Counseling in Malaysia: An Emerging Profession

The emergence of counseling in Malaysia illustrates the importance of a strong professional association and counseling training programs at the university level.     

Impairment: Implications for the Counseling Profession

The issue of impairment has not been adequately addressed in the professional counseling literature. The authors explore the issue of impairment in the counseling profession, drawing from the literatures of medicine and psychology in discussing the prevalence of impairment, several views of the topic, responses to the problem, and related ethical considerations. Recommendations for the analysis and resolution of impairment issues in counseling are presented.     

Counseling: Practices and Practitioners

SRI International, formerly Stanford Research Institute, has been evaluating the impact of employment counseling in the mid 1970s in response to national shifts in organizational emphasis and funding.     

Models of Disability: Implications for the Counseling Profession

Because of the increasing number of people with disabilities, counselors of all specialties and theoretical orientations will be called on to provide services to clients with disabilities. The authors present a brief overview of 4 major models of disability to provide an introduction to the varying definitions and causal and responsibility attributions of disability. Viewing the client with a disability as an individual with multiple identities, roles, functions, and environments facilitates the counseling process.     

Suicidality in Schizophrenia: Implications for the Counseling Profession

Schizophrenia is a common mental disorder treated by many counseling professionals, and it is associated with a high rate of early mortality. The most common reason for early mortality in schizophrenia is suicide. To date, the most recent comprehensive study on correlates of suicidality among clients with schizophrenia is titled “Suicidal Behavior in Schizophrenia: Characteristics of Individuals Who Had and Had Not Attempted Suicide” (J. M. Harkavy‐Friedman et al., 1999). It is the purpose of this Trends article to review this study and discuss its implications for counselors.     

Standards of Care: Potential Implications for the Counseling Profession

The potential implications for development of professionally defined “standards of care” treatment procedures for mental health counseling are presented. The role of xpert witnesses in malpractice cases is examined as one source from which the standards are currently derived. The influence of managed care on the current clinical practices is noted. Finally, the importance of using outcome research as the basis for developing a “best practices” concept of standards of care is discussed. The authors note difficulties and challenges involved in making a commitment to what could be the next major impetus to the mental health movement.     

Advocating for Atheist Clients in the Counseling Profession

Atheism is a controversial topic, with individuals who identify as atheist reporting high rates of discrimination. Despite increasing literature discussing religious/spiritual views and beliefs, few scholarly discussions of atheism in the counseling field can be found. Counselors need to be made aware of the issues facing atheist clients and educated on the best interventions to use in collaborative work with clients. Counselors should also be prepared to advocate for atheist clients in multiple domains. This article aims to explore the relevant literature around atheism, identify implications for counselors, and provide a path to advocacy for counselors in their work with atheist clients.     

The Buros Tradition and the Counseling Profession

The Buros Institute has promoted a scientist-practitioner philosophy of test use. This philosophy is incorporated into the objectives set forth in The Nineteen Forty Mental Measurements Yearbook (Buros, 1941) and may be considered the Buros tradition. The services provided by the Institute and the scientist-practitioner values embodied in the tradition have benefited the counseling profession greatly.     

Comprehensive School Counseling Programs: A Review for Policymakers and Practitioners

This article describes components of effective school counseling programs that have emerged from 30 years of empirical research and professional standards. Results are summarized in seven sections: core principles of school counseling programs, program resources, program interventions, program evaluation, program renewal, written policies, and program climate.     

Advocacy for the Counseling Profession: Results of a National Survey

Seventy‐one leaders in state, regional, and national professional and credentialing associations in counseling responded to a survey concerning professional advocacy efforts, resources, obstacles, and needs. The results indicate a variety of ongoing advocacy initiatives, specific needs for resources and interprofessional collaboration, and agreement on the importance of advocacy for the future of the profession.     

Money and Credit: A Challenge to the Counseling Profession

Although credit and money abuse are increasing at fantastic rates and devastating individuals and families, few counselors know what to do or where to send their clients for help. Money is a symbol viewed differently by each individual. If viewed in a pathological way, money can lead to depression, marital problems, illness, or even suicide. There are many warning signs the counselor can look for and techniques that can be used to help alleviate the problem and the anxiety it brings. Consumer-credit counseling centers offer budget advice, value clarification, and debt-management programs.     

Alcoholics Anonymous and the Counseling Profession: Philosophies in Conflict

This article describes the contribution of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to drug and alcohol treatment. The potential for AA's steps to encourage growth is discussed, and their consistency with counseling philosophy examined. To stimulate constructive discussion, 12 new steps based on counseling theory are proposed and contrasted with AA's steps. The need for counselors to be aware of these differences is emphasized and the move toward more solid boundaries between AA and the counseling profession is advocated.     

Women of Spirit: Leaders in the Counseling Profession

This phenomenological study documents the voices and experiences of 10 female leaders in the counseling profession. Two protégés of each leader were interviewed to gain additional perspectives about these leaders. Leaders described experiences, contexts, processes, and outcomes that characterized their roles as positional and nonpositional leaders. Leaders highlighted themes of opportunity, challenge, unique and common ways of being, and empowerment. Protégés confirmed and enriched the leaders' accounts. Recommendations for personal and professional development are included.     

Best Practices: A Critical Yet Inclusive Vision for the Counseling Profession

Substantial controversy has surrounded the concept of best practices (BPs) in counseling; in particular, the consequences of deriving practice guidelines from empirically supported treatments (ESTs). Criticisms of EST methodology, assumptions, and findings are summarized, and implications for core counseling values, including multiculturalism, are discussed. The authors further elaborate an inclusive view of BP that can facilitate the use of research to inform and enhance counseling services while rectifying problems associated with methodological and theoretical bias.     

Multicultural Counseling Competencies and Standards: A Call to the Profession

In April 1991, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) approved a document outlining the need and rationale for a multicultural perspective in counseling. The work of the Professional Standards committee went much further in proposing 31 multicultural counseling competencies and strongly encouraged the American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD) and the counseling profession to adopt these competencies in accreditation criteria. The hope was to have the competencies eventually become a standard for curriculum reform and training of helping professionals.