Competencies, credentialing, and standards for gerontological counselors: Implications for counselor education

Article: Nationally endorsed competencies, a certification process, and standards for specialty training in gerontological counseling have been developed and approved. Implementation of the gerontological counseling specialty in counselor education is considered. People now live from two thirds to three fourths of their lives as older persons. In the next 20 years, one in five persons in the United States will be over the age of 60 (American Association of Retired Persons, 1988). Thus, it is increasingly likely that all counselors, regardless of work setting, will encounter older persons or families of older persons among their clientele. If counselors are to meet the needs of these clients, it will be necessary that all have some specialized training to help them do so. The purpose of this article was to review the current status of the gerontological counseling specialty within counselor education. The development of gerontological counseling competencies through specialized national training projects is discussed, and the literature on competencies in general is considered. Both specialty accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and specialty certification by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) are considered. The implications for counselor education of the approval of competencies, standards, and certification in gerontological counseling are discussed. GERONTOLOGICAL COMPETENCIES FOR COUNSELORS Since 1977, the American Counseling Association (ACA) (formerly the American Association for Counseling and Development) has conducted five national projects on aging with funding from the U.S. Administration on Aging totaling over $1 million. (Reader's Note: The aforementioned projects were undertaken when the association was called the American Association for Counseling and Development. The association has recently changed its name to the American Counseling Association [ACA], which for consistency is how it is referred to throughout the remainder of this article.) Each project was focused on counselor preparation in gerontological issues, with the intent of developing models and resources for training counselors to work with older persons. The first project developed curriculum materials to train professional counselors, while the second developed resources to train paraprofessional helpers to work with older persons. The third project provided continuing education to practicing professional counselors. The fourth and fifth projects also produced curricular resources; however, they focused specifically on the development of an accepted specialty in gerontological counseling. The fourth project was designed to provide counselor educators with models for training counselors in gerontological issues. Four models were explored b

Acculturation and wellness of native american adolescents in the United States of North America

Cultural conflicts and the process of acculturation contribute to feelings of boredom, anxiety, depression, isolation, stress, self-doubt, alienation, and rejection among Native American high school students. Further, acculturation may have a negative impact on the identity development and wellness of these students. The purpose of this pilot study was to: (a) assess and compare the levels of acculturation of Native American and non-Native American 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students; and (b) examine the relationship between level of acculturation and wellness for the Native American students. Results indicated significant differences between Native American and non-Native American students’ levels of acculturation; and significant differences between the Native students’ three levels of acculturation on some of the 17 scales of wellness. Resumen: Conflictos culturales y el proceso de aculturación contribuyen a sentimientos de aburrimiento, ansiedad, depresión, aislamiento, presión, desconfianza, alienación, y del rechazo entre estudiantes de escuela superior que son indios americanos. Aún más, la aculturación puede tener un impacto negativo en el desarrollo de identidad y bienestar de estos estudiantes. El propósito de este estudio piloto fue: (a) evaluar y comparar los niveles de aculturación de estudiantes que eran indios americanos y no-indio americano en los grados académicos del noveno, décimo, décimo primero y de duodécimos; y (B) examinar la relación entre nivel de aculturación y bienestar de los estudiantes indio americanos. Los resultados indicaron diferencias significativas entre estudiantes indio americanos y estudiantes no-indio americano en los niveles de aculturación; y diferencias significativas entre los estudiantes indio americanos en tres niveles de aculturación en la parte de las 17 escalas del bienestar

The adolescent lesbian identity formation model: Implications for counseling

An interview protocol based on V

Employment of Gerontological Counseling Graduates: A Follow-Up Study

Twenty-five counselor education departments offering specializations in gerontological counseling were asked to survey their graduates who had completed course work or a specialization in aging. Implications are presented concerning employment opportunities for counseling graduates wanting to work with older people

A different approach: Applying a wellness paradigm to adolescent female delinquents and offenders

Recent epidemiological and survey research indicates that the incidence of delinquency among adolescent females is increasing, Ex tin treatment programs, based primarily in research on males fail to consider the unique developmental needs of females. These programs focus on punishment rather than treatment, often reinforcing the behaviors they seek to reduce or eliminate. Programs that incorporate a focus on gender issues, prevention, early intervention, and positive mental health are needed. A wellness paradigm is presented and explored as a promising approach to preventing as well as treating delinquent behaviors among adolescent females. This approach is demonstrated using a case example from an inpatient adolescent treatment program

Perspectives on rehabilitation of older persons

The extension of rehabilitation services to older people is an idea whose time has come. In 1900, only 4 percent of our population was aged, or over 60 years old. Today they rep-resent 11 percent. In sheer numbers, the increase has been from 3 million to over 24 million people. It has been estimated that 86 percent of all older individuals have one or more chronic, physical impairments, which are severe enough to limit living activities. Moreover, fully one-third of all people having functional impairments are elderly

Psychosocial Aspects of Death among the Elderly: A Review of the Literature

Counselors who work with older persons often find it necessary to help them cope with concerns related to death and dying. They may become more effective facilitators by learning about psychosocial aspects of death and dying

A national survey of geriatric mental health services

A survey of states found great variability in services provided to older populations