidance in the 1960s and has now achieved recognition as a profession in school and community settings. Counseling in Malaysia continues to encounter challenges in training, service, and professional identity and development.     

An exploration of factors contributing to multicultural counseling self-efficacy in addiction counselors

A non-experimental, correlational survey design was used to explore relationships between counselor recovery status, training, and counselor demographic variables on multicultural counseling self-efficacy in addiction counselors (N = 283) using the Multicultural Counseling Self-Efficacy – Racial Diversity Form. A multiple-indicators and multiple-causes model analysis indicated significant differences based on race, multicultural education, and CACREP program attendance on multicultural counseling self-efficacy. Implications from this study and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

1994 CACREP Standards: Will We Make the Grade?

This article presents a review of literature related to the process of accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, or CACREP, and identifies several areas of concern common to counseling programs seeking accreditation. A departmental case is then presented that describes how one program at a mid-size university addressed these concerns and completed a self-study.     

Results and Possible Implications of the National Board for Certified Counselors Examination

The National Board for Certified Counselors' (NBCC) National Counselor Examination (NCE) has become important in the counseling profession because of its critical role in NBCC's counselor certification process and its increasing use as a state counselor licensure examination. This importance exists in part because implications about and for the counseling profession can be drawn from results of NCE administrations. Data from the six previously administered minimum-criterion score forms of the NCE and some possible implications of those data are presented in this article.