The professional status of counseling

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the occupation of counseling has attained professional status. This was accomplished by comparing official counselor training and ethical standards with established criteria for professional training and ethical standards. In addition, legislation and court cases which recognize counseling were compared with established criteria for the legal recognition of a profession. Established professional criteria were derived from McCully's (1962) eleven criteria for a profession. The results of the investigation indicated that counseling has not yet met all of the established criteria for a profession. Counseling training standards meet all of the established criteria except one, but they are not yet implemented. Counseling ethical standards meet all of the established criteria except one. There is currently no machinery for the enforcement of the standards, Counseling fails to meet all of the established criteria for legal recognition of a profession because counselors cannot yet be licensed to practice in all fifty states. The recommendations of this investigation were: that the representative organization of counselors, APGA, provide for the implementation of counselor training standards; that APGA establishes official procedures for the enforcement of its ethical standards; and that APGA continues to lobby state legislatures for licensure for counselors.