REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS

Human Growth and Development includes studies that provide an understanding of the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels. Studies in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Theories of individual and family development and transitions across the lifespan;

b. Theories of learning and personality development;

c. Human behavior including an understanding of developmental crises, disability, addictive behavior, psychopathology, and environmental factors as they affect both normal and abnormal behavior;

d. Strategies for facilitating development over the lifespan; and

e. Ethical considerations.

Social and Cultural Foundations includes studies that provide an understanding of issues and trends in a multicultural and diverse society. Studies in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Multicultural and pluralistic trends including characteristics and concerns of diverse groups;

b. Attitudes and behavior based on such factors as age, race, religious preference, physical disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity and culture, family patterns, gender, socioeconomic status and intellectual ability;

c. Individual, family, and group strategies with diverse populations; and

d. Ethical considerations.

Helping Relationships includes studies that provide an understanding of counseling and consultation processes. Studies in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Counseling and consultation theories including both individual and systems perspectives as well as coverage of relevant research and factors considered in applications;

b. Basic interviewing, assessment, and counseling skills;

c. Counselor or consultant characteristics and behaviors that influence helping processes including age, gender and ethnic differences, verbal and nonverbal behaviors and personal characteristics, orientations, and skills;

d. Client or consultee characteristics and behaviors that influence helping processes including age, gender ethnic differences, verbal and nonverbal behaviors and personal characteristics, orientations, and skills;

e. Ethical considerations.

Group Work includes studies that provide an understanding of group development, dynamics and counseling theories; group counseling methods and skills; and other group work approaches. Studies in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Principles of group dynamics including group process components, developmental stage theories, and group members’ roles and behaviors;

b. Group leadership styles and approaches including characteristics of various types of group leaders and leadership styles;

c. Theories of group counseling including commonalities, distinguishing characteristics, and pertinent research and literature;

d. Group counseling methods including group counselor orientations and behaviors, ethical standards, appropriate selection criteria and methods of evaluation of effectiveness;

e. Approaches used for other types of group work, including task groups, prevention groups, support groups, and therapy groups; and

f.  Ethical considerations.

Career and Lifestyle Development includes studies that provide an understanding of career development and related life factors. Studies in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Career development theories and decision-making models;

b. Career, vocational, educational and labor market information resources, visual and print media, and computer-based career information systems;

c. Career development program planning, organization, implementation, administration and evaluation;

d. Interrelationships among work, family, and other life roles and factors including multicultural and gender issues as related to career development;

e. Career and educational placement, follow-up and evaluation;

f. Assessment instruments and techniques relevant to career planning and decision-making;

g. Computer-based career development applications and strategies, including computer-assisted career guidance systems;

h. Career counseling processes, techniques and resources including those applicable to specific populations; and

i. Ethical considerations.

Appraisal includes studies that provide an understanding of individual and group approaches to assessment and evaluation. Studies in this area includes, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Theoretical and historical bases for assessment techniques;

b. Validity including evidence for establishing contend, construct, and empirical validity;

c. Reliability including methods of establishing stability, internal and equivalence reliability;

d. Appraisal methods including environmental assessment, performance assessment, individual and group test and inventory methods, behavioral observations, and computer-managed and computer-assisted methods;

e. Psychometric statistics including types of assessment scores, measures of central tendency, indices of variability, standard errors, and correlation;

f. Age, gender, ethnicity, language, disability, and culture factors related to the assessment and evaluation of individual and groups;

g. Strategies for selecting, administering, interpreting, and using assessment and evaluation instruments and techniques in counseling and

h. Ethical considerations in appraisal.

Research and Program Evaluation includes studies that provide an understanding of types of research methods, basic statistics, and ethical and legal consideration in research. Studies in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Basic types of research methods to include qualitative and quantitative research designs;

b. Basic parametric and nonparametric statistics;

c. Principles, practices, and applications of needs assessment and program evaluation;

d. Uses of computers for data management and analysis; and

e. Ethical and legal considerations in research.

Professional Orientation includes studies that provide an understanding of all aspects of professional functioning including history, roles, organizational structures, ethics, standards, and credentialing. Studies in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. History of the helping professional including significant factors and events;

b. Professional roles and functions including similarities and differences with other types of professionals;

c. Professional organizations, primarily ACA, its divisions branches, and affiliates, including membership benefits, activities, services to members, and current emphases;

d. Ethical standards of the ACA and related entities, ethical and legal issues, and their applications to various professional activities (e.g. appraisal, group work);

e. Professional preparation standards, their evolution, and current applications;

f. Professional credentialing including certification, licensure, and accreditation practices and standards, and the effects of public policy on these issues; and

g. Public policy processes including the role of the professional counselor in advocating on behalf of the professional and its clientele.

Psychopathology (required for licensure) includes studies that provide and understanding of emotional and mental disorders experienced by persons of all ages; characteristics of disorders;  common nosologies of emotional and mental disorders utilized within the US health care system;   diagnosis and treatment according to the most recent addition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, as published by the American Psychiatric Association;  preferred treatment approaches for disorders based on research;   common medications use of psychiatrists to treat disorders;  working with other health care and mental health care professionals in treating individuals with emotional and mental disorders.

Field Experience includes studies that provide supervised counseling experience in an appropriate work setting of at least two academic terms and taken through a regionally accredited institution. Three years of post-master’s counseling experience with supervision may be substituted for the first practicum (return to education requirements).