Permission to include this article granted by NATCONThe need for trained counselors/counseling psychologists, and for counselor education, training, and accreditation, are topics of continued discussion within professional organizations, accrediting bodies, universities, and other training institutions. Following an exploratory meeting in 1998 to discuss the need for additional graduate counselor education in Alberta, an advisory committee was formed with representatives from Alberta universities and major stakeholder groups. This paper describes an innovative approach to inter-university collaboration in the delivery of graduate programming emerging from that initiative. The initiative works on the premise that the current model of graduate education must be changed to reduce the barriers to continuing professional development. The new graduate program in counseling has a two-stage process. The first stage focuses on the fundamentals of counseling theory and practice. In the second stage, students select relevant assessment and intervention modules and develop an area of counseling specialization. The program is a learner-driven delivery system within the context of adult education and professional development. Through this collaboration, the needs of students can be better served while maintaining high standards of academic excellence and professional practice. (JDM
