Community Mental Health Counseling: An Option for the CACREP Dichotomy

Abstract

This article features a discussion of an alternative program of study designed to integrate the existing accredited entry‐level programs in Community Counseling and Mental Health Counseling.

The Evolution of Specialties in the CACREP Standards: CACREP's Role in Unifying the Profession

“…The split between Community Counseling and Mental Health Counseling standards affected the counseling profession's ability to view itself as one discipline. It sparked a decade of debates nationwide regarding what differentiated community counseling from mental health counseling (Cowger, Hinkle, DeRidder, & Erk, 1991; Hershenson & Berger, 2001; Wilcoxon, 1990) and further complicated the profession's ability to define a single identity for its members. Furthermore, it created a two‐tiered system of educational training standards, because graduation from an accredited mental health counseling program required more hours of education and 300 additional hours of clinical internship than did programs preparing graduates to work at schools, colleges, or other community‐based settings.…”

Assessment of Selected CACREP Standards by Accredited and Nonaccredited Programs

“…More recently, authors have begun to look at CACREP and its organization, policies, and procedures with a critical eye. Viewpoints espousing concern with the expansion of specialty standards have been published (Lanning, 1988;Wilcoxon, 1990). The implications of the CACREP clinical training requirements have been explored (Pate, 1990;Randolph, 1988).…”

“…It is reasonable because the final adoption of revised standards by the CACREP Board of Directors will impose national criteria against which training programs will be reviewed. Furthermore, the adoption of revised standards defines current trends and reflects future expectations for the profession (Wilcoxon, 1990).…”

The State of Community Counseling: A Survey of Directors of CACREP‐Accredited Programs

“…Moreover, the largest grouping of recommended courses to be added (21 out of 60 suggestions) was of those related to mental health counseling (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, diagnosis, treatment planning; psychopathology; psychopharmacology; mental health counseling; managed care). If those courses were added, it would even further blur the distinction between community counseling and mental health counseling, reviving the issue raised by Wilcoxon (1990) as to whether the two areas should merge.…”