An alternative for counselor education

What is it that makes the counselor a professional? Is it possible to separate the personal and political responsibilities of the professional counselor in today's world? In this article, David Island tries to answer these questions and provides an alternative model for approaching counseling and counselor education in a period of rapid cultural change.     

Program Evaluation and Counseling: Yesterday,Today, and Tomorrow

Spawned by intensified demands for accountability, expanding counselor roles and functions, and increased counselor attention both in the counseling literature and in counseling practice, program evaluation has emerged as a vital aspect of counselor functioning in recent years. This article highlights the differences between program evaluation and research, a long-standing source of confusion; presents major issues in the practice of counseling program evaluation; and identifies current trends in program evaluation.     

A Counselor Classification System: Accountable

The Wisconsin State Employment Security Division has an employment counselor classification scheme which responds to the cry for accountability. This article discusses (a) technical requirements and performance standards for three levels of employment counselors; (b) specific job duties and levels of skill for Manpower counselors 1, 2, and 3; (c) caseload size, counseling outcomes, counseling and assessment skills, community resources, job development activities, and additional performance requirements expected of the master level counselor; (d) the system of reclassifying a Manpower counselor 2 to the Manpower counselor 3 level; and (e) the use of an on-site review by a state counseling supervisor as the method of evaluating a counselor's Performance. Values of the counselor classification scheme are indicated.     

The Counselor Feedback Training Model: Teaching Counseling Students Feedback Skills

Giving and receiving feedback is an important counseling skill; therefore, it is crucial to focus on this skill within counselor training. This article presents the Counselor Feedback Training Model, a developmental approach designed to assist counselor educators in teaching counseling students how to give and receive feedback.     

Contributions of Multicultural Counseling to Counselor Competence With Lesbian,Gay, and Bisexual Clients

This article outlines the contributions of multicultural counseling to 3 areas of counselor competence with lesbian, gay male, and bisexual male and female (LGB) clients: conceptualization of competence, counselor education, and assessment of counselor competence. The authors describe the foundations of multicultural counseling and extend the concepts to counselor competence with LGB clients. Este artículo resume las contribuciones de la consejería multicultural a tres campos de habilidad consejera con clientes homosexuales y hombres y mujeres bisexuales: la conceptualización de la competencia, educación del consejero, y evaluación de competencia para consejería. Los autores describen los fundamentos de la consejería multicultural y extienden estos conceptos a la competencia consejera con clientes homosexuales, lesbianas, y bisexuales.     

School counselors,leave home

This article discusses the dilemma of the “noncounseling counselor,” and suggests that the counselor be relocated at an organizational base external to the school since there are factors inherent in many school systems which influence the counselor to compromise his counseling objectives. Removed from the school, the counselor might operate more effectively as an agent of a more comprehensive community organization such as a human development center.     

Biological Foundations of Behavior: Implications for Counseling

Professional and social movements of the 1980s demand that counselors have a basic knowledge of biological foundations of behavior, a knowledge that has been neglected in counselor training programs, theories of counseling, and theories of personality. This article discusses biological explanations of human behavior and problems, along with implications and applications for the counselor in terms of the counseling setting, client problem, counselor role, counselor training, and the counseling profession.     

Boundary Considerations Between Doctoral Students and Master's Students

Counselor educators have a responsibility to teach students about boundary issues and multiple relationships. In addition to counselor–client concerns, there has been increased attention to faculty–student multiple relationships. Like faculty, doctoral students in counselor education programs often engage in roles with master's‐level students in which they hold a position of authority. This article reviews the professional literature on multiple relationships and boundary issues within counselor preparation programs and applies the research to boundary considerations between graduate students. Potentially fruitful areas for research are also suggested.     

The alienated counselor

This paper deals with the question of the difficulty of communication between the counselor and those individuals who live in the ghetto and who are usually described as alienated. It describes the alienated client and the alienated counselor. On the assumption that the alienation is the responsibility of the counselor rather than the client, the article then goes on to describe the kind of counselor who might be referred to as “non-alienated.”     

Religion and Spirituality in Variously Accredited Counselor Training Programs: A Comment on Pate and High (1995)

Accreditation standards for counselor preparation have the potential for bringing appropriate consideration of religious and spiritual issues into the training of counselors. This article extends Pate and High's (1995) study of CACREP-accredited programs and includes data comparing the attention given to religion and spirituality in programs accredited by several different counselor and therapist-training accrediting bodies.     

Got Those PL 94–142 Blues

The implementation of PL 94–142 has made a definite impact on the school counselor. The demands on a counselor's time and energy were not anticipated. This article discusses what is actually happening and why it is happening. Some suggestions are given about what can be done to help the counselor in a local setting.     

A Conversation About the Intersection of Faith,Sexual Orientation,and Gender: Jewish,Christian, and Muslim Perspectives

Recent challenges to counselor education and the ACA Code of Ethics (American Counseling Association, 2005 ) provided impetus for this article, which is focused on how 3 major Western religions address counseling and counselor training with diverse clients. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim perspectives are highlighted as related to counseling and training issues across faith, sexual orientation, and gender issues.     

Clients Changing Counselors: An Inspirational Journey

Clients are a major source of influence and serve as primary teachers in the process of counselor development (T. M. Skovholt & M. H. Ronnestad, 1992). This article examines the dynamic of how counselors change as a result of their experiences with clients. Two case studies are presented as examples of counselor change.     

Issues and Insights: Working With God: Managing Conservative Christian Beliefs That May Interfere With Counseling

Counselors who work with conservative Christians may ask how to respect a client's values when “God” seems to be saying something contrary to what the counselor believes is in the client's best interests. In a managed care era of decreasing choice about one's counselor, referral of such clients to a conservative Christian counselor is not always an option. “Working with God” when counseling conservative Christian clients requires counselors to understand conservative Christian beliefs. This article portrays conservative Christianity as a culture and articulates conservative Christian beliefs that may challenge the counseling process, suggesting options within the framework of these beliefs.     

An Empirical Exploration of the Occupational Satisfaction of Counselor Educators: The Influence of Gender,Tenure Status,and Minority Status

In higher education, occupational satisfaction is influenced by the environment as well as by the dispositional variables explored for occupational satisfaction in general. Within the context of counselor education, there are no empirical studies that explore the occupational satisfaction of counselor educators. This article provides an overview of the empirical research exploring group differences based on gender, tenure status, and minority status in occupational stress, coping strategies, and personal strain ratings for counselor educators. Implications for counselor education and future research are discussed.     

School and Rehabilitation Counselor Preparation: Meeting the Needs of Individuals With Disabilities

In preparing students to work with individuals with disabilities, school and rehabilitation counselor educators face a number of challenges. Highlighting the major changes that have occurred in the 10 years following Hosie's (1979) recommendations for counselor preparation, this article suggests many competencies that are required to meet these challenges and describes how they can be integrated within the applicable accreditation guidelines.     

Using Expressive Arts in Online Education to Identify Feelings

The authors of this article present two creative teaching activities to illustrate how online counselor education can use expressive arts to promote awareness of how one feels. Included is a discussion of this awareness of feelings, the downside of expressing feelings, creative arts in counselor education, and how counselor education can promote feeling experiences. Two examples of expressive arts are offered with a brief discussion.     

Gentle Like the Dawn: A Dying Woman's Healing

This article recounts the author's counseling relationship with a client who was a nursing home resident. The article describes the client's spiritual experiences and their impact on both the client and the counselor.     

Avoiding Counselor Burnout Through Role Renewal

Counselor burnout has become a concern for the counseling profession. This article focuses on avoiding counselor burnout through role renewal and makes generic role renewal recommendations for the counselor facing the possibility of burnout.