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to assist in the construction of course contents and its delivery.
In the pages that follow, we offer brief chapter overviews,
learning objectives, key words and terms, lecture outlines,
references and resources, test bank, and power point
presentations. My hope is that you will find it useful as you design your course and seek
resources to support your curriculum development.
I am very passionate about the profession of clinical mental health counseling. My
understanding of who are clinical mental health counselors and what they do has evolved over
time. It began with professors who demonstrated a passion for the profession that was infectious.
They directed me toward the ACA (then, the APGA). I discovered the American Mental Health
Counselors Association as I looked for divisions that fit my particular interests. The early leaders
in the profession had a vision of mental health counseling, based on foundational principles and
theories. As I read through the Journal of Mental Health Counseling and Journal of Counseling
and Development, my enthusiasm grew as I began to understand the possibilities of a wellness
orientation interacting with the treatment of diagnosable conditions, both of which were
understood as operating within an ecological context. I became active in the state organization
and participated in lobbying efforts that resulted in passage of a licensure law for mental health
counselors in Indiana. My professional identity had become secure, but was further strengthened
when participating on the front lines as counseling professionals joined forces, resisting the
attempt of the Indiana Psychological Association to impose a “restricted test list” upon us.
We, as counselor educators, have the awesome opportunity to train the next generation of
professional counselors. It is one thing to present accurate information about the profession, but
quite another to instill a passion for it as did many of my professors. The contents of this
instructor’s manual provides you with resources, but it is often the person of the counselor
educator in meaningful relationship and dialogue with students that makes positive impact on
their developmental journey.
I request that you review very closely the definitions of professional counseling and clinical
mental health counseling (chapter 1). In addition, reflect on the clinical mental health counseling
paradigm and its supporting assumptions (chapter 3). These sections of the text communicate the
central elements of professional identity and represent the nucleus around which all other
components of the text revolve. Allow these elements to be the unifying theme for the course. In
doing so, the paradigm can serve as an organizational construct that enables students to create for
themselves a coherent professional identity.
Thank you for selecting this text. May it be a useful tool within the context of your course as
you seek to introduce students to the exciting realities and potentials of clinical mental health
counseling.
Best wishes!
Mark G.
Relationship of Text Content to CACREP Standards
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs has developed
standards of foundations, contextual dimensions, and practice for the training of clinical mental
health counselors (CACREP, 2015). These standards are listed in chapter five of the text. The
chart below lists how the contents of particular chapters are linked to these standards.
Foundations
CACREP
Standard
Text Chapter
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
1a.
x
x
1b.
x
x
1c.
x
1d.
x
1e.
x
Contextual Dimensions
CACREP
Standard
Text Chapter
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
2a.
x
2b.
x
2c.
x
x
x
2d.
x
2e.
x
2f.
x
2g.
x
2h.
2i.
x
2j.
x
2k.
x
2l.
x
2m.
x
x
x
Practice
CACREP
Standard
Text Chapter
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
3a.
x
3b.
x
x
x
x
3c.
3d.
x
3e.
x
