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Preparation programmes of counselling
Preparation Programs for professional counsellors include course experience and research requirements that enable the professional counsellor to conduct counselling, consultation, research, training and supervision and programme development and management. Counselling functions are applied processes and require the multi-disciplinary understanding of the behavioural sciences, skill in a range of intervention strategies, and the ability to understand and apply diverse research methodologies.

Course requirements provide for both depth and breadth of study. Depth areas include individual and group counselling, career development and other human development studies, psychological testing, and some work in the organization and institutional contexts of counselling. Breadth of study involves work in companion behavioural sciences, predominantly with psychology, sociology, and anthropology; particular work in political science and economics adds valuable and informed perspectives.

The experience (supervised practice) portion of the programme may require half-time, academic-year long placements of the equivalent. During each year of study the supervision of the student is a joint responsibility of both the university and the host-site. Criteria for acceptable placement sites have been established by the American Association for counselling and Development (AACD, formerly the American counsel and Guidance Association and the APA, Experience in the supervision of counselling is often a requirement.

A research component is fundamental to all graduate programs-3 to 4 credit hours at the master's level, 9 to 12 at the doctoral level. Research requirements are usually sequenced to insure understanding of measurement, evaluation statistical analysis and various research methodologies such as historical survey, single subject, comparative, and philosophical. Research questions central to this field include empirical investigations of

(a) Counseling process .and interventions in educational and other institutional setting;

(b) Personal development (to include cognitive, affective, career, social and moral development) through schooling and

(c) evaluation of counselling programs.

Specializations of emphases allow for concentration in elementary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions, and in community settings-all form the standpoint of educative, preventive and development orientation, the difficulty of practice in community settings other than in treatment or diagnostic modes however, is well established. At the doctoral level, the two degrees-Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Education-are rarely clearly distinguished. Regardless of the name of the degree, the completion of the doctoral programme requires competence in university teaching, research and the practice of counselling.