California Counseling Association Analysis

Capuzzi and Gross (2013) say there is a continual struggle for professional identity. One issue is whether counseling will develop as a united profession or as separate specialties. Other issues are multicultural counseling and social justice issues also, the organizational structure of the American Counseling Association (ACA). Remley and Herlihy (2015) address confusion about accreditation of specialties and varying state licensure and certification requirements for the Council for Accreditation and of Counseling and Counseling Related Educational Programs

The American Counseling Association website defines professional counseling as “a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.” As the counseling profession has grown and the demand has increased over the years there has been some confusion of what the difference is between counseling and psychotherapy. Sharf (2012) reports, often times

A doctoral degree combining both supervisory professional mental health counseling skills and counselor education has always been at the forefront of both my personal and professional goals. Being afforded the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision will allow me the ability to enhance my professional competencies and achieve my set goals. My primary desire is to obtain a position as a college professor that will allow me to nurture the professional growth and maturity of future mental health professionals. Pursuing the doctoral degree will simultaneously assist in developing skillsets that will further prepare me for advanced opportunities in not only teaching but supervision and research. Additionally, I desire to devote time and research to small rural communities to establish prevention based programs that will bridge communities as it relates to mental health challenges. A PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Capella University will afford me the opportunities to positively impact change in future professionals and the communities for which I serve.

Counseling is defined as ”the use of therapeutic strategies to help clients address personal concerns and mental health issues” (Nystul, 2016). Pursuing counseling as a career involves many years of formal study and certification or licensure. After receiving licensure to practice as a professional counselors it is a requirement to maintain involvement and certification in certain associations in order to hold your license. These association often require further education and/or professional practice in order to maintain membership in these associations. It is quite obvious that counseling requires a large amount of commitment and passion in order to pursue it as a career and maintain a title as a counselor. I have conducted an interview with a professional counselor in order to further understand the experience of being a counselor. The interview that I conducted explores the requirements of maintaining and receiving a counselling career, the experience of being a counselor, and what characteristics or skills a professional may have. The Individual who agreed to the interview was a counselor by the name of Susie Facio. Susie Facio, through this interview, will be giving us a look at what influenced her to become a counselor, what her work entails on a day to day basis, and what qualities and skills she has acquired in order to become a successful counselor.

I believe counseling is a collaborative partnership between client and counselor. Furthermore, this collaborative partnership is built from trust and acceptance of both client and counselor. I hope in conjunction with clients to understand the issues and concerns so to help them tap into their wisdom, creativity, and strengths to meet their current challenges. I believe in a comprehensive perspective through which clients can better comprehend themselves in the framework that our thinking about events can lead to emotional and behavioral upset. Moreover, counselors are to provide a safe environment for clients to explore their challenges and identify ways to move differently in overcoming these challenges.

Steve’s journey to the mental health field began indirectly many years ago as he was completing college with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies. He originally wanted to be a Seminary instructor, but hated his student teaching experience. As he discussed his interests to a career advisor, he expressed his enjoyment in his job as a tutor, and preferred the one-on-one setting as opposed to teaching an entire class. His advisor suggested becoming a counselor, which sounded appealing to Steve. He enrolled in BYU and earned his master’s degree in Marriage and

The purpose of the American Counseling Association (ACA), is to provide both educational and professional resources that will develop and improve the field of counseling ("American Counseling Association.", n.d.). The mission of the American Counseling Association (ACA) is to advance the growth of counselors and the counseling occupation as a means to improve society ("American Counseling Association.", n.d.). They accomplish this by encouraging the value of self-respect, self-worth, and individual varieties in counseling professionals ("American Counseling Association.", n.d.). The American Counseling Association (ACA) is governed by a president, governing council, committees and task forces ("American Counseling Association.", n.d.). There are currently 20 chartered divisions in the American Counseling Association (ACA) that cover different subspecialties of counseling ("American Counseling Association.", n.d.). The

I am a mental health counselor working towards licensure in the state of Washington. I have a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Antioch University Seattle. In my current counseling practice, I work with individual adults (over 18). I take a humanistic approach to therapy; in our sessions together, we will focus on the here-and-now of your experience, while also exploring your past and social context to the extent they are relevant to your present concerns. Our first meeting will be a time for you to tell your story; then, together, we will assess your concerns and issues, and decide on the goals toward which you would like to move (Hilton, 2016). As we continue through the therapy process, we

The profession of counseling has a rich and bold history, evolving through the years from varied disciplines and birthing diverse specialties and branches along the way. Often referred to as the youngest of the counseling specialties is clinical mental health counseling. Despite physical health’s grasp on the nation, mental health has been a major focus at various times throughout history and continues to become an ever growing concern for people in general. As people come to better understand mental health issues and the demand for services grows, it is important to look at how clinical mental health counseling, and the counseling profession in general, has developed over time and how it has advanced to meet the needs of those seeking services.

Considering counseling as a career path was never an option or an interest for me. Nevertheless, upon the completion of an internship at the Renaissance Treatment Center, my areas of interest slightly shifted. The Renaissance Treatment Center is a place that address addiction and mental health issues that many individuals are facing. At this internship, my duties were to administer assessments, complete discharges, and co-facilitate individualized and group therapy sessions. The main thing that stood out and propelled my interest for counseling was the lack of cultural diversity. For each individual that walked into the building seeking help, the majority unfortunately were minorities from the African American culture. For me, this was very unfortunate. It made me wonder why this is so, and what led these individuals down this path. After many completed assessments, I realized that the lack of education, poverty, and living in war stricken communities were some of

The American Counseling Association (ACA) developed the code of ethics with six principles in mind that they thought were the foundation for ethical behavior and decision making: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, fidelity and veracity (American Counseling Association, 2014). This lead to the six different purposes for the code of ethics. First, it sets ethical obligations and ethical guidance for professional counselors (American Counseling Association, 2014). Second, it recognizes ethical dilemmas that are relevant (American Counseling Association, 2014). Third, it clarifies what is ethically expected and accepted of its members (American Counseling Association, 2014). Fourth, it is an ethical guide for members deciding the best course of action and expectations for conduct, when it comes to those using their counseling services (American Counseling Association, 2014). Fifth, it supports the mission of the American Counseling Association (American Counseling Association, 2014). Finally, it has standards that serve as a baseline for questions and complaints for ACA members (American Counseling Association, 2014). To fulfill the purposes of the code of ethics, the ACA categorizes the ethics into nine different areas (American Counseling Association, 2014).

Counseling is a relatively young profession when compared to other mental health professions. In my brief personal and professional experience with the field, I have come to define counseling as a process of engagement between two people, both of whom are bound to change through a collaborative process that involves both the therapist and the client in co-constructing solutions to concerns.

Although professional standards were promoted throughout the 20th century in a wide range of settings (Centore & Milacci, 2008), it has only within the last quarter century or so that the counseling profession established a formal entity called the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) in 1981 for this purpose (Adams, 2006). A year later, the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates (NBCC) was established in 1982 to provide accreditation standards for counselor education as well as a method of assessing educational knowledge (Adams, 2006). In this regard, Juhnke (2009) reports that, "The NBCC was established through the American Counseling Association (ACA) in 1982. The reason for NBCC's original existence

This literature review was completed as an assignment for an Introduction to Counseling class at The College of New Jersey under Dr. Atsuko Seto. The use of correct APA format in both citations and general formatting, although has been evaluated prior to being turned in for grading, is not guaranteed. I would like to thank Dr. Seto and the entire Counselor Education Program at The College of New Jersey for being patient, informative, and overall very effective instructors.

Holly Forester-Miller, Ph.D. Thomas Davis, Ph.D. Copyright © 1996, American Counseling Association. A free publication of the American Counseling Association promoting ethical counseling practice in service to the public. -- Printed and bound copies may be purchased in quantity for a nominal fee from the Online Resource Catalog or by calling the ACA Distribution Center at 800.422.2648. ACA grants reproduction rights to libraries, researchers and teachers who wish to copy all or part of the contents of this document for scholarly purposes provided that no fee for the use or possession of such copies is charged to the ultimate consumer of the copies. Proper citation to ACA must be given.