Trends in Gerontological Counselor Preparation

This study identifies current trends in preparation of counselors to work with older persons, including specialty course work in gerontological counseling and the extent to which gerontological counseling content and issues are incorporated into existing required and elective counselor preparation courses. Recommendations for increasing such content in existing courses, rather than the introduction of new specialty courses, are presented.     

Integrating Gay Issues Into Counselor Education

Human rights in recent years have begun to include the rights of gays whose sexual orientation should be irrelevant to jobs, housing, and public accommodation. The old sickness theory has been discarded and the morality of same-sex orientation championed. But many counselors-in-training have not been helped to demythologize homosexuality, and this article presents ways to reeducate about gays to help counselors-in-training be better able to work with their counselees with this topic. The primary method suggested is helping students get acquainted personally with gays.     

Simulated Consulting Experiences in Counselor Preparation

Simulation, using role-playing and commercially available materials, was used to provide counselor-teacher consultation experience for counselor trainees. Students in a master's level guidance program worked with teachers in a consultative situation on a series of problems. Representative situations in which a teacher might consult with a counselor about possible courses of action in solving a problem were presented via simulation. Experienced teachers rated the adequacy of counselor recommendations concerning the problem situation. The trained counselors' recommendations were rated as superior (p < .01 level) to those of untrained counselors. These results support the use of simulation as a technique for counselor education. Implications for counselor education programs are discussed.     

Use of Live Supervision in Counselor Preparation

This study investigates the use of live supervision in counselor preparation programs. The perceived impact of live supervision on program management and student development are also considered.     

Counselor Preparation in Australia and New Zealand

Counseling and counselor education is expanding in countries other than the United States. In this study I assessed the development of counselor training programs in Australia and New Zealand. Data are reported on institutional setting and accreditation, on faculty and student information, and on program trends. Where appropriate, comparisons and contrasts are made with information from the United States provided by Hollis and Wantz (1983).     

Counselor Training and Ethical Issues With Older Clients

Working with older adults requires specialized preparation in professional ethics. A rationale for including this training in the counseling curriculum and a possible approach to this instruction are presented.     

Gender Issues in Counselor Education: Current Status and Challenges

This article examines the status of gender studies in counseling programs and the ethical significance for integrating gender within curricula.     

Citation Patterns in Recent Issues of Counselor Education and Supervision

This study compares the citation patterns of Counselor Education and Supervision with those of the Personnel and Guidance Journal, the Journal of Counseling Psychology, and the Counseling Psychologist. Citations from Counselor Education and Supervision for 1979 and 1980 were analyzed in terms of the most frequently cited authors and works published prior to and after 1958. The findings reveal that although there is some overlap between the works and authors cited in Counselor Education and Supervision and those cited in the counseling psychology journals, there is a sizable and unique body of literature and pool of authors cited in Counselor Education and Supervision. The impact of multiple authorship, the dependence function (within-journal citation) and other issues in counseling citation research are discussed.     

Professional Identification of Counselor Preparation Programs

A survey of 521 counselor preparation programs nationwide revealed that most programs with master's or both master's and doctoral degrees have a counseling professional orientation as opposed to psychological or other orientation.     

Reconstructing Counselor Education: Issues of Our Pedagogical Foundation

Questions regarding the science and art of teaching have largely gone unexplored in the discipline of counselor education. The goal of the articles in this special feature is to stimulate discussion and debate about the pedagogical foundations of professional counseling.     

Counselor Trainees' Dependence on Clients: Issues and Implications

Counselor dependency on clients has received little attention compared with the topic of clients' dependency on counselors. This article suggests that many counselors, particularly beginning counselor trainees, may rely on their clients to meet some of their professional and personal needs. Several potential sources of trainee dependence are identified. Methods for recognizing manifestations of counselor dependence are discussed, as are strategies to help trainees become aware of, and minimize their dependency needs. Implications for research are also noted.     

Gender: Issues of Power and Equity in Counselor Education Programs

Education about gender-related issues has been identified as a critical element in the training of counselors. Suggestions are offered for incorporating gender issues into counselor education programs.     

Counselor Preparation: A Semantic Differential Evaluation

Counselors and superintendents from Tennessee and Indiana were administered a semantic differential to compare their perceptions of counselor programs as reflected by counselor performance in 11 skill areas. Counselors rated their training programs higher than did the superintendents but did agree with the superintendents that the best counselor preparation was in educational counseling, pupil appraisal, public relations, and guidance program coordination. Counselors also agreed with the superintendents that better counselor preparation was needed in parental consulting, vocational counseling, and research. Primary disagreement between counselors and superintendents centered on personal-social counseling, an area in which counselors feel well prepared.     

Restructuring the On-Campus Counselor Education Laboratory: Contemporary Professional Issues

An accountability model for addressing contemporary issues in the development and operation of on-campus practicum laboratories is presented. A case illustration provides an example of the model's potential use. Implications for counselor education programs are discussed.     

College Counselor Attitudes Toward Spiritual and Religious Issues and Practices in Counseling

In this study, 86 mental health professionals employed in university counseling centers in the United States were surveyed on their attitudes toward discussing religious and spiritual topics and toward using religious and spiritual practices in counseling. These participants viewed the use and discussion of spiritual topics/practices more favorably than the use and discussion of religious topics/practices. Differences in attitudes toward specific topics and practices are reported, as are implications for practice.