Problems of Professional Competence Among Counselor Trainees: Programmatic Issues and Guidelines

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the personal and professional factors that predict trainees’ self-perceived readiness to work with child and adolescent clients utilizing a newly developed measure, the Assessment of Youth Counseling Competency Indicators (AYCCI). Participants included 205 master’s-level counselors-in-training (CITs) from various counselor education programs across the United States. Through an electronic survey, participants were asked to complete a demographic form and the AYCCI. Using exploratory factor analysis, the researcher examined the internal structure of the AYCCI. Results of the principal components analysis with promax rotation yielded a 65-item measure with four factors that could explain 52.61% of the variance. Then, the researcher conducted a series of hierarchical linear regressions to explore the specific trainee- and training-factors that could predict CITs’ subscale and total scores on the AYCCI while controlling for potential confounding variables. Overall, the control variables revealed a statistically significant relationship with the dependent variables across all RQs. The two strongest controls were CITs’ number of completed credit hours and CITs’ previous/current youth work experience. On average, CITs’ focus area demonstrated a statistically significant relationship with the dependent variables across all RQs, with Youth Specialty as the dominant predictor. Similarly, the number of youth counseling courses CITs completed demonstrated a strong predictive relationship with self-reported AYCCI scores. Lastly, the program variables, delivery type and accreditation status, did not yield a statistically significant result and were not noteworthy predictors of participants’ scores. Implications for counselor education and areas for future research are also discussed.

Go To DigestThere is a call for research on to effectively foster cultural competence and a social justice advocacy orientation among counselor trainees. A multi-disciplinary review of the literature reveals a body of anecdotal and empirical evidence in support of the use of pedagogical strategies grounded in critical theory to this end.The promotion of multicultural competence is an established professional training standard in industry and higher education (Musil, 1996). As a fourth force phenomenon within the counseling profession, multicultural education is intimately tied to advancing social justice (Arredondo & Perez, 2003) for trainees in the context of their studies (Ratts & Wood, 2011), and through populating our profession with culturally competent counselors. Its value in training has been empirically validated, yet much is left to discover about to most effectively deliver multicultural education and ensure that counselors are able to engage in ethical and competent counseling and advocacy with diverse populations (Coleman, 2006; Manese, Wu, & Nepomuceno, 2001; Seto, Young, Becker, & Kiselica, 2006; Smith, Constantine, Dunn, Dinehart, & Montoya, 2006).More recently advocacy competence has been recognized as a distinct professional standard for counselors with the American Counseling Association's (ACA) endorsement of the Advocacy Competencies (Lewis, Arnold, House, & Toporek, 2002), the recognition of Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) as a division of ACA, the 2005 ACA Code of Ethics, and the 2009 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards. As such, there is a growing body of literature with respect to the promotion of advocacy competence among counselor trainees grounded largely in critical theories (Bemak, Chi-Ying Chung, Talleyrand, Jones, & Daquin, 2011; Brubaker, Puig, Reese, & Young, 2010; Constantine, Hage, Kindaichi, & Bryant, 2007; Goodman, Liang, Helms, Latta, Sparks, & Weintraub, 2004; Green, McCollum, & Hays, 2008; Hof, Dinsmore, Barber, Suhr, & Scofield, 2009; Lewis, Arnold, House, & Toporek, 2002; Ratts & Wood, 2011; Steele, 2008; Toporek & Reza, 2001). Naturally, counseling research on the relationship between multicultural counseling competence and advocacy competence (Manis, 2008) and effective training methods for promoting advocacy competence (Hays, Dean, & Chang, 2007; Lewis, Davis, Lenski, Mukhopadhyay, & Taylor Cartwright, 2010; Murray, Pope, & Rowell, 2010; Odegard & Vereen, 2010) is early in its development.Thus, while echoing the synergistic relationship between multicultural counseling competencies and social justice advocacy, Odegard and Vereen (2010) recently concluded how counselor educators teach these constructs to students is a mystery (p. 145). Their conclusion resonated with earlier expressions of this conundrum within and beyond the mental health professions. Palmer (2004) spoke to this challenge, indicating that the question of to teach the constructs had been pondered and studied across disciplines.In fact, a multi-disciplinary review of the literature on multicultural education, social justice advocacy and critical pedagogy revealed not only a paucity of research on effective training practices in counselor education and supervision (Odegard & Vereen, 2010; Toporek, Lewis, & Cremar, 2009), but also a lack of attention and investment in training for social justice advocacy within counselor education programs (Hays et al., 2007; Nilsson & Schmidt, 2005; Ratts, 2006; Ratts & Wood, 2011). It further provided a pragmatic rationale for infusing attention to culture and social justice throughout program curricula (Brubaker, Puig, Reese, & Young, 2010; Dinsmore & England, 1996; Goodman et al., 2004: Green et al., 2008; Hays et al., 2007; Hill, 2003; Paylo, 2007; Ratts & Wood, 2011; Stadler, Sun, Cobia, Middleton, & Carney, 2006; Sue, Bingham, Porche-Burke, & Vasquez, 1999; Watts, 2004), and empirical evidence that suggested theoretically grounded pedagogies could be twice as effective as ungrounded approaches in delivering multicultural education (Smith et al. …

This exploratory study examined the relationship between mindfulness and multicultural counseling competencies (MCC) in counselor trainees. One hundred fifty-seven masters and doctoral students in counseling and therapy-related fields completed a survey containing the Multicultural Counseling Inventory (MCI), Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II). Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated between scales and subscales of the MCC, mindfulness, and acceptance. A hierarchical regression was used to examine the association of mindfulness and mindfulness practices (the total length of mindfulness practice and the duration of weekly mindfulness practice) on MCC along with multicultural training (number of multicultural counseling courses and practica completed) and demographic factors. The results of the study showed that mindfulness and MCC were positively and strongly correlated (r = .48, p < .01). Moreover, all mindfulness facets were positively and significantly correlated with MCC and majority of its subscales. The results suggested that individuals who believed themselves to be more mindful in their daily lives (especially those who reported observing and describing their experiences without automatically reacting) also tended to think of themselves as more multiculturally competent. In addition, mindfulness and mindfulness practices contributed a significant amount of additional variance on MCC and its subscales above and beyond the multicultural training and demographic variables. Study limitations and directions for future research were discussed.

Improvisational (improv) theater has been utilized in face-to-face counselor education to enhance the spontaneity, empathy, and collaboration of counselors in training (CITs). Methods for adapting this approach for online counselor education are absent in current research. As online counselor education programs steadily grow, methods for adapting face-to-face modalities to the virtual educational environment become increasingly necessary. Online CITs frequently experience feelings of isolation and counselor educators face greater challenges in assessing students’ dispositional and clinical competency. Incorporating improv theater activities into online counselor education can build cohesion and connection and provide additional opportunities for assessment. In this article, we utilize the community of inquiry model (Garrison et al. 1999) in conjunction with insights from the online improv theater community to integrate this art form into online counselor education. We present multiple examples of improv theater activities that could be implemented in an online counseling techniques course to facilitate CITs’ clinical skill development.

This study examined the perceptions of counselors-in-training (CIT) on artificial intelligence (AI) in counseling practice and training. 31 CIT responded to three open-ended questions about the benefits, drawbacks, and overall attitudes of integrating AI into counseling practice and education. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the responses. The findings showed that CIT perceive AI as a clinical support tool, especially for tasks such as diagnosis and treatment planning. Additionally, CIT voiced concerns of potential overreliance on AI, ethical risks, confidentiality concerns, and the possible loss of human connection. Furthermore, although several CIT expressed cautious optimism regarding AI's use in counselor education, some expressed skepticism. These findings have significant implications for counselor education programs considering the integration of AI, and future research should further explore AI’s impact on professional development within this field.

&lt;p&gt;research and publishing articles in refereed journals is one of the most critical objectives of counselor education programs. Despite this, the lack of scholarly productivity among counseling scholars, including counselor educators and doctoral students, continues to be a problem in the profession. Also, research on doctoral students’ research and publication has been scarce in counseling literature. Moreover, the current literature largely fails to communicate the perspectives of doctoral students, as it reflects only the counselor educators’ perspectives on research training.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This phenomenological study investigated the shared experiences of twelve doctoral students in CACREP-accredited programs, regarding research and publication, including the editorial feedback process. The research question that informed and guided this study was: What are the lived experiences of doctoral students in counselor education programs during the publication and editorial feedback process? This study specifically aimed to examine doctoral student researchers’ challenges, the support they received, critical incidents that occurred, as well as their meaning-making of those experiences during the entire process of research and publication.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Data collection included two rounds of semi-structured interviews, two online focus groups, and written responses to two open-ended questions. Data analysis followed the procedures of phenomenological data reduction, including open-coding and horizonalization. Through individual case summaries and the seven themes that were derived from the twelve participants’ stories, this study illustrated how doctoral students made meaning of their experience with regard to the publication and editorial feedback process. The findings that emerged included the research climate/culture of both the counselor education profession and counselor education programs, as well as the support and resources that doctoral students received or needed. The findings also indicated doctoral students’ motivations to conduct research, and their learning experiences that contributed to their development as independent researchers. Finally, the meaning making of being a doctoral student researcher was described. Based upon these research findings, implications were provided for doctoral students, counselor educators, counselor education programs, journal editorial boards, and future research.&lt;/p&gt;

Given the sociopolitical climate of schools today and multiple crises, school counselors are poised to center healing engagement, antiracist education, and social emotional learning through group counseling. Therefore, counselor education programs must prepare and train social justice‐engaged school counselors with advanced group knowledge and skills to fuel the success of all P‐12 schools. This manuscript specifically explores the extent to which school counselors use the lens of power, privilege, and intersectionality within the screening, planning, implementation, and evaluation of small groups. Results indicate while school counselors are facilitating small group counseling, contradictions exist in training and school counselors’ implementation of small groups from the lens of power, privilege, and intersectionality to promote social justice and antiracist practices in schools. School counselors perceive they were trained in small group counseling from the lens of power, privilege, and intersectionality, however, they reported that they do not implement group counseling from the same lens.

The exploration of spiritual and religious diversity may receive less attention in counselor education than is warranted, resulting in counselors who are unprepared to deal with spiritual and religious issues in counseling. This trend could have a negative impact on Jewish clients, as well as on other religious clients, who feel that issues related to their identity are ignored. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (2001) has recognized that religious diversity is an integral component of the multicultural counseling movement, but counselor education and training programs, as a whole, still need to embrace this standard.

The authors used a quantitative content analysis methodology to explore the available literature on pedagogical practices for teaching counselors how to work with suicidal clients. From an initial pool of 71 potentially applicable articles found in Counseling, Psychiatry, general mental health, Psychology, and Social Work journals, 26 articles were found to meet inclusion criteria by specifically exploring the impact or efficacy of different pedagogical practices relevant to suicide response in counselor training. These 26 articles were coded using quantitative content analysis procedures. Results indicated that more research is necessary to determine best practices for teaching suicide response to counselors in training. Additionally, these training practices should include attention to the CACREP standards and should be theoretically grounded in pedagogical frameworks. Ideally, future research in this area would focus more heavily on assessment of student competencies and how well students are prepared to respond to suicide.

This study reports the results of a questionnaire on attitudes toward mainstreaming handicapped students administered to graduate counseling students at a Midwestern university. Implications for counselor education programs are suggested.

Using a hermeneutic approach to inquiry, the author interviewed 8 counsellors in training to gain an understanding of the question, “How do counsellors in training develop, and how do they make sense of what they are doing/what is happening to them?” Their accounts were integrated into a single emerging story that captures their experience and the meaning they attached to their counsellor education experiences. Organized temporally, this story of counsellor development was divided into four phases: foreshadowings, opening chapters, denouement, and final chapter (conclusions). Finally, implications for counsellor education practice are discussed.

The present study evaluates the impact of an evidence-based suicide intervention model and how pedagogical practices of counselor education programs may prepare counselors-in-training (CIT) to respond to clients who are considering suicide. Using content analysis to explore pre and post-training data, the researchers examined the impact of the 14-hour evidence-based Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) on 54 CITs (76% female, 24% male; 58% White, 20% African American, 11% Latinx/Hispanic, 11% Other), with a mean age of 30 years (SD =8.6). Further data were collected 6 months later, after CITs had the opportunity to utilize suicide intervention skills during their clinical experiences. Content analysis yielded several changes between pre- and post-training data which elucidate the process of suicide intervention skill acquisition. CITs also reported having frequently applied their skills during clinical internship with clients considering suicide. Findings support the use of ASIST in the preparation of future counselors.

Counselors are newly eligible to enroll as providers in the Medicare program as of January 1, 2024, yet little is known about their preparedness to work with Medicare beneficiaries and related training experiences. This gap in the literature inhibits our understanding of historical and current counselor education practice, thereby preventing us from identifying strengths and weaknesses in counselor training practices and preparation among current Medicare‐enrolled mental health counselors (MEMHCs). Participants were recruited from a publicly available database of MEMHCs in conjunction with contact information from state licensure boards. This study examined training experiences of 333 MEMHCs who enrolled during the first year of Medicare eligibility. Using hierarchical multiple regression, we also explored whether graduating from a CACREP‐accredited program, time since graduation, and perceived preparedness to work with older adults or people with disabilities at the time of graduation predicted gerontological counseling competency and attitudes toward practice with people with disabilities. Time since graduation predicted gerontological counseling competency and perceived preparedness at the time of graduation predicted gerontological counseling competency with a moderate effect size ( f 2 = 0.171). Only perceived preparedness at the time of graduation predicted attitudes toward practice with people with disabilities with a small effect size ( f 2 = 0.107). Our results suggest that perceived preparedness at the time of graduation may be especially salient in MEMHCs’ perceived competencies and attitudes toward practice later in their careers. Counselor education programs may therefore need to more intentionally integrate these topics into their curricula. However, more information is needed about current practices.

This qualitative and phenomenological study investigated the experiences of eleven counselors-in-training (CITs) exposed to four live computer-projected scenes and sounds of nature (running stream, snowy mountain landscape, campfire in the forest, and ocean setting) at the start of their practicum classes. The researchers sought to explore the subjective experiences of the CIT’s exposed to the technology-driven natural environment at the beginning of four consecutive practicum meetings. The findings suggest that technology can be harnessed to catalyze many of the same benefits that prior counselor education-based research indicates can be derived from engagement with the natural world: a decrease in negative emotional states that block learning and engagement, an increased sense of connectedness to class peers, and an enhanced recognition of the importance of self-care and personal wellness. Implications for counselor education programs, counselor educators, and counseling students are explored.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a core priority in counselor education. This paper details one United States’ counselor education program’s self-assessment of its EBP curriculum. Faculty members collaborated to identify challenges and generate solutions to strengthen the EBP emphasis within the program. This paper is intended as a resource for programs working to improve their own training in EBP.