The History of Counseling 1900S 1910S
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The History of Counseling 1900s 1907 First Use of Systematized Guidance Jesse B. Davis, superintendent of the Grand Rapids school system, is first to implement a systematized guidance program in public schools. 1908 "Father of Guidance" Frank Parsons, the "Father of Guidance," founds Boston's Vocational Bureau, a major step in the institutionalization of vocational guidance. Parsons worked with young people who were in the process of making career decisions. He theorized that choosing a vocation was a matter of relating three factors: knowledge of work, knowledge of self, and matching of the two. Mental Health Reforms Clifford Beers, former Yale student, was hospitalized for mental illness several times during his life. He found conditions in mental institutions deplorable and exposed them in a book, A Mind That Found Itself. Beers advocated for better mental health facilities and reform in the treatment of the mentally ill. Beers was the impetus for the mental health movement in the United States, and his work was the forerunner of mental health counseling. 1910s 1913 First Counseling Association National Vocational Guidance Association founded, publishing literature and uniting professionals for the first time. 1917 Smith-Hughes Act This legislation provided funding for public schools to support vocational education. U.S. Army Employs Psychological Screening During World War I, the U.S. Army begins using numerous psychological instruments to screen soldiers, which are utilized in civilian populations after the war and become the basis for the popular movement called psychometrics. 1920s 1925 First Certification of Counselors The first certification of counselors took place in New York and Boston in the mid- 1920s. 1929 First Marriage Counselors Abraham and Hannah Stone are first to establish a marriage and family counseling center in New York City. 1930s 1930 Development of the First Theory of Counseling E.G. Williamson of the University of Minnesota modifies Parsons' theories and uses them to work with students and the unemployed, emphasizing the teaching, mentoring, and influencing skills of the counselor. 1932 Brewer Incorporates Education and Guidance Edmund Brewer publishes Education as Guidance, which proposes that every teacher be a counselor and that guidance be incorporated into curriculums as a way to better prepare students for life outside of school. 1939 U.S. Employment Service Established This agency publishes the first edition of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and becomes a major source of career information for guidance specialists working with students and the unemployed. 1940s 1942 Carl Rogers Publishes Counseling and Psychotherapy This work challenged counselor-centered approaches as well as major tenants of Freudian psychoanalysis, placing responsibility on the client for their own growth. The book was widely criticized but also widely accepted. Rogers changes the emphasis from statistics and testing to techniques and research. Rogers's revolution has a huge impact on counseling and psychology. Government Uses Counselors in World War II The U.S. government needed counselors and psychologists to help select specialists for the military and industry. Many women worked outside the home for the first time and traditional sex roles were challenged. VA Makes Contributions to the Profession The Veteran's Administration funds the training of counselors and psychologists by granting stipends and paid internships for graduate students. VA rewrites the specs for vocational counselors and coins the term “counseling psychologist.” 1950s 1952 American Personnel and Guidance Association Founded This organization formally brings together groups interested in guidance, counseling, and personnel matters. 1952 APA Forms Division 17 The Division of Counseling Psychology is formed by the American Psychology Association. The impetus came from APA members who wanted to work with a more “normal” population than the one seen by clinical psychologists. 1958 National Defense Education Act Passes Enacted after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the purpose of this act was to identify scientifically and academically talented students and promote their development. 1960s 1962 Charles Gilbert Wrenn Publishes The Counselor in a Changing World The emphasis of this book is on working with others to resolve developmental needs. 1963 Community Mental Health Centers Act This piece of legislation authorizes the establishment of community mental health centers. These centers open up employment opportunities for counselors outside of educational settings. 1966 ERIC Established at University of Michigan The ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Personnel Services (CAPS) was established at the University of Michigan. Funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education, ERIC would become the largest and most-used resource on counseling activities and trends in the United States. Humanistic Counseling and Group Movements The 1960s also saw the emergence of the humanistic theories of Albuckle, Maslow, and Jourard as well as the rise of the “group movement,” shifting the emphasis from one-on-one encounters to small group interaction. 1970s 1976 Founding of AMHCA The American Mental Health Counselor Association quickly becomes one of the largest divisions in the American Personnel and Guidance Association (now ACA). 1976 State Licensure By the mid-1970s, state boards of examiners for psychologists had become more restrictive. These tensions caused APGA to move toward state licensure for counselors, with Virginia becoming the first state to pass a licensure law in 1976. Helping-Skills Programs The 1970s saw the development of helping-skills programs that concentrated on relationship and communications skills. Created by Truax, Carkhufl, and lvey, these programs taught basic counseling skills to professionals and non-professionals alike. Diversification in Counseling Settings The rapid growth of counseling outside of educational institutions began in the 1970s, when mental health centers and community agencies began employing more counselors. APGA Grows Stronger APGA builds its own headquarters in Alexandria, Va. APGA begins the process of changing to ACA when it questions its professional identification because “guidance” and “personnel” seemed to no longer define the organization's emphases. 1980s 1981 CACREP Formed CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) is formed as an affiliate organization of APGA. CACREP standardized counselor education programs for master's and doctoral programs in the areas of school, community/agency, mental health, marriage and family counseling and therapy, and personnel services for college students. 1983 NBCC Formed Complementary to the work of CACREP, the National Board of Certified Counselors begins certifying counselors on a national level. In 1984, NBCC also set up standards for certifying career counselors. APGA Changes Its Name After considerable debate, APGA becomes the American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD). 1985 Chi Sigma Iota Established Established as an international academic and professional honor society for counseling students, Chi Sigma Iota grows to more than 100 chapters and 5,000 members by the end of the decade. 1987 CACREP Achieves Recognition CACREP achieves membership in the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation, bringing it into a position of accreditation power parallel to such specialty accreditation bodies as APA. Counseling as a Distinct Profession The evolution of counseling as a distinct mental health profession in the 1980s came as a result of events, issues, and forces both inside and outside of APGA. APGA members had been experiencing a rapid transformation in identity through the implementation of policies regarding training, certification, and standards. Additionally, legislation, especially at the federal level, recognized mental health providers and actions by other mental health services organizations. Counselors became even more diverse in the 80s, and there was an increased emphasis on human growth and development. 1990s to Today 1992 AACD Becomes ACA A symbolic and substantial change occurs when AACD becomes the American Counseling Association (ACA). The new name better reflects the membership and mission of the organization, and 16 divisions are organized under the new structure. Multiculturalism and Diversity Among Key Issues in Counseling Another noteworthy event of the 1990s through today is the continued strong emphasis on issues related to multiculturalism and diversity in counseling circles. A focus on health care and making counselors core providers of mental health services developed and continues to evolve today. The increase in managed health care and the new emphasis on legislation has forced counselors to become increasingly active as legislative proponents. Finally, there is a renewed focus within counseling on addressing issues related to the whole person. Therefore, counselors are becoming, as a group, more aware of social factors important to the development and maintenance of mental disorders and health. Other Developments National Academy of Clinical Mental Health Counselors (NACMHC) merges with NBCC to credential more than 22,000 counselors. CACREP and APA-accredited programs in counselor education and counseling psychology continue to grow on both the master’s and doctoral levels. An increasing number of publications by ACA, APA, commercial publishers and ERIC/CASS (Counseling and Student Services Clearinghouse) cover a variety of relevant topics in counseling. Reference: Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession, Samuel T. Gladding, 1996 .