DSM-III—R Training in Master's-Level Counseling Programs

Abstract

The DSM-III--R is used by the subdisciplines of mental health including psychiatry, psychology, and social work. Yet, of all subdisciplines, it has historically met the most resistance from the counseling profession. Until the early 1980s, discussion of the DSM in the counseling literature was taboo. It has only been in the last 10 years that counselors have begun to discuss the role of the DSM in counseling. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the actual extent of DSM-III--R training in counseling programs. Analysis suggested that the counseling programs have included training in psychiatric diagnosis, but this training continues to meet resistance as it is inconsistent within the curricula of such programs.