Preparation of Student Development Specialists During the 1980s

Preparing and Nurturing Professional Counselors

“…Although common standards for preparation are far from reality in the student services profession, specific suggestions are available in several forms in the literature: the Council of Student Personnel Associations (COSPA) report (Cooper, 1975) and Pruitt (1979) offer suggestions for preparing a student development specialist; Hansen ( 1978) addresses counselor preparation for career development/career education; Sweeney (1979) reviews preparation trends; Kohlberg (1975) explores a developmental approach; Conyne (1980) considers the community dimension of counseling; and Alcorn and Sturgis (1981) propose a model for counselor training for community agency needs. A very thorough treatment of preparation of student affairs professionals is presented in Knock (1977), which includes a specific chapter on preparing community college student personnel specialists (Matson, 1977).…”

Counsellor education and the future: Cautious sailing

“…If our programmes are to maintain their credibility, they must prepare our students for more group work. Numbers demand it (Kelly, 1976) More focus on the stages of aging -the pressure of 40 rather than 12 -will begm There will continue to be a general trend toward focusing on the difficulties of the 'age' of the 'baby boomers' Their influence wdl be greater than ever before since soon the strings of the restitutions will be theirs to pull (Ferguson, 1980) (2) Changmg sex roles Another 'people' force is the 'new' woman (Prlutt, 1979, Leblanc, 1982 I predict that female studies will contmue to gain in ~mportance From the ashes of The Women's Room (French, 1978) has come a more confident, adultoriented woman This woman knows what she wants and where she ~s going She recogmzes her &fference from men and ~s pleased with it (Wrenn, 1980) This fact, that 'we are different', will influence the trends towards treating women as a separate entlty. Their difficulties, their aspirations and concerns must be recognized and our students, both men and women, prepared A considerable influence on the development of this new image was the pill Now, the 'baby boom' pill-takers are havmg to confront a fundamental issue --a blologtcal force Do they want children9 At 30 to 35, the biological clock is runnIng out I predict the next 20 years will see an increasing trend towards career mothers The male's role as parent will change Shared responsiblhty for home care and servtces will become the norm With these trends, our counsellors must be prepared for the difficulties and needs of family members in this new 'careerparent' centered family unit The changing sex roles wall have impact an at least 3 major ways on counselling I predict we wall find ourselves 1 counselling men and women to cope with new role relationship 2 counselling youth relative to role posstbthttes 3 counselling children because of the changing home which results from the changing sex roles…”