A look into counseling’s future Also inside: • Counseling foster children and adopted children • Applying the grief process to everyday losses • What goes into developing counselor identity? • Engaging millennial students in the classroom ACA 2012 Annual Conference & Expo • March 21-25 • San Francisco CounselingTodayMarch 2012 Cover Story 32 What the future holds for the counseling profession Compiled by Lynne Shallcross As ACA celebrates its 60th year as an organization, 19 counseling leaders assess the trends taking place within the profession and society at large and do their best to predict the direction counseling will take over the next decade. Features 32 52 Fitting together as a family By Lynne Shallcross Counselors can help foster children, adopted children and parents to address the wide range of challenges that might be encountered as they attempt to weave together a secure and cohesive family unit. 58 Space to grieve everyday losses By Stacy Notaras Murphy Getting laid off, moving away from friends or even aging can launch people into the 52 same grief process that accompanies the death of a loved one, but clients often need help recognizing these losses as “grief-worthy” and adjusting to their new reality. 62 Knowledge Share A closer look at developing counselor identity By Timothy E. Coppock Clients will benefit if they are treated by professional counselors who are not only competent in their counseling skills but also confident in the specific role that professional counselors play in providing services. 58 66 Reader Viewpoint Engaging millennial students in today’s counseling classroom By Jeannine Studer & Blanche O’Bannon Today’s counseling students possess a unique array of characteristics and perspectives not previously seen in classrooms, and instructors risk shortchanging these students when they do not take the time to better understand them and their learning needs. Extras ACA Graduate Student Committee 68 Contents launches mentorship initiative March 2012 | Counseling Today | 3 CounselingTodMarcha 2012y Columns ACA 10 Washington Update 11 The Two-Minute Advocate Celebrating 6060 yearsyears 12 Counselor Career Stories The American Counseling Association is celebrating its 60th anniversary as an organization in 2012. Here, Counseling Today highlights some of the history, milestones and memories from ACA’s past. Through a Glass Darkly 14 ACA (then known as the American Personnel and Guidance Association) began publishing The Guidepost (which evolved into Counseling Today) in 1958. Here are a 18 New Perspectives few items that appeared in the pages of The Guidepost from 1960 to 1964: n APGA announces a $50,000 grant from the Fund for the Advancement of 22 The Digital Psyway Education to study the function of guidance programs and to develop clear guidelines for the operation of such programs in U.S. schools during the next 24 Private Practice Strategies 20 years. (January 1960 issue) n APGA announces that the APGA Code of Ethics, adopted at the 1961 APGA Resource Reviews Convention in Denver, is in its final form and will be printed in an upcoming 26 issue of The Personnel and Guidance Journal. (July 1961 issue) n Guidance counselors and placement officers are encouraged to broaden their Spotlight on Journals 30 knowledge of a fledgling program known as the Peace Corps and to help select qualified Americans for service abroad. (December 1961 issue) n The U.S. Chamber of Commerce underscores the importance the business sector places on guidance activities by stating that effective guidance programs Need to Know should be a prerequisite to state accreditation of secondary schools. (April 1962 issue) 5 From the President n APGA membership reaches an all-time high to that point in the organization’s history: 16,283 members. (June 1962 issue) 7 Executive Director’s Message n APGA President Willis E. Dugan and APGA Executive Director Arthur A. Hitchcock personally present an APGA Senate resolution supporting the estab- lishment of the National Service Corps to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Letters to the Editor 8 Hitchcock tells Kennedy, “Our members through their responsibilities in the guidance profession are in continuous touch with young people. This Associa- 51 CT Learning Test tion has felt a growing need and concern for the development of new occupa- tion areas. The establishment of the National Service Corps will serve partially 65 In Memoriam: to answer [that] need ...” (May 1963 issue) Jennifer Bramer Correll n President John F. Kennedy invites APGA officials to a meeting of educators at the White House to discuss the civil rights problem facing the nation, particu- larly the high proportion of Black students dropping out of school. A few weeks NBCC Perspective 70 later, Kennedy announces he is allocating $250,000 to better enable counselors to keep potential dropouts in school. (Summer 1963 issue) Division, Region & Branch News 72 n APGA produces a 13-week, nationwide radio series titled Topic of Conversation for the Mutual Broadcasting System, the largest radio network in the nation. 74 Bulletin Board Designed to show that counselors are an essential element in solving educa- tional and social concerns, programs include “Career Choice in the ’60s and 75 News & Notes ’70s,” “Juvenile Delinquency — Let’s Look to Community Services,” “Techni- cal Education — Preparing for the Future,” “The Changing Role of Women in Classifieds Today’s Society” and “The Dropout — The Counselor, the Community and 76 the Parents.” (October 1964 issue) 4 | Counseling Today | March 2012 From The President CounselingToday Counseling Today Staff Why attend state and Publisher Richard Yep Associate Publisher national conferences? Carol Neiman Editor-in-Chief Don W. LockeDon W. others and being exposed to different and new ideas. Participation provides opportunities to Jonathan Rollins 800.347.6647 ext. 339 listen to common issues being discussed and [email protected] then to share with one another our successes Senior Writer and, in some cases, our failures. Participation his month, American Counseling Lynne Shallcross is the opportunity to spend several days 800.347.6647 ext. 320 Association members and many with folks who care and talk about what we [email protected] other professional counselors will T do every day. It is a chance to socialize and Staff Writer be attending the ACA 2012 Annual Confer- connect with people who understand what Heather Rudow ence & Expo in San Francisco. Throughout 800.347.6647 ext. 307 drives each of us to do what we do because we the year, ACA divisions and state branches [email protected] share similar motivations. provide opportunities for counselors to at- Advertising Representative The “why attend” question sometimes tend information-packed events ranging Kathy Maguire encompasses the added element of “can I from learning institutes to extensive confer- 607.662.4451 attend?” Most of us have asked ourselves this [email protected] ences with a variety of presentations. question when faced with the decision to In an era in which information is both Graphic Designer “become involved” with state, regional and Carlos J. Soto II rampant and readily available through a vari- national groups of professional counselors. 800.347.6647 ext. 377 ety of technology or media sources, the ques- [email protected] I believe that it requires participation and tion “Why attend state and national confer- involvement for us to truly feel a part of a ences?” is being asked more frequently. The CT Column Editors profession. It requires us to become active. We same query has been voiced throughout the Washington Update cannot be active without attending and being 60-year history of our association, but now Scott Barstow that personal development opportunities are a part of our state and national conferences. 800.347.6647 ext. 234 [email protected] being designed (many by ACA) and delivered Time and money are critical issues for us via webinars, blogs, information links, enews all, but many times those issues become our Counselor Career Stories Rebecca Daniel-Burke and a variety of other sources, that line of excuse rather than an actual rationale for limiting attendance and involvement. Cost 800.347.6647 ext. 230 questioning has gained strength. The quick [email protected] is certainly a concern, but value must also be and easy availability of professional develop- Resource Reviews ment opportunities, especially when coupled considered. Kelly Duncan with our country’s current economic climate, Value must transcend the question of what [email protected] seemingly makes the question more prevalent specific personal benefit one will receive. Value Private Practice Strategies than in years past. The high cost of travel, must also include an answer to the question Anthony Centore housing and sustenance at some locations “What can I contribute?” Our profession has [email protected] further reinforces the viewpoint that in- reached a level of visibility that necessitates Spotlight on Journals unity of effort and leadership from all of us, Sheri Bauman person attendance might not be necessary. [email protected] When conferences are discussed, I often regardless of the specific issue or topic. Active involvement in each state and at the national New Perspectives hear the term participate. For example, Donjanea L. Fletcher someone will ask, “Are you going to level gains greater individual significance as the [email protected] topics become more defined and have greater participate in the conference this year?” That The Digital Psyway is the key element in my response to the political and/or economic impact. Marty Jencius “why attend?” question. For me, the bottom My recommendation to each of you is [email protected] line is the concept of participation. I realize not just to “attend” local, state, regional and Inside the DSM-5 that with advances in technology and the national conferences, but to “participate” in K. Dayle Jones advent of virtual reality, sometimes we are led those conferences and in your organizations.