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Broadhurst R Counselor Identity Paper
Orientation to Counseling Professional Identity (Liberty
University)
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Running head: COUNSELOR IDENTITY PAPER 1
Counselor Identity Paper: Reaction to A Vision for the Future of Counseling
Roslyn L. Broadhurst
Liberty University
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COUNSELOR IDENTITY PAPER 2
Abstract
This paper will provide one’s reactions to David M. Kaplan and Samuel T. Gladding’s 2011
article titled A Vision for the Future of Counseling: The 20/20 Principles for Unifying and
Strengthening the Profession. This is a document that describes how and why the American
Counseling Association (ACA) developed its Principles for Unifying and Strengthening the
Profession. This document is a proposal that outlines the central set of ideas amalgamated by
and improved within the counseling profession, and endorsed by 29 counseling organizations
(Kaplan & Gladding, 2011, p. 367). This paper will begin by summarizing the main points of
this article. This paper will continue with one’s initial response to the information covered in the
article. In addition, this paper will include one’s comments regarding the article as well as any
insights one gained from reading the article. Also, this paper will include any additional
thoughts one may have that will further enhance the discussion of this article. Finally, this paper
will conclude by summarizing the results of one’s SafeAssign report, one’s interpretation of the
report, what the results indicate and why, and one’s reactions to the report.
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Counselor Identity Paper: Reaction to A Vision for the Future of Counseling
In April 2005, the ACA held its annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Many
representatives from the ACA and the American Association of State Counseling Boards
(AASCB) were in attendance (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011, p. 367). On the morning of April 9,
the presidential teams from the ACA and AASCB met over breakfast (p. 367). At this meeting,
the teams discussed some concerns the AASCB had over the lack of unity that resulted in the
myriad of licensing titles and regulations produced within the counseling profession (p. 367).
The AASCB presidential team requested that the ACA partner with them to produce a strategic
plan that will unite the counseling profession by combining the myriad titles and regulations into
one set of principles (p. 367). Kaplan and Gladding’s (2011) article states that, “The ACA
presidential team agreed to this request, and thus was born 20/20: A Vision for the Future of
Counseling” (p. 367).
Summary
This article mentions that the idea of uniting the counseling profession began at a
conference the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) held in St. Louis,
Missouri in 1988. ACES asked three illustrious counselor educators (Garry Walz, George Gazda,
and Bruce Shertzer) to be guest speakers at this conference (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011, p. 367).
Each gave a speech on the future of the counseling profession (p. 367). The ERIC Clearinghouse
on Counseling and Personnel Services (ERIC-CASS) published the main points of these
speeches in a monograph, Counseling Futures, which identified six factors they believed would
shape the future of counseling (p. 367). The six factors are: “lack of funding for counseling
research and program development; marketing forces; demographics; the acquisition and use of
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new knowledge; the proliferation of self-help resources available to the public; and computers
and technology” (p. 367).
In addition, this article mentions that the idea of uniting the counseling profession
continued with two conferences held in Greensboro, North Carolina: May 27-29, 1998, and
December 11-12, 1998. Attending the Counselor Advocacy Leadership Conferences (CALC)
were representatives from several counseling associations: the ACA, American College
Counseling Association (ACCA), ACES, Association for Multicultural Counseling and
Development (AMCD), American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), American
Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA), International Association of Marriage and
Family Counselors (IAMFC), Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational
Programs (CACREP), Chi Sigma Iota (CSI), ERIC-CASS, National Board for Certified
Counselors (NBCC), and North Carolina Counseling Association (NCCA) (Kaplan & Gladding,
2011, p. 368). The CALC were held to provide a forum in which these representatives could
discuss a common vision they had to promote advances in the future of the counseling profession
(p. 368). During the CALC, the representatives “identified six critical themes for advancing
advocacy for both clients and the counseling profession” (p. 368). These themes are:
1) The need for graduate students to develop and take pride in their professional
identities; 2) The need for associations to work together to promote a common agenda; 3)
The need for counselors to receive adequate compensation for their services without any
restrictions on their abilities to provide competent services; 4) The need for counselors to
partner with other professionals to provide competent services to clients; 5) The need for
counselors to promote research in areas of concern (client outcomes, counselor
preparation and employment, and public awareness), pursue research grants and
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contracts, and promote the use of research results (to clients, professionals, and
legislators); and 6) The need for counselors to promote prevention and wellness among
clients. (p. 368)
Finally, this article mentions that the idea of uniting the counseling profession concluded
with the ACA annual convention held in Atlanta, Georgia, in April 2005. On April 9, 2005,
presidential teams from the ACA and the AASCB held a meeting to discuss the future of the
counseling profession. Those in attendance from the ACA were Sam Gladding, Patricia
Arredondo, Marie Wakefield, and David Kaplan; and those from the AASCB were Jim Wilson,
Charles Gagnon, and Barry Mascari (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011, p. 367). This group of
representatives became the Oversight Committee for 20/20: A Vision for the Future of
Counseling (p. 368). This committee decided that 30 organizations would receive invitations to
participate in the formation of the Principles for Unifying and Strengthening the Profession (p.
368). Every organization that received an invitation accepted, and named a delegate to
participate in the ongoing project (p. 369). The 30 delegates held meetings at the AASCB and
ACA annual conferences in 2006, and reached a consensus on seven areas that needed immediate
attention (p. 369). The seven areas are: “strengthening identity, presenting ourselves as one
profession, improving public perception/recognition and advocating for professional issues,
creating licensure portability, expanding and promoting the research base of professional
counseling, focusing on students and prospective students, and promoting client welfare and
advocacy” (p. 369). Of the 30 participating organizations, 29 endorsed the Principles for
Unifying and Strengthening the Profession, signifying 97% of the 90% needed for acceptance of
the statement of support for the advancement and unification of the counseling profession (p.
370).
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Reactions
Initial Response to the Article
As I read the article, my initial response was one of agreement for the way in which the
ACA and the AASCB dealt with the proposal for unifying and strengthening the counseling
profession. I agreed with the concerns the AASCB had for the lack of unity within the
profession because that is a concern of mine as well. I believe that if the organizations continue
to have “multiple variations in state licensing titles and regulations” (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011,
p. 367), eventually the counseling profession will crumble, or be replaced by disjointed
counseling centers because of the lack of unity, as have other professions such as law
enforcement or web design.
Many police officers do not do their jobs, either because they fear losing their jobs over
incidences of “police brutality”, which never occurred, or because of corruption within their
departments, which prohibits them from doing their jobs. Web design companies no longer exist
on a large scale because most people produce their own websites with the help of Facebook, Go
Daddy, or similar online entities. In both cases, a lack of unity caused the decline in those
professions. The same thing could happen with the counseling profession unless its members
will come together to unify and strengthen the profession from within.
Comments Regarding the Article
As I continued to read through this article, I began to see some of the problems that exist
within the counseling profession. Some of the problems that existed in the 1990s continue to
exist today. The “lack of funding for counseling research and program development” (Kaplan &
Gladding, 2011, p. 367) and “marketing forces” (p. 367) still have a long way to go before the
counseling profession can rectify the problems. Therefore, we must continue to work on
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unifying and strengthening this profession I chose for my own because I do not want to see it
deteriorate.
Insights Gained from Reading the Article
As I finished reading this article, I found that I learned mush more than I thought I would.
I learned about some of the organizations that I would like to join that I believe will contribute to
my knowledge base. I learned about seven areas that still need attention from the counseling
profession. These areas will continue to need attention until we unify and strengthen our
profession. Most importantly, I learned that there are still some within the counseling profession
who believe there are several counseling professions, not just one.
Thoughts to Further Enhance the Discussion of this Article
My reaction to learning that some believe there are several counseling professions was
very strong. I firmly believe that there is only one counseling profession. However, I believe
that within this single counseling profession there are several branches, like the branches of a
tree. These branches are plentiful and ever growing. The taller the tree grows, the more
branches it accumulates. If the counseling profession remains unified, the stronger it will grow,
and the more branches it will obtain. Therefore, it is important that we maintain the core
principles of the counseling profession, the Principles for Unifying and Strengthening the
Profession, as ratified within 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling.
Summary and Reaction to SafeAssign Report
Summary
The SafeAssign Report shows a 35% match with 14 citations. Each citation appears to be
from a match with another student’s paper, except for citation 14, which is a match from a link to
a dissertation written by a doctorate student. Obviously, these are coincidental matches because
I
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do not know any of my classmates, personally; therefore, there is no possibility of intentional
plagiarism.
Citations one through three are the running head and the title page, which are probably
the same for most of the students in the class. Citation four is the title of the article, or partial
title, whichever the case may be. In either case, once again, most of my classmates will probably
have the same citation. Citation five is a paraphrase of information within the article that is like
that in another student’s paper, which is bound to occur once or twice in a paper when every
student has the same assignment using the same journal article. Citation six, once again, is part
of the title of the article.
Citation seven appears to be an exact match to another student’s paper; however, this is
not intentional. No matter how much I try to rewrite this, I cannot because one hit is a city, state,
and date, and the other hit is part of my reference list. Citations eight and nine are direct quotes
within quotation marks, and are self-explanatory. Citation 10 is a partial match with another
student’s paper, and is another case of unintentional plagiarism, which I did rewrite. Citations 11
and 12 are direct quotes written within quotation marks. Citation 13 is a partial match that hit on
a partial title of the article we had to use for this assignment. Finally, citation 14 is the title of
the journal that published the article.
Interpretation
The initial interpretation of the SafeAssign Report is that 35% is an indication of some
possible intentional or unintentional plagiarism. However, upon further analysis, it is quite
obvious that most of the matches are such that most students completing this assignment would
have many of the same matches simply because they had to use the same information. The
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students can interpret that information in just so many ways before those interpretations become
similar, or even exact matches.
Reactions to the SafeAssign Report
When I first opened my SafeAssign report, the first thing I saw was the 35% match on
the report, indicating the possibility of either intentional or unintentional plagiarism within my
paper. This percentage perplexed and alarmed me because I knew that I used quotation marks for
every incidence where I used direct quotes.
As I began to analyze each of the 14 citations, however, I realized why the report showed
such a high percentage. It had nothing to do with plagiarism and everything to do with the
article my classmates and I had to read for this assignment. Because we had to use the same
information from the same source, many of our papers would be similar, and there was nothing I
could do to change that. I did rewrite some of the citations, those I could rewrite. But most I had
to leave as they were, originally.
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References
Kaplan, D. M., & Gladding, S. T. (2011). A vision for the future of counseling: The 20/20
principles for unifying and strengthening the profession. Journal of Counseling and
Development : JCD, 89(3), 367-372. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/873035555/fulltextPDF/D8E54702618D4060PQ/1?
accountid=12085.
