Council For Accreditation Of Counseling And Related Educational Programs Research Articles

Supervisory Focus on Strengths: Perceptions of Supervisees and Supervisors

Supervision is an integral part of counselor development and is a requirement for training according to licensing boards, credentialing agencies, professional organizations code of ethics, and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). With the expectation of supervision by these entities, universities and counselor training programs must require students to be actively engaged in supervision while learning to become counselors. Instructions for supervision are clearly articulated in policies and procedures of that counselors must follow (ACA, 2014; CACREP, 2016; Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors, 2013) including qualifications for supervisors, sexual relationships, frequency of supervision, gatekeeping, and remediation, etc. While the guidelines for supervision are clearly stated, there are no expectations for how supervision is to be presented. The how of supervision is left to the selection of the supervisor including structure, focus, procedures, framework, model, expectations, etc. Keywords: Clinical supervision, professional development, Strengths-based supervision

The Assessment of Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Competencies

The Assessment of Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Competencies (ACRCC) is an evaluation tool intended to assess clinical rehabilitation counseling trainees’ developing competencies, specialty-specific skills, and learning outcomes. In response to the 2017 merger between the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the Council on Rehabilitation Education, we developed the ACRCC to align with the CACREP (2016)Standards. In our manuscript, we review (a) the developmental needs of rehabilitation counseling trainees, (b) the importance of comprehensive and specialty-specific clinical evaluation measures, (c) the development of the ACRCC, and (d) the opportunities for future research and implications for counseling preparation programs.

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Understand Dispositional Gatekeeping Behaviors Among Rehabilitation Counselor Educators

Rehabilitation counselor educators (RCEs) in programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) are mandated to assess student professional dispositions as part of the gatekeeping process. This study utilized the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore the factors that influence RCE dispositional gatekeeping behaviors. The study includes a sample of 52 RCEs across the United States. Results obtained using a multiple linear regression model indicate that participants generally have positive attitudes toward their role as dispositional gatekeepers and their behaviors. As hypothesized by TPB, both beliefs and perceived norms relating to dispositional gatekeeping predicted dispositional gatekeeping behaviors, with the model accounting for approximately 57% of the variance. Lastly, implications and recommendations are included as they relate to gatekeeping in master’s-level rehabilitation counseling programs.

The Assessment of Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling Competencies: A Measure to Support Preparation Programs

The Assessment of Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling Competencies (AMCFCC) is an evaluation tool designed to measure marriage, couples, and family counseling trainees’ (MCF-CIT) learning outcomes in essential counseling and specialized competencies. The AMCFCC was developed to align with the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards, as well as the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Marriage and Family Therapy Core Competencies (MFT-CC). In this manuscript, we (a) present the need for the development of an AMCFCC; (b) introduce the AMCFCC; and (c) offer implications for preparation programs using the AMCFCC and areas for future research.

Online Teaching Self-efficacy of Group Counseling Instructors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many counseling-related programs switched to online teaching modalities. Group counseling instructors may face various challenges in teaching group counseling courses online. With a mixed-method design, this study explored group counseling instructors’ online teaching self-efficacy by collecting survey responses from 39 group counseling instructors and interviewing eight instructors from the programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The instructors demonstrated a general high teaching self-efficacy with concerns about students’ engagement. Facilitating and hindering factors related to online teaching self-efficacy are identified. Implications and recommendations for instructors, counseling-related programs, and the counseling profession are also discussed.

Meaningfulness and selecting clinical mental health counseling as a career: A cross‐sectional pilot study of master's students and recent graduates

AbstractMaster's students and graduates in two Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) clinical mental health counseling programs participated in the Role of Meaningfulness Survey. The results indicated that a sense of meaningfulness and being true to yourself may particularly be important for those who choose a high “burnout profession,” as it can contribute to their resiliency.

Healer or Healing? An Exploratory Analysis of Becoming a Counselor

The process of becoming a professional counselor can be long and arduous. It can be fraught with anxiety, ambiguity, and doubt about one’s motivations to pursue such a profession. However, it can also be characterized by hopefulness to grow, heal, and recover from experiences in the life of the student. The current study investigated the early life experiences of counselors-in-training enrolled in a graduate master’s CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) program. The author examined themes from the lives of twenty-four counseling students and how their past experiences were transformative to better prepare them to help others.

Sex is Not a Four-Letter Word: Sexuality Counseling Training for School Counselors

Although sexuality counseling training is not a requirement for Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited Counselor Education programs or for licensure in most states as a professional counselor, there is increasing dialogue taking place among professional counselors regarding the need for additional training in this area. The current article highlights techniques for incorporating and enhancing sexuality counseling training in Counselor Education programs based on the eight CACREP core competencies. After a review of the relevance of sexuality counseling within each area, with attention given to implications for school counselors.

Outcomes of “Integrated Behavioral Health” Training: A Pilot Study

The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of training in integrated behavioral health in the primary care (IPC) setting and evidence-based practices (EBPs) on graduate level clinical mental health counseling students’ knowledge and skills for working with children and youth. This study utilized a mixed method design by recruiting a sample of 12 students from a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited urban ethnically diverse university in the northeastern region of the United States. Quantitative analysis indicated a positive and increased change in knowledge and skills associated with IPC and EBP training to work with children, adolescents, and transitional youths. Thematic analysis of the reflection journals of training yielded the following three categories: increased awareness and knowledge, increased sense of competency, and personal feelings came up after training. The implications for training counselors, counselors educators, and students are discussed.

Mental Health Epigenetics: A Primer With Implications for Counselors

Epigenetics is the study of modifications to gene expression without an alteration to the DNA sequence. Currently there is limited translation of epigenetics to the counseling profession. The purpose of this article is to inform counseling practitioners and counselor educators about the potential role epigenetics plays in mental health. Current mental health epigenetic research supports that adverse psychosocial experiences are associated with mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and addiction. There are also positive epigenetic associations with counseling interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, diet, and exercise. These mental health epigenetic findings have implications for the counseling profession such as engaging in early life span health prevention and wellness, attending to micro and macro environmental influences during assessment and treatment, collaborating with other health professionals in epigenetic research, and incorporating epigenetic findings into counselor education curricula that meet the standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Encouragement Is Not Enough: Perceptions and Attitudes towards Corrective Feedback and Their Relationship to Self-Efficacy

This correlational study explored the relationship between feedback and counselor self-efficacy during online counselor education residency. Participants (N=145) were students from eight Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited online counseling programs who completed instruments on perceptions of positive and corrective feedback, attitudes towards corrective feedback, and counselor self-efficacy. Results showed a significant positive correlation between perceptions of corrective feedback and self-efficacy. Two factors related to perceptions of corrective feedback also showed significant correlations with self-efficacy. Implications concerning providing corrective feedback in supervision for counselor in training are discussed.

The Pipeline Problem in Doctoral Counselor Education and Supervision

The hiring of new faculty members in counselor education programs can be complicated by the available pool of qualified graduates with doctoral degrees in counselor education and supervision, as required by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for core faculty status. A pipeline problem for faculty hiring may exist in regions with fewer doctoral programs. In this study, the researchers examined whether the number of doctoral programs accredited by CACREP is regionally imbalanced. The researchers used an ex post facto study to analyze differences in the number of doctoral programs among the five regions commonly defined by national counselor education associations and organizations. A large and significant difference was found in the number of CACREP-accredited doctoral programs by region, even when population size was statistically controlled. The Western region had by far the fewest number of doctoral programs. The number of CACREP-accredited master’s programs in a state was a large and significant predictor for the number of CACREP-accredited doctoral programs in a state. State population size, state population density, the number of universities per state, and the number of American Psychological Association–accredited counseling psychology programs were not predictors. Demand may surpass supply of doctoral counselor educators in certain regions, resulting in difficulties with hiring new faculty for some CACREP-accredited programs. An analysis of programs currently in the process of applying for CACREP accreditation suggests that this pipeline problem looks likely to continue or even worsen in the near future. Implications for counselor education and supervision are discussed.

The Minority Fellowship Program: Promoting Representation Within Counselor Education and Supervision

In 2012, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded funding for the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) to be managed by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Foundation. The MFP aims to increase representation of minoritized students enrolled in counselor education and supervision doctoral programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). From 2012 to 2018, the NBCC MFP has disseminated 20–24 monetary fellowships each year. This article reviews representation within counselor education, offers a history of the MFP, provides doctoral fellowship recipient outcome data, and concludes with implications for counselor education.

Components of a High-Quality Doctoral Program in Counselor Education and Supervision

The doctoral degree in counselor education and supervision is increasingly sought after by students, with the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) reporting a 27% enrollment increase in just a 4-year span. As new programs are started and existing programs sustained, administrators and faculty may be seeking guidance in how to build a high-quality program. Yet no literature currently exists for how doctoral counseling faculty define a high-quality program. This study used a basic qualitative research design to examine faculty perceptions of high-quality doctoral programs (N = 15). The authors analyzed data from in-depth interviews with core faculty members at CACREP-accredited doctoral programs. Five themes emerged from the data: relationships, mission alignment, development of a counselor educator identity, inclusiveness of diversity, and Carnegie classification. The findings of this study can be important for faculty and administrators to consider when establishing and maintaining a counselor education and supervision doctoral program.

Faculty Perspectives on Strategies for Successful Navigation of the Dissertation Process in Counselor Education

This research was conducted as part of a larger qualitative study that involved the collection and analysis of in-depth interviews with 15 counselor educators at counselor education and supervision doctoral programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The participants were asked to identify strategies used to help students navigate the dissertation process and if the strategies were successful. Structural and relational strategies were identified as significant to the successful completion of the dissertation process. Although additional research is necessary to determine if the strategies are successful for faculty and students in other counselor education and supervision doctoral programs, we identified five themes that support the completion of the dissertation process: (a) mechanics of the program, (b) supportive environment, (c) selecting and working with committee members, (d) intentionality in developing a scholar identity, and (e) accountability.

Research Focused on Doctoral-Level Counselor Education: A Scoping Review

The aim of this study was to develop an understanding of the research scholarship focused on doctoral-level counselor education. Using the 2016 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) doctoral standards as a frame to understand coverage of the research, we employed a scoping review methodology across four databases: ERIC, GaleOneFile, PsycINFO, and PubMed. Research between 2005 and 2019 was examined which resulted in identification of 39 articles covering at least one of the 2016 CACREP doctoral core areas. Implications for counseling researchers and counselor educators are discussed. This scoping research demonstrates the limited corpus of research on doctoral-level counselor education and highlights the need for future, organized scholarship.

Preliminary Establishment of the Dispositional Development Scale: Incorporating the Working Alliance in Professional Disposition Assessment

This article discusses the initial development of an instrument which was designed to aid educators in assessing professional dispositions in rehabilitation counselor education students, in accordance with the 2016 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) Standards. Furthermore, the development of the instrument was embedded with the concept of the working alliance (Bordin, 1979). The current study leads to the introduction of the Dispositional Development Scale (DDS), which was created using a two-phase approach, including content validation by Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (n = 148). The implications for using DDS in rehabilitation counselor education are significant and include a systematic, more transparent method of evaluating students' nonacademic competencies.

Teaching School Counselors to Use Evidence-Based Practice to Advance Social Justice: A Case Study

School counselors are called to advocate for social justice in education and use evidence-based practice (EBP) to meet the diverse needs of students in schools today. This conceptual article describes the approach of one Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)–accredited counselor education program to train future school counselors to use EBP to advocate for social justice and improve equity and access in education. We provide a case study regarding specific curricular changes to meet this imperative and offer recommendations for future research.

A Revisited Inquiry: A Survey of the Members of the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA)

In recognition of the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association’s (ARCA) 60th anniversary and the need to gather and provide data to further inform the rehabilitation counseling (RC) field with recent developments, a replication of the Peterson, Hautamaki, and Hershenson (2006) study that included surveying ARCA members at the time as well as similar studies in the field (Trotter & Kozochowicz, 1970) was completed. Similar questions related to overall membership benefits, motivations, concerns, and future directions for the field were duplicated. In addition, given the recent major changes in the field including the merger between the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) and the new Clinical Rehabilitation Counselor (CLRC) degree were included. Similar to the 50th anniversary survey, the results of the study informed the ARCA leadership in their future strategic planning activities, organizational development, and in better meeting the needs of ARCA members.

Building Culturally Sensitive Assessments for Transgender Clients: Best Practices for Instrument Development and the Adaptation Process

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on best practices for developing, adapting, and using assessments with transgender clients. The historical context of gender minorities in counseling is discussed, outlining the bias and stigma that has been attached to transgender identities. Due to this historical bias, most assessments use heteronormative language and were not developed for use with gender minorities. As such, we used the guidelines put forth by the American Counseling Association (ACA), the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC) to present a guide for developing and adapting assessments for the transgender population. Finally, the authors discuss the clinical application of using a trans-sensitive assessment process for counselor educators and clinicians.