CACREP's Relevance to Professionalism for School Counselor Educators

Archival data from 1994 to 2003 were used to examine the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program's (CACREP) association with professionalism for school counselor educators. Indicators of professionalism included school counselor educators' contributions to the profession (i.e., journal publications and conference presentations), leadership in professional organizations, and pursuit of counseling credentials. Data analysis revealed weak (small effect sizes), yet statistically significant, relationships between CACREP accreditation and indicators of professionalism for school counselor educators.     

CACREP Accreditation Intentions

The authors discuss results of a national survey, conducted by the AACD Committee for Standards Review, of counselor preparation programs regarding their intentions related to CACREP accreditation. Programs were separated into four groups: Group 1—programs that held CACREP accreditation; Group 2—programs with definite intentions of seeking CACREP accreditation; Group 3—programs that were uncertain whether they would pursue CACREP accreditation; and Group 4—programs that did not anticipate seeking CACREP accreditation. Data were analyzed for patterns of response across groups. Size and type of program and reasons central to program decisions concerning accreditation provided focus for the study. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

CACREP-Accredited Programs: Survey Results

The faculty members of counselor education programs often seek data regarding accreditation. This survey was completed in 1984 in an effort to provide information on the effects of meeting CACREP accreditation standards.     

Two Decades of CACREP and What Do We Know?

Since 1981, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) has operated as the primary accreditation body for the counseling profession. In this role it has developed and revised its standards and processes for approval. During this time, many institutions with counselor education programs have applied to, and been reviewed and accredited by CACREP. This article examines some of the literature and research that has been published since the creation of CACREP and suggests future research that may help additional counselor education programs to consider the accreditation process.     

Testing the Engagement Theory of Program Quality in CACREP‐Accredited Counselor Education Programs

This study examined the engagement theory of program quality ( Haworth & Conrad, 1997 ), which highlights positive student learning outcomes that result from stakeholder involvement in program evaluation within master's‐level graduate programs. A total of 481 master's‐level counseling students and 63 faculty members, representing 68 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)–accredited counselor education programs, participated in the study. Findings reveal that engagement theory is a potentially useful quality assessment resource for CACREP‐accredited programs in their efforts at enhancing and sustaining program quality.     

Factors That Influence Self‐Efficacy of Counseling Students: An Exploratory Study

The study examined whether age, prior work experience, number of courses taken, and number of internship hours have a positive relationship with counseling self‐efficacy. Participants were 116 counselor education students. The results from correlation and multivariate analyses of covariance revealed that the length of internship hours and prior related work experience were positively correlated with counseling self‐efficacy. The differences in counseling anxiety, affection adjustment, and assessment found between the students in programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and those in non‐CACREP‐accredited programs disappeared when the background variables were controlled as covariates.     

The Reflective Model of Triadic Supervision: Defining an Emerging Modality

Current Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Eduational Programs (CACREP; 2001) standards promote the use of triadic supervision by counselor educators and supervisors. However, conceptual models of triadic supervision do not presently exist in the supervision literature. This article describes the process and structure of 1 model of triadic supervision (D. M. Kleist & N. R. Hill, 2003). This model provides a vehicle for implementing triadic supervision in response to changes in the CACREP standards and adds to the literature on triadic supervision. Implications for counselor educators and supervisors, as well as future research, are conceptualized.     

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology: Where are the Jobs?

Employment opportunities for persons with doctoral degrees in counselor education and counseling psychology were studied. Over 15 months, 708 positions were identified and analyzed to determine frequency of advertised positions calling for either degree, types of positions, and references to the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) or the American Psychological Association. Additional analyses were conducted for counselor education. Results found the counselor education degree to have a clear identity in the marketplace, especially for faculty positions, whereas the degree in counseling psychology was more often 1 of multiple degrees listed for an advertised position. Implications are discussed, including implications for CACREP‐accredited doctoral programs and needs for future research.     

Counselor Trainees’ Experiences in Triadic Supervision: A Qualitative Exploration of Transcendent Themes

Triadic supervision has been considered a credible and effective form of clinical supervision within counselor education programs since being included in the 2001 standards for the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). A phenomenological study was conducted to examine the experiences of masters-level counselor trainees in practicum with triadic supervision. Several transcendent themes emerged, namely: Initial Apprehensions, Shared Developmental Process, Vicarious Learning, Multiple Perspectives, and Safety through Trust and Relationship. The results of this study are discussed as they impact the field of counselor education and supervision.     

Perceptions Regarding the Professional Identity of Counselor Education Doctoral Graduates in Private Practice: A Qualitative Study

Ten doctoral graduates of counselor education programs accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) who were engaged in full-time private practice were interviewed for this qualitative study to determine how they viewed professional identity.     

Research Priorities for Mental Health Counseling With Youth: Implications for Counselor Preparation,Professional Development,and Research

Counselors encounter the needs of youth (3–17 years) in a variety of settings; however, outside of school counseling, the profession faces a lack of preparation, professional development, and research focused on mental health practice with youth. Using the Delphi method, 12 counselor educators and 15 practicing counselors were polled regarding research priorities for mental health counseling with youth. Research that considers how varying developmental stages and systems (e.g., families, schools, communities) affect the mental health of youth was identified as a priority. Implications for counselor preparation, professional development, and research are offered on the basis of these results.     

Essential Characteristics of Master's Level Counselors: Perceptions of Agency Administrators

The purpose of this study was to determine to what degree the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards represent skills and knowledge that mental health agency employers use to judge candidates for master's level counseling positions. A total of 84 professionals who hired master's level counselors in their agencies rated the likely effect of each CACREP knowledge and skill area on their judgment of a potential candidate. Respondents also checked specific knowledge and skills they considered important and the type(s) of master's degrees typically possessed by counselors hired by their agency. Data suggested that each knowledge and skill area may have a moderate to significant impact on the employers' judgments, although some competencies were clearly seen to be more relevant than others. Family intervention was the most highly endorsed specialization, and candidates with social work degrees were hired far more frequently than was any other single type. Implications for counselor education programs and graduates are discussed.     

Examining Supervisor Impairment From the Counselor Trainee's Perspective

Although there is a growing body of literature on counselor impairment, the topic of supervisor impairment has surprisingly been overlooked. The author explores the implications of working with an impaired supervisor at various levels of counselor development and discusses some of the critical factors that may influence how a supervisee decides to handle this problem. In addition to discussing the misuse of power by the impaired supervisor, other factors (e.g., the nature and severity of the supervisor's impairment) are also discussed. The author presents an ethical decision‐making model that can be used to guide the counselor trainee through the arduous process of determining a viable course of action.     

Promoting and Celebrating Multicultural Competence in Counselor Trainees

The author discusses the rationale for counselor education programs' promotion of the development of multicultural counseling competence in counselor trainees. The current status of multicultural counseling competence is discussed, and recommendations are made regarding how counselor education programs and faculty can enhance multicultural competence. An Appendix provides specific action‐based recommendations.     

Perceived Benefit of CACREP (2001) Core Curriculum Standards

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceived benefit of the core curriculum standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP; 2001). A total of 641 individuals, whose names were obtained from a 6% proportional randomized sample of members from the American Mental Health Counselors Association, American School Counselor Association, and Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, responded to this study. Results suggest various perceptions both within and between groups regarding the 8 CACREP core curriculum standards.     

School Counselors in International School: Critical Issues and Challenges

This study sought to examine the views of school counselors in international school settings; international schools being those that enroll students from varying nationalities (both English speaking and non-English speaking countries) and follow an American/International college preparatory education curriculum. Results were pursued in regard to three important areas: (1) mental health needs of students (e.g., coping with cultural transitions, aggression, self-esteem), (2) their own professional development needs (e.g., multicultural development, networking), and (3) their interactions with teachers, administrators, and parents (e.g., lack of knowledge of the counselor’s role, lack of trust in the counselor, lack of teamwork). Implications for supporting international school counselors are provided. An earlier version of this article was presented at the International Counseling Psychology Conference, Chicago, Illinois (2008).     

Faculty Perceptions of CACREP Accreditation

Faculty members in CACREP-accredited institutions were surveyed for the purposes of (a) determining common program characteristics; (b) determining if and how accreditation had influenced curricula, institutional support, and length and type of supervised experiences; (c) assessing faculty opinion concerning whether accreditation efforts had improved the quality of counselor preparation programs; (d) assessing faculty opinion concerning the effectiveness of the Standards as criteria for evaluating programs; and (e) assessing faculty opinion of the fairness and adequacy of the accreditation review process. The status of programs is summarized, with curricula and length of supervised counseling experiences having been most often influenced by accreditation efforts. Faculties were mixed in their reactions as to whether accreditation had improved the quality of their programs. Those faculties that had initiated change as a result of self-study thought that their programs were improved. Satisfaction with the Standards as criteria and with CACREP as the accreditation decision-making body was substantial.     

Consultation Training in Master's Level Counselor Education Programs

The purpose of this research was to update and extend the survey of training practices conducted by Splete and Bernstein (1981). More counselor education programs are offering individual courses in consultation to their master's students, but the preferred method of delivering consultation coursework still seems to be integrating it into other courses. Little consensus was found among program administrators regarding topics covered in didactic experiences. The majority of the respondents reported offering some fieldwork in consultation, either as a requirement or as an elective.