The counselor: who? what?

Abstract

The author examines the criticisms of counselors which center on such factors as age, sex, race, and elitism. Areas of confusion regarding the functions of the counselor are related to the teacher‐counselor issue, the professional functions of the counselor, and the basic purpose of counseling. The counselor is seen primarily as doing psychological counseling with individuals and groups, rather than teaching or advising.

The School Counselor As Consultant: A Historical Review

“…Most of the articles seem to be similar in purpose to those in The School Counselor. The role issue remained important (Arbuckle, 1972;Ivey & Weinstein, 1970;Matheny. 1971;Patterson, 1969).…”

Helping the Environment Help the Client: A Sequenced Change Process

“…The plea for the activist role of the counselor was opposed by those who strictly defined the counselor's identity as one of working only within the realm of psychotherapy. Reflecting the sentiment of those who argued against counselors assuming an additional role, Arbuckle (1972)…”

Impression formation in counseling: sex, age, and education of counselors as components of perceived counselor credibility by female and male college students

“…They believed that clients probably would like having a counselor similar in age, and they also thought that they would not introduce themselves as "Doctor" after leaving graduate school. For this group, counselor credibility was seen as being higher for same-sex dyads (Arbuckle, 1972).…”

“…buL not all counse lors would agree on how this should be done. While most counselors believe that their sex, age, and educational degree affect their clients' percep tions of themselves as counselors, there is not a unified opinion of what effects these factors have (Arbuckle, 1972;Strong, 1968). This diversity in opinions can be seen in the beliefs that counselors-in-training hold about how to improve the impression they make on their clients.…”

“…Some counselors, however, believe that age is a negative influence in the counseling relationship. Arbuckle (1972) states that "Another curse counselors face today is the apparent belief that the onset of senility and idiocy takes place at about the age of 31" (p. 786). Despite Arbuckle's opinion, it seems that increasing age of counselor will increase counselor credibility because age is associated with expertness.…”