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Major issues counselling
Academic programme and professional practice definitions of counselling are at issue between the two major programme areas: counsellor education and counselling psychology. The issues are further complicated by the increasing specializations in counselling practice and the formation of organized professional interests to control such areas of counselling practice at schools, marriage and family, employment, substance abuse, rehabilitation, public offender, pastoral, agency, clinical mental health and psychological. The issues centre on who will control the professional practice of counselling, primarily in the private sector. Such control has gained in importance as the prospects for a national health insurance plan in the United States have increased, and as insurance companies have provided reimbursement for the provision of mental health services.

Programme accreditation has received renewed attention. The American Psychological Association, which approves counselling psychology in North America at the doctoral level only, revised its standards in 1979. The American Association for Counselling and Development, which had been working through the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has taken responsibility for accreditation efforts initiated in 1979 by one of its divisions, the Association for Counsellor Education and Supervision (ACES). The American Association for Counselling and Development approves entry and advanced levels of counsellor education programs with specializations in school, community agency and marriage and family counselling. In 1981 the AACD established the Council of Rehabilitation Education (CORE) published its criteria for programme accreditation in 1978. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), which accredits graduate degree and clinical training programs, revised its standards in 1979.


One issue appears firmly resolved. Counsellor education and counselling psychology have taken independent routes to establish professional identity. Since psychology is further advanced as a profession some counsellor education programs have redefined themselves as counselling psychology and seek accreditation for their doctoral programs through the APA; the pre-doctoral programs in these institutions will presumably remain as counselling or counsel lor education.

Graduates of APA programs will seek state licensing as psychologists and listing on the National Registry of Health Services Providers. Other counsellor education programs will seek approval for their programs through the AACD. In addition the AACD has initiated efforts to establish a national registry for counselling of counsellors. Should the AACD be successful in these efforts, the next step predictably will be to seek approval by insurance authorities and state statutes for the designation of counsellors as health service providers, thus making counselling services reimbursable