20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling: The New Consensus Definition of Counseling

Abstract

With the promulgation of the 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling consensus definition of counseling, there is finally profession‐wide clarity as to what it means to engage in professional counseling. This article describes the development and discusses the implications of the definition: “Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.” This consensus definition has been endorsed by 29 major counseling organizations.

Forming a Professional Counselor Identity: The Impact of Identity Processing Style

“…This focus has two distinct but related areas: a) the identity of counseling as a unified profession (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011;Kaplan, Tarvydas, & Gladding, 2014;Mellin et al, 2011;Reiner, Dobmeier, & Hernandez, 2013), and b) the development of individuals' professional counselor identities (Auxier, Hughes, & Kline, 2003;Gibson et al, 2010). These two areas mutually inform one another with professional identity shaped by the individuals it represents and the professional identity of individuals cultivated by the larger professional body.…”

“…The collective identity of the counseling profession has been marked by humanistic roots (Hansen, 2003;McAuliffe & Eriksen, 1999), emphasis on empowering relationships that facilitate human development and wellness (Eriksen & Kress, 2006;Kaplan et al, 2014;Mellin et al, 2011), and a contextual and culturally sensitive approach in counseling practice (ACA, 2014;Eriksen & Kress, 2006;McAuliffe & Eriksen, 1999;Van Hesteren & Ivey, 1990). The distinctiveness of this collective identity has been a central theme in the profession's struggles regarding the medical model and diagnosis of mental disorders (Eriksen & Kress, 2006;Hansen, 2003), the growing demand for empirically validated and empirically-supported therapies (Hansen, 2006(Hansen, , 2012, and the articulation of the counseling profession's unique and valuable contribution to the mental health needs of society (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011;Kaplan et al, 2014;Mellin et al, 2011;Reiner et al, 2013).…”

“…The distinctiveness of this collective identity has been a central theme in the profession's struggles regarding the medical model and diagnosis of mental disorders (Eriksen & Kress, 2006;Hansen, 2003), the growing demand for empirically validated and empirically-supported therapies (Hansen, 2006(Hansen, , 2012, and the articulation of the counseling profession's unique and valuable contribution to the mental health needs of society (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011;Kaplan et al, 2014;Mellin et al, 2011;Reiner et al, 2013). The profession's struggles to articulate and maintain a collective identity often affects a parallel process in counselor-trainees who experience confusion regarding their professional identities.…”

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“…This focus has manifest in two distinct but related arenas of interest: a) the identity of counseling as a unified profession (Kaplan & Gladding, 2011;Kaplan, Tarvydas, & Gladding, 2014;Mellin et al, 2011;Reiner, Dobmeier, & Hernandez, 2013), and b) the development of individuals' professional counselor identities (Auxier, Hughes, & Kline, 2003;Gibson et al, 2010). These two arenas mutually inform one another, with the identity of the profession being shaped by the individuals it represents, and the professional identity of individuals being cultivated by the larger professional body they belong to.…”

“…The collective identity of the counseling profession has been marked by its humanistic roots (Hansen, 2003;McAuliffe & Eriksen, 1999), emphasis on empowering relationships that facilitate human development and wellness (Eriksen & Kress, 2006;Kaplan et al, 2014;Mellin et al, 2011), and a contextual and culturally sensitive approach in counseling practice (ACA, 2014;Eriksen & Kress, 2006;McAuliffe & Eriksen, 1999;Van Hesteren & Ivey, 1990). The distinction of this collective identity has been a central theme in the profession's struggles regarding the medical model and diagnosis of mental disorders (Eriksen & Kress, 2006; …”