Grasping at the Root: Transforming Counseling Psychology

In her 2022 Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) Presidential Address, Amy L. Reynolds reflects on the need for transformation within counseling psychology through critical consciousness and radical action. With a focus on transforming our curriculum, centering Indigenous people and perspectives, and disrupting anti-Black racism and white supremacy in SCP policies, structures, and practice, Reynolds proposes using reparations and accountability as critical frameworks for counseling psychology.

The Racial and Ethnic Representation of Faculty in US Pharmacy Schools and Colleges

Objective. To describe the representation of racial and ethnic minorities among faculty members (faculty) in schools and colleges of pharmacy (COP) compared to US Census Bureau data; to evaluate the representation of racial and ethnic minorities in historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), newer doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) programs, and PharmD programs with a religious affiliation compared with all pharmacy programs; and to compare racial and ethnic pharmacy faculty data to trends in medical and dental schools, and all higher education. Methods. Information was obtained from national databases and published reports; data was comparatively evaluated. Results. Compared to the general population, Asians are overrepresented in pharmacy, while all other minority groups are underrepresented. The HBCUs, newer schools, and religious-affiliated institutions have greater numbers of African American/Black faculty. Newer schools also have better representation of Hispanic faculty. Pharmacy has been more successful than medicine and dentistry in recruiting African American/Black faculty, but lag behind dental schools in their representation of Hispanic faculty. Conclusion. To meet the health care needs of the population, we recommend the implementation of short-term and long-term diversity and inclusion strategies that address minority representation in COP.

Reflections on Reflections

The Major Contribution in the September issue of The Counseling Psychologist provides several points to consider as the field defines the profession and training models for the 21st century. Calls for returning, in part, to our roots in career and vocational issues as well as our presence in the schools and recommendations for increased focus on children and adolescents should enable the retention of, and perhaps the increase in, our relevance in colleges of education. This reaction adds to this list a continued focus on personal adjustment and crucial attention to marriage and family issues, areas that can augment our institutional fit. Interpretations of survey data on outcomes of training models and racial-ethnic representation in our programs are offered. Little evidence exists to indicate advantages in moving counseling psychology away from its exclusive adherence to a scientist-professional training model. Our contributions to broad educational goals can positively impact our movement toward diverse and representative program faculty.

A Broad View of Education and Training

This reaction responds to the three core articles in the Major Contribution in the September 2005issue of The Counseling Psychologist regarding (a) how counseling psychology programs fit within academic structures, (b) how our training models relate to student and faculty outcomes, and (c) how much progress has been made toward increasing the diversity of our faculty. The authors (a director/internship director in a university counseling center and a training director of a counseling psychology program) share a belief in the continued need for teachers and trainers in counseling psychology to work together, not only within departments and colleges but across campuses and throughout the field. The importance of collaboration between graduate programs and college counseling centers is highlighted, and support for a closer fit with colleges of education is stressed, along with a commitment to children and adolescents. This Major Contribution will hopefully reinvigorate other cooperative efforts.

The Shifting Sands of Counseling Psychology Programs’ Institutional Contexts

Despite strong indicators of the robustness of counseling psychology, the specialty seems somewhat vulnerable, as evidenced by the fact that several solid programs have been forced to phase out or to convert to combined-integrated programs. In fact, analyzing the trends among counseling psychology programs reveals that 30% of programs that have been accredited have been phased out. This article provides a context for understanding the accreditation history of counseling psychology programs. We then offer solutions and strategies to reduce this particular vulnerability. The proximal and distal solutions that are presented may help ensure the continued flourishing of counseling psychology across institutional, programmatic, and national levels.

Setting the Counseling Psychology Agenda

This reaction to the Major Contribution in the September 2005 issue of The Counseling Psychologist highlights the implied threats to the survival of academic training programs in counseling psychology. Counseling psychologists are urged to analyze the historical roots of the profession and current market realities and to make principled commitments to determine where, when, and how training programs will fit into the culture of any given college or department.

Empirical Reflections on Academic Training Programs in Counseling Psychology

The three main articles in the Major Contribution of the September issue of The Counseling Psychologist address academic training programs in counseling psychology, focusing on their institutional contexts and commitments. Each article examines one key issue, provides empirical data concerning this issue, and traces the practical implications of these data for future research, training, or policymaking in the field of counseling psychology.

Time Management, Passion, and Collaboration

The present study interviewed 17 of the most research-productive counseling psychologists within APA-accredited counseling psychology programs. Using Consensual Qualitative Research, seven domains emerged from the interviews: root of productivity, personality characteristics, productivity strategies, work environment, nonwork life, impact, and tips. Within these domains, 13 general categories emerged and 19 typical categories emerged. Overall, these participants were successful early in their careers, received mentorship/support while in graduate school, chose research topics that were salient to them and about which they were passionate, effectively managed their time, collaborated well with students and professionals, had a structured approach to writing, worked in a supportive research environment, and spent a considerable amount of time outside of work with family or participating in hobbies. Based on the results, practical suggestions are offered for individuals within the field of counseling psychology who wish to be productive researchers.

Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations and the Society of Counseling Psychology

This article provides a summary of the Major Contribution on the Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations (Asian American Psychological Association, The Association of Black Psychologists, National Latina/o Psychological Association, Society of Indian Psychologists, and American Psychological Association Division 45) and their connections to counseling psychology and the Society of Counseling Psychology. An overview and highlights of common themes are provided and seven recommendations for future connections are explored. This article is one of seven articles that are part of a special issue of The Counseling Psychologist focused on the relationship between the five major Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations (EMPAs) and the Society of Counseling Psychology.

Contextual Influences on Faculty Diversity Conceptualizations When Working With Trainee Competence Problems

Trainees with problems of professional competence (TPPC) present trainers with unique challenges. When TPPC situations include diversity issues, the complexity of such challenges increases. Although attention to such intersections is important, little is known about what influences faculty thinking about diversity issues when trainee competence problems are identified. The authors analyzed 22 faculty interviews using grounded theory to explore contextual influences on faculty interactions. Participants described program commitments to diversity conversations, consultations, and examination of biases as important positive influences. Participants described historic conflicts (e.g., interpersonal and programwide) and within-faculty differences (e.g., differences in multicultural training, assumptions about diversity-related conflict) that made faculty interactions more difficult. New instances of competence problems that involved differences in opinion about the influence of diversity variables exacerbated existing conflicts and created new tensions among faculty. Implications for training and research are discussed.

Early Career Psychologists

The findings from the Smith et al. (2012) survey of early career psychologists (ECPs) who are members of the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) provide a snapshot of the current state of affairs for ECPs in the SCP as well as recommendations about how the SCP can better meet the professional needs of ECPs. Ideally, the implementation of these recommendations will result in more ECPs joining the SCP and finding their membership to be a beneficial part of their professional lives. Capturing the interest and involvement of ECPs into the SCP needs to be an ongoing priority requiring focused attention and effort by SCP leadership. Who are the next generation of counseling psychologists? How are they fundamentally different from prior generations of counseling psychologists? And how have cohort and external environmental changes helped or hindered ECPs’ involvement in professional organizations? Finding the answers to these questions is necessary to guarantee that the Society changes in ways that make it professionally relevant for future generations of counseling psychologists.

Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations

This article provides the introduction, background and rationale for the Major Contribution focused on five national ethnic minority psychological associations: the Asian American Psychological Association, The Association of Black Psychologists, the National Latina/o Psychological Association, the Society of Indian Psychologists, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues (Division 45 of the American Psychological Association). The first five articles focus on each of the five major ethnic minority psychological associations and their relationship to the specialty of counseling psychology in general and, more specifically, to the largest professional organization of counseling psychologists, the Society of Counseling Psychology, Division 17 of the American Psychological Association. In the final article, we summarize general trends and make recommendations. In this introductory article, we (a) describe our rationale for the Major Contribution, (b) provide a brief history of counseling psychology’s growing commitment to an inclusive multicultural psychology, and (c) conclude with a brief description of the articles and authors included in the Major Contribution.

Training Directors' Conceptualizations of the Intersections of Diversity and Trainee Competence Problems

Counseling psychology has demonstrated leadership on multicultural issues through serious and committed attention to diversity in scholarship, conferences, and training and recruitment. Yet a survey of the literature on trainees with competence problems resulted in limited references to race/ethnicity and/or gender (REG). Using transcripts of phone interviews, we examined the degree to which Training Directors from 14 counseling psychology doctoral programs included REG in their conceptualizations of trainee remediation. REG conceptualizations differed in terms of (a) definitional clarity and conceptual sophistication about RE, (b) differential integration of approaches to diversity and remediation, and (c) strong emotions associated with race/ethnicity in trainee remediation. Implications for training and research are discussed.

Demographic, Educational, Employment, and Professional Characteristics of Counseling Psychologists

Counseling psychologist members of Division 17 (n = 1,792) were compared with counseling psychologist nonmembers of Division 17 within the American Psychological Association (APA; n = 6,917) with respect to demographic, educational, and professional characteristics reported in the 2003 APA Directory Survey. Employment setting and work activities of both groups were also studied based on employment data from the 2000 APA Directory Survey (n = 3,908). Findings indicated a relatively lower percentage of newer counseling psychologists maintaining membership in Division 17 and reflected differences in the employment settings and professional activities of each group. With respect to APA division membership, a majority of counseling psychologists who did not belong to Division 17 also did not belong to any divisions within APA (67.8%). APA divisions most frequently joined by counseling psychologist nonmembers of Division 17 included Divisions 42, 29, 35, 43, and 40.