Introduction to the Counseling Profession Chapter 2 Historical Perspectives and Current Issues and Trends

Chapter Topics Historical and Formative FactorsFederal LegislationProfessional IdentityCredentialingCurrent Issues and Trends

Historical and Formative Factors “James’ interest in the ideas of “adaptive functioning,” “free will,” and the “conscious functioning of individuals” is clearly pertinent to the development of the counseling profession.” Science of Psychology  Wilhelm Wundt  William James  G. Stanley Hall “Father of American Psychology”

Historical and Formative Factors “Jessie Davis, one of the pioneers in counseling, declared in his autobiography that he had graduated from school “fairly well prepared to live in the Middle Ages.” Vocational Guidance Movement  Lysander Richards and Vocophy  Frank Parsons “Father of Guidance”  Jesse Davis  National Vocational Guidance Association  E. G. Williamson “First Theory of Career Counseling?”

Historical and Formative Factors “The economic, educational, and social reform forces that led to the organization of NVGA also led to other movements, which were later incorporated into the kaleidoscope we call counseling today.” Mental Hygiene Movement  Dorothea Dix  Clifford Beers  National Committee on Mental Hygiene  Carl Rogers

Historical and Formative Factors “With the release of the Stanford-Binet Test, the term intelligence quotient or IQ was first used.” Testing Movement  James Cattell  Stanford-Binet  Influence of WWI  Sputnik  Standardized Tests

Historical and Formative Factors “Some say that the National Defense and Education Act had a greater impact on counselor education than any other single force.” Professional Identity  American Council of Guidance and Personnel Associations  National Defense Education Act (NDEA)  Influence of WWII

Federal Legislation “The Great Depression prompted the development of government-sponsored programs that included a counseling component with an emphasis on classification.” Examples of Governmental Action and Legislation  The Smith-Hughes Act (1917)  The George-Barden Act (1946)  Vocational Rehabilitation Act (1954)  Community Mental Health Centers Act (1963)  Public Law (P. L.) (1976)  Mental Health Systems Act (1980)  Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)  Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996)  No Child Left Behind (2001)

Professional Development “The mission of the American Counseling Association is “to enhance the quality of life in society by promoting the development of professional counselors, advancing the counseling profession, and using the profession and practice of counseling to promote respect for human dignity and diversity.” History of the American Counseling Association  1952 – 1983: The American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA).  : The American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD).  1992 – current: The American Counseling Association

Professional Development “The basic format of autonomous divisions working within an umbrella organization has continued to the present time.” Professionalism: A Developmental Perspective  Changed terminology from “guidance” and “personnel” to “counseling” or “counselor.”  ACA divisions were created and revised to reflect changes in society and to meet the professional needs of ACA members.  Development of regions (North Atlantic, Southern, Midwest, and Western)  Code of Ethics

Credentialing The most commonly noted criteria used to evaluate whether an occupation has evolved to the status of a profession include: (1)A specialized body of knowledge and theory-driven research (2)The establishment of a professional society or association (3)Control of training programs (4)A code of ethics to guide professional behavior (5)Standards for admitting and policing practitioners “The term “credentialing” was created to represent a broad array of activities pertaining to the establishment of professional training standards and regulations for practice.”

Credentialing Accreditation  Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE)  Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) “Accreditation is one means of providing accountability. The licensed professions in this country began the process of regulation and quality control by developing standards for training programs.”

Credentialing Certification It is used in reference to: 1.The process of becoming qualified to practice in public schools. 2.State laws passed in the same ways as licensure laws. 3.Recognition bestowed on individuals by their professional peers (such as certified public accountants). “Certification is one of the most confusing of the credentialing terms.”

Credentialing Types of Certification  Certification in Schools  National Board Certification  Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification  National Academy of Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselors  National Board for Certified Counselors “Certification of school counselors first began in Boston and New York in the 1920s, but not until the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) was passed in 1958 did this type of certification take hold nation-wide.”

Credentialing Licensure  States enact licensure laws as a means to protect the public from incompetent practitioners, such laws also provide benefits for the profession being regulated.  Title Acts  Practice Acts “Licensure is a credential granted or sanctioned by governmental bodies such as state legislatures that regulates either the title, practice, or both of an occupational group.”

Current Trends Professional Identity  The American Counseling Association  Diverse Clientele  Wellness Orientation and Diagnosis “In 2012, ACA celebrated its 60 th anniversary, making the profession of counseling still relatively young as compared to other mental health professions. ”

Current Trends Licensure  In 2010, 86.5% of the 52 jurisdictions with counselor credentialing laws were practice acts.  The majority of state licensing laws include language specifying that counselors who are licensed (at the highest level in those states with tiered licensure) can assess, diagnosis, and treat persons with mental disorders. “In the 36 years since the passage of the Virginia certification law, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have enacted some form of counselor credentialing legislation.”

Current Trends Licensure  Licensure Portability  National Credentials Registry  20/20 Future of Counseling Oversight Committee “There is clearly a great deal of variance in licensure laws, often making it difficult for counselors licensed in one state to easily move to another state and become licensed.”

Current Trends Reimbursement  Administrative rules used by several federal, state, and local agencies specify that only state-licensed practitioners can be employed by these agencies.  Reimbursement for services rendered has played a strong part in the licensure movement for all mental health practitioners. “Contrary to popular belief, credentialing affects the reimbursement of those professionals in settings other than private practice.”

Current Trends Reimbursement  National Register for Health Service Providers in Psychology  Health Professions Education Partnerships Act (HPEPA)  Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program  TRICARE  Veterans Benefits, Healthcare, and Information Technology Act of 2006  Medicaid “Criteria for inclusion in the National Register clearly does not allow anyone who was trained outside of a psychology department to take the examinations for licensure or certification as psychologists in most states.”

Current Trends Multicultural Counseling and Social Justice  The profession must determine the applicability of traditionally taught theories to diverse clientele, as well as explore the effectiveness of how services are delivered. “Many sections of the ACA Code speak specifically to the need for counselors to address diversity and multiculturalism, and to demonstrate not just cultural competence, but competence in the ability to advocate with and on behalf of clients to address societal barriers.”