An increase in the number of publications on counselling by ACA,
commercial publishers, and ERIC/CASS (Counselling and Student
Services Clearinghouse).
The process of counseling
The growth of Chi Sigma Iota to over 200 chapters and 20,000
members.
Growth of state counsellor licensure laws.
Current Trends in the 21
st
Century:
In
21st
century, the
counseling
profession is
impacted
by
globalization
and
technology. The
changing roles of men and women, innovations in media and technology, poverty,
homelessness, trauma, loneliness, and aging, among other topics, captured counselling’s
attention as the new century began.
Among the most pressing topics was dealing with:
Violence, trauma, and crises;
Managed care;
Wellness;
Social justice;
Technology;
Leadership; and
Identity.
Dealing with Violence, trauma, and crises:
o
Violence
results when one or more parties address conflict in terms of win–lose
tactics. In the United States concerns about conflict and safety from both a prevention
and treatment standpoint have emerged in the past couple of decades from a rash of
school shootings.
o
Trauma
is a normal response to a very abnormal situation. “Natural disasters,
ongoing wars, terrorist attacks, plane crashes, school violence and abuse are among
the most widely recognized causes of trauma.
o
In the area of dealing with trauma, a renewed emphasis has been focused in recent
years on the treatment of stress and both
acute stress disorder (ASD)
and
post-
traumatic stress
disorder
(PTSD).
o
Counsellors who are employed in the area of working with ASD or PTSD clients need
specialized training to help these individuals. Crises often last in people’s minds long
after the events that produced them.
Crisis counselling
as well as long-term
counselling services are often needed, especially with individuals who have PTSD.
The Challenge of Managed Care:
“
Managed care
involves a contractual arrangement between a mental health professional and
a third party, the managed care company, regarding the care and treatment of the first party,
the client”.
Managed care has advanced the counselling profession by including counsellors on both
managed care boards and as providers of services. The challenge for counsellors in the future
is to find ways to either work more effectively with managed care companies or work outside
such companies and still be major players in the mental health arena.
Promoting Wellness:
Wellness involves many aspects of life including the physical, intellectual, social,
psychological, emotional, and environmental. Myers, Sweeney, and Witmer (2000) define
wellness
as a way of life oriented toward optimal health and well-being in which body, mind,
The process of counseling
and spirit are integrated by the individual to live life more fully within the human and natural
community.
A model for promoting wellness has been developed by Myers et al. (2000). It revolves
around five life tasks: spirituality, self-direction, work and leisure, friendship, and love
.
