Professional Counseling's Alignment with the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice

Abstract

Previous findings show that there is a misconception of the counseling profession and a lack of awareness of their role in interprofessional collaboration; which may lead to underutilization of counselors for team based care. As an example, in 2009 six professional health related associations developed core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice and counseling associations were not involved in the development. This manuscript introduces the profession of counseling to others in medical health professions in hopes that similarities will bridge the gap between knowledge and future collaborative practice. The manuscript shows how the profession aligns with the core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice (CCIPC), ethical codes, accreditation bodies, and existing counseling literature. It concludes with implications for practice, system level support, and policy.