A Model for Adapting Counselor Training to Community Agency Needs

Projections of employment opportunities for graduates in traditional educational specialties indicate limited growth, while a demand for community counselors is expected to grow more rapidly. In order to provide training applicable for counseling students anticipating employment in a community setting, there is need for a planned, systematic approach to program development. This article proposes a three-phase model for change that considers departmental resources, student characteristics and agency needs.     

Self-Understanding Seminars: The Effects of Group Psychotherapy in Counselor Training

This study was conducted to determine whether significant benefits would be derived from providing counselor trainees with psychoanalytically oriented group psychotherapy. Twenty trainees were divided into 2 therapy groups that met for 30 1.5-hour weekly sessions. Each experimental trainee was matched with a control (no treatment) trainee counterpart on the basis of sex, number of graduate credits, and counseling specialty. The instruments administered were: the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, the Elmore Psychological Anomie Scale, the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, and the Porter Counseling Inventory. There were no significant differences on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale. On the Elmore Psychological Anomie Scale, the control subjects had an increase on Valuelessness (p = .181). On the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, the experimental subjects had an increase on Deference (p = .033) and a decrease on Exhibition (p = .190) and Change (p = .091). On the Porter Counseling Inventory, the experimental subjects achieved an increase in Evaluative (p = .112) and Interpretive (p = .034) responses and a decrease in Understanding (p = .083) responses. The relevance to training of both the lack of definitive differences on some of the variables and the significant findings were discussed. The data were interpreted as providing support for the value of a psychotherapeutic experience as part of training programs, particularly those that accept a psychoanalytic orientation.     

A Model for Training Group Counselors

A teaching model is presented which was used for increasing the skills and interests of practicing school counselors in group counseling. A significant aspect of the model is its inclusion of learnings designed to explore both affective and cognitive aspects of the group process. Although the model described was used in an in-service workshop for counselors, the format might also be useful in designing a university course in group counseling.     

Three Counselor Training Models: A Comparative Study

This study investigated the effects of three prepracticum counselor training approaches on counselor performance: T group, behavioral skills, and discussion control. Pre- and postmeasures consisting of 30-minute video-recorded counseling interviews were administered to all subjects. Counselor performance was evaluated by client completion of the Counseling Evaluation Inventory (CEI) and by three trained judges' ratings of four five-minute interview segments using the Counseling Strategies Checklist (CSC). Data from each instrument were subjected to a 3 × 2 factorial analysis of variance. A significant group × time interaction occurred for the CEI. Significant time effects occurred on four of the seven dependent variables of the CSC. The results of the study have implications for both the length and type of training approach used in effective counselor education practices.     

School Counselor Field Supervision: A Model

Little attention is devoted, in literature, to posttraining supervision. Collective bargaining procedures have produced a need for systematic approaches to the field supervision of practicing school counselors. A supervision model based on a ten-month counseling contract is described.     

Counselor Education Program Development: A Communication-Information Model

The common core concept was presented as the vehicle for developing a more adaptive educational program for the counseling profession. The communication model developed was based on the assumption of common elements of role behavior for counselors across agency settings. The model also depends upon the explication of communication and information needs necessary for adequate functioning of the counselor across as well as within settings as the basis for curriculum content. An organizational structure for implementing the communication model was explicated in a training program setting to facilitate the implementation of the model.     

Group Work in Counselor Education: A Decade of Growth

This study was designed to assess the current status of group work preparation in counselor education programs. The authors sent a questionnaire to a 10% (N = 310) stratified random sample by state of the membership of the Association for Specialists in Group Work. Respondents provided demographic information that was compared with two similar studies conducted 10 years ago. The results showed that counselor education programs are providing more and broader didactic and experiential group work preparation for graduates who are gaining employment in diversified work settings. In addition, the respondents surveyed indicated an increase in females as group workers and a more “active-instructive” role on the part of group counselors.     

Cybercounseling: A New Modality for Counselor Training and Practice

The practice of professional career counseling has evolved to include various computer technologies and services including the Internet. Due to the Internet becoming a pervasive part of society, increasing numbers of mental health practitioners around the world are incorporating the electronic medium into their service delivery. As increasing numbers of counselors use the Internet, professional organizations are developing ethical guidelines for practitioners to follow. This paper discusses ethical considerations related to cybercounseling and provides implications that practitioners should consider when evaluating the medium.     

Career Problem Assessment: A Conceptual Schema for Counselor Training

Counseling students learn about various theories, models, and career assessment measures during their training. However, the transition to practicum and internship often challenges students to decide on when to apply career theories and measures to specific problems. An assessment schema is proposed to assist counselor trainees with a systematic approach to conceptualizing a client's career problem. With this assessment schema, counselor educators can help trainees organize data into meaningful categories, reduce conceptual confusion, and engage students in the study of careers.     

Older Peer Counselor Training

This article relates an older peer counselor training program which was developed for paraprofessional volunteers, 55 and over, to assist elderly widowed people in their adjustment process. The training had three goals: to develop group cohesiveness, to broaden trainees' understanding of widowhood adjustment, and to develop one-to-one interpersonal skills. Training outcomes, including the findings of pre- and posttest assessment of attitudes, indicate that the training program was effective in eliciting widowhood and counseling attitude change, and in providing the trainees with the opportunity for personal growth. The results replicate other studies, demonstrating that procedures employed to train young counselors can be used to train elderly paraprofessionals.     

A Competency-Based Model for Counselor Certification

The state of Washington has recently begun several state-wide competency-based certification programs. These programs are being used to evaluate school counselors at three levels of functioning. Examples of the program used by the Southeastern Washington Counselor Consortium to certify counselors at the beginning level are presented. Required competencies, activities that help the counselor achieve proficiency in these competencies, and individual evaluation procedures are included in the program. The purpose of this competency-based program and an evaluation of counselors, programs, problems, and issues are presented.     

The Rural School Counselor: Relationships Among Rural Sociology,Counselor Role,and Counselor Training

Recommendations for the training of rural school counselors are derived from characteristics of the rural American population and the resultant role of the school counselor.     

Counselor Recall of Specific Details: Implications for Counseling and Counselor Training

This study examined two verbal process variables in counseling: (a) accuracy of counselor recall statements, and (b) relevance of counselor recall statements.     

The Discovery of Personal Meaning: A Goal for Counselor Training

The argument is presented that personal integration and transfer of interpersonal skills is more likely to occur if significant attention is given to the learning phase of skills training. Guidelines are presented to help trainers create conditions that encourage learners to discover the personal meaning of these skills. These guidelines are part of an integrative approach that seeks to acknowledge what learners bring to training, to encourage learners to respect their own abilities and reactions to training, and to coach learners to use skills in ways that fit their individual styles and contexts.     

A Structural Model for Identifying Counselor Skills

An analysis of the counseling process and the various clients a counselor might serve has yielded a structural model for identifying the knowledge and skills required of the counselor. The model specifies skill domain, targets of skill, and attained skill level. Developmental in nature, the model is seen as a first step toward providing a base for more systematic assessment, training, and evaluation in counselor education.