Counseling Students' Interest in Gerocounseling: A Survey Study

Abstract

Recent trends in counselor education are moving away from a standardized academic track in gerocounseling. In response to this, we surveyed 385 counseling students regarding issues related to gerocounseling, such as their interest in gerocounseling topics, willingness to participate in gerocounseling training, how prepared they feel to work with older adults, and if they would engage in specialized training. Results showed counseling students have a substantial interest in gerocounseling, and many are willing to seek specialized training. Strategies are provided for counselor education faculty who wish to develop a gerocounseling specialization within their program.

Medicare Reimbursement for Counselors: Counseling Professionals’ Advocacy Beliefs and Behavior

“…Currently, little is known about counseling students’ attitudes toward counseling older adults. Previous research indicates that many counseling students have an interest in topics related to gerontological counseling, such as grief, retirement, caregiving, and family counseling with aging parents (Foster, Kreider, & Waugh, 2009), and positive attitudes about aging are positively correlated with multicultural competence (McBride & Hays, 2012). Alternatively, there is a lack of references to aging or ageism in the 2016 CACREP Standards (Fullen, 2018), as well as a lack of research on older adulthood within counseling journals (Fullen, Gorby, Chan, Dobmeier, & Jordan, 2019).…”

Predictors of Counseling Students' Decision to Pursue a Gerocounseling Specialization

“…Despite minimal attention within the profession, counseling students report a strong interest in gerocounseling. Foster, Kreider, and Waugh () studied counseling students' perceptions of working with older adults. They found a noteworthy overall interest in gerocounseling and strong willingness to seek training.…”

“…Finally, Foster et al asked counseling students: “If your counseling program offered a specialization in gerocounseling, would you complete the requirements for this specialization?” Forty percent of students responded yes to this question. (For a full description of the results of this study, see Foster et al []. )…”

“…More data analysis is needed to determine which specific variables most predict the likelihood of students deciding to pursue a gerocounseling specialization. Thus, the purpose of this study was to use advanced analyses to expand upon the results of Foster et al () to determine which of the variables described above best predict the likelihood of a student's decision to specialize in gerocounseling. It is important for counselor educators to understand which variables relate to a student's decision to seek gerocounseling training, because those variables could be integrated into aspects of their counseling program.…”

“…It is important for counselor educators to understand which variables relate to a student's decision to seek gerocounseling training, because those variables could be integrated into aspects of their counseling program. Before studying which variables predict student engagement, we must determine the validity of the subscales within the survey developed and used by Foster et al (). Our two research questions for this study are as follows:…”