Increasing Minority Student Enrollment in Counselor Education

Abstract

Counselor education programs across the country often fail to attract, enroll and graduate students in proportion that reflects the diversity of the nation. As our country's demography changes, the impact of race and ethnicity within the client-counselor relationship is likely to have greater importance and, as such, counselor education programs must ensure a diverse group of students and graduates. Accordingly, counseling programs must recruit, retain and graduate minority students. This article reviews information concerning (a) the increasing diversity within the country and, in particular, student enrollment in post-secondary educational programs; (b) the importance of having a diverse counselor education student body; and (c), a minority student recruitment and retention model currently being used by a Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) accredited program.