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Chapter One: What is a Licensed Mental Health or Professional Counselor?
Chapter Overview
This book purports to aid students in developing their professional identities as clinical
mental health counselors by providing a history of the profession and clarifying the key tenets
that shape the perspectives of mental health counselors. The first chapter of the text sets the
foundation for the rest of the book by providing a solid definition for the term “clinical mental
health counselor.” It is placed within the context of the more general definition of professional
counseling put forth by the ACA. Clarifying this term will remove one existing barrier to
forming a solid professional identity as a clinical mental health counselor. Though the ACA
Governing Council and AMHCA have put forth definitions of counseling over the years, the
definition of clinical mental health counseling used in this text is: “the specialization of
counseling that applies wellness and remedial approaches to the assessment and treatment of
individuals and their related systems within relevant ecological contexts.” Clinical mental health
counseling highlights a wellness perspective, a framework of human development, an ecological
model, and a multidisciplinary approach. Other barriers to forming a solid professional identity
include sorting through the multiple titles for professional counselors according to state licensure
laws and distinguishing clinical mental health counseling from a plethora of other helping
professions.
The first chapter of the book also introduces students to pertinent professional
organizations (such as ACA, AMHCA, NBCC, and CACREP) that will be instrumental in
helping them to develop their professional identities. In order to help students distinguish
between mental health counselors and other helping professionals, the chapter offers an overview
of other mental health professionals as well as specializations within the counseling profession.
Finally, the chapter concludes with a look at developmental models which focus on the process
of consolidating a strong professional identity.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the chapter, students should be able to:
• Articulate a definition for clinical mental health counseling.
• Discuss how the definition of clinical mental health counseling fits within the 20/20
definition of counseling.
• Identify the key tenets of the clinical mental health counseling perspective.
• Name relevant professional organizations of the counseling profession.
• Differentiate between clinical mental health counseling and related helping professions.
• Identify and describe the stages of professional identity development.
Key Words/Terms
• American Counseling Association (ACA)- an organization founded in 1952 by the merger
of the National Vocational Guidance Association, American College Personnel
Association, National Association of Guidance Supervisors, and Student Personnel
Association for Teacher Education. This organization represents the professional
interests of counselors in general and is comprised of nineteen divisions.
• American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA)- an association founded in
1976 to represent the needs of clinical mental health counselors specifically. It became a
division of ACA in 1978 but continues to operate largely autonomously.
• Clinical mental health counseling- the specialization of counseling that applies wellness
and remedial approaches to the assessment and treatment of individuals and their related
systems within relevant ecological contexts.
• Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
(CACREP)- created in 1981 by ACA, this organization seeks to maintain excellence in
academic training standards for the counseling professions by accrediting educational
programs which meets its standards.
• Marriage and Family Therapists- professionals who diagnose and treat a wide range of
human conditions, including individual psychopathology, parent-child problems, and
marital distress and conflict, within the context of marriage and family systems.
• National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC)- an association founded in 1981 to
certify professionals who meet standards to qualify as certified counselors or specialists.
• Psychiatrists- physicians who specialize in diagnosing, treating, and preventing mental
illness. They can also prescribe medications.
• Psychologists- doctorally trained professionals who assess, diagnose, and treat mental
illness and emotional distress. They have the statutory right to diagnose and are highly
trained in psychological testing.
• Social Workers- professionals who link people to tangible services, provide counseling,
help communities to provide and improve health and social services, and advocate for the
inclusion of social work principles and values in relevant legislative processes.
• Wellness perspective- a foundational perspective of clinical mental health counselors
which seeks to move individuals not only away from mental illness and emotional
distress but also towards optimal human functioning.
Lecture Outline for Chapter One
What is a Licensed Mental Health or Professional Counselor?
I. Becoming a Clinical Mental Health Counselor
A. The path of professional counseling is like a personal journey by car:
1. Start point- where are you now?
2. Destination- where do you want to be?
3. Other conditions:
a. Road quality
B. Discussion
1. Where are you in your personal journey towards professional identity?
a. Where have you come from?
b. Where are you now?
c. Where are you headed?
II. Sources of Professional Identity Confusion
A. Varied definitions of “counselor”
B. Multiple helping professions
C. Multiple titles for professional counselors, according to state licensure laws
D. Until recently, there were two CACREP specializations leading to the same
license type: Mental Health Counseling and Community Counseling
E. Discussion:
1. When would you refer a friend to a mental health counselor instead of a
psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, or marriage and family therapist?
2. What distinguishes Clinical Mental Health Counselors?
III. Some Helpful Definitions
A. In 1997, the ACA Governing Council defined professional counseling as “the
application of mental health, psychological, or human development principles,
through cognitive, affective, behavioral, or systemic intervention strategies that
address wellness, personal growth, or career development, as well as pathology.”
B. In 1987, AMHCA defined mental health counseling as: “the provision of
professional counseling services, involving the application of principles of
C. In 2010, the ACA Governing Council defined counseling as “a professional
relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to
accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.”
IV. Focuses of Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
A. Wellness perspective
B. Framework of Human Development
V. Four Relevant Professional Organizations
A. American Counseling Association (ACA)
B. American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA)
VI. American Counseling Association (ACA)
A. Represents the interests of professional counselors in general
B. Founded in 1952
C. Nearly 45,000 members in 2011
VII. American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA)
A. Represents the interests of mental health counselors specifically
B. Founded in 1976
C. Became a division of ACA in 1978, but operates autonomously with separate
finances
VIII. National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC)
A. Certifies professionals who meet standards to qualify as certified counselors or
specialists
B. Founded in 1981
C. Has certified more than 44,000 counselors
D. Specialty Certification:
1. Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC)
IX. Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
(CACREP)
A. Seeks to maintain excellence in academic training standards for the counseling
professions
X. Other Specialties within the Counseling Profession
A. Addictions Counseling
B. Career Counseling
C. Student Development/College Counseling
XI. Other Related Mental Health Professions
A. Psychiatrists- physicians who specialize in diagnosing, treating, and preventing
mental illness. They can prescribe medications.
B. Psychologists- doctorally trained professionals who assess, diagnose, and treat
mental illness and emotional distress. They have the statutory right to diagnose
and are highly trained in psychological testing.
C. Social Workers- link people to tangible services, provide counseling, help
communities to provide and improve health and social services, and advocate for
References/Resources for Chapter One
American Counseling Association Governing Council. (1997). Definition of professional counseling. Alexandria, VA:
Author.
American Counseling Association. (2010). Definition of counseling. Retrieved from
http://www.counseling.org/Resources
American Mental Health Counselors Association (2015). AMHCA Diplomate Credential. Retrieved from:
http://www.amhca.org/?page=diplomate
21-1014 mental health counselors. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211014.htm
Dinkmeyer, D. (1991). Mental health counseling: A psychoeducational approach. Journal of Mental Health
Counseling, 13, 37–42.
Engles, D. W., Minor, C. W., Sampson, J. P., & Splete, H. H. (1995). Career counseling specialty: History,
development, and prospect. Journal of Counseling and Development, 74, 134–138.
strengthening the profession. Journal of Counseling and Development, 89, 367–372.
Kaplan, D. M., & Terrazas, A. (2015). Keeping up with the counseling profession: Current issues on the national
level. Workshop presented at the American Counseling Association 2015 Conference and Expo.
Kral, R., & Hines, M. (1999). A survey study on the developmental stages in achieving a competent sense of self as a
family therapist. Family Journal, 7, 102–112.
Moss, J. M., Gibson, D. M., & Dollarhide, C. T. (2014). Professional identity development” A grounded theory of
transformational tasks of counselors. Journal of Counseling and Development, 92, 3-12.
National Board for Certified Counselors. (2015). About NBCC. Retrieved from http://nbcc.org/Footer/About
National Board for Certified Counselors. (2015). Certification. Retrieved from http://www.nbcc.org/Certification
Nugent, F. A. (2000). Introduction to the profession of counseling (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Seiler, G. (1990). Shaping the destiny of the new profession: Recollections and reflections on the evolution of mental
health counseling (p. 85). In G. Seiler (Ed.), The mental health counselor’s sourcebook New York, NY: Human
Sciences Press.
Seiler, G., & Messina, J. J. (1979). Toward professional identity: The dimensions of mental health counseling in
perspective. American Mental Health Counselors Journal, 1, 3–8.
