Counselor Awareness of the Consequences of Certification and Licensure

Abstract

In the decade since professional counselor regulation was widely debated, more than half of the states have legislated regulation, and it is sought in others. The extent to which counselors in a state currently pursuing legislation are familiar with potential consequences of legislated regulation was examined. Most counselors were found to be unfamiliar with potential negative consequences of regulation, and most were desirous of more information regarding these issues. Implications of the findings for the profession are presented.

The credentialing of counselling in Australia

“…Anything less is not only unacceptable but damaging to the profession, to professional counsellors, and to those watching cautiously from the sidelines. In working for voluntary regulation in Australia, the counselling organizations are asking Australian society for the privilege of socially sanctioning the activities of counsellors (Alberding, Lauver, & Patnoe, 1993). We have to be worthy of that privilege.…”

There Ain't No License that Protects: Bowen Theory and the Regulation of Psychotherapy

“…Moves to regulation on the part of a profession predominantly have been based on seeking greater professional authority and credibility, usually in the eyes of the state and other professions, and justified with reference to particular examples of exploitative and unethical practitioners and to the "fact" that regulation and registration protects the public, for rebuttals and critiques of which see Gross (1978); Hogan (1979); Koocher (1979); Alberding, Lauver, and Patnoe (1993); Dawes (1994); Mowbray (1995); Totton (1997, 2011); Wampold (2001); Postle (2007); House (2009); Postle and House (2009); and Tudor (2011b).…”

What You Need to Know

“…Clinical certifications precede licensures, and licensures are required for professional practices. Despite polemic origins of credentialing (e.g., Alberding, Lauver & Patnoe, 1993), currently there are four sources of counselor credentials. First, CACREP accredits programs that grant counseling degrees.…”

“…No other therapeutic profession has been as malleable as counseling to respond to the diversification of clients’ needs when adjusting to the historical events that have fashioned American society. No other therapeutic profession, as counseling, has been put under the microscope of accountability and political lobbyists’ agendas (Alberding, Lauver, & Patnoe, 1993; Bradley, 1978). Rather, counseling has become robust from welcoming challenges and from constructing upon some of the contributions that critics and other professions have brought to influence health care’s effectiveness.…”