THE COUNSELLING PROFESSION

1
THE COUNSELLING PROFESSION

• Meeting the Needs of the
• Never Served
• A Presentation by Carol L. Bobby
• San Jose, Costa Rica
• June 2006

2
What do Coca-Cola and the Counselling Profession
Have in Common?

• A Global Vision

3
Our Respective Visions Include

• Having a worldwide influence
• Meeting the demands and needs of local cultures
• Coke defines this as meeting the local tastes of
  cultures with nearly 400 brands of Coke in over
  200 countries
• Counselling must also be culturally sensitive in
  how it attempts to meet local needs and demands

4
CACREP NBCC

• Accreditation
• Mission Vision
• Promoting the use of preparation standards for
  developing excellence in counseling programs
• Preparing counselors to provide services
  consistent with the ideal of optimal human
  development
• Maintaining accreditation standards that
  encourage excellence and continuous improvement
  in counselor education

• Certification
• Mission Vision
• Promoting quality in counseling practice
• Promoting the value of counseling
• Promoting public awareness of quality counseling
  practice
• Promoting professionalism in counseling
• Promoting leadership in credentialing

5
Keys to Getting a Profession Recognized

• History tells us that you must have clear
  definitions of
• A body of know-ledge and skills with practical
  applications for the public good
• A means to self-regulate and control the entry of
  its members
• An ability to develop and transmit its own
  knowledge

• This is where accreditation and certification
  play a key role.
• These two quality assurance systems can work
  hand-in-hand to define the body of knowledge and
  to provide self-regulation.

6
Thinking and Acting GloballyConsiderations for
Going Global

• Resources
• Time, , Staff, Connections, Knowledge
• Approach or role
• Business as Usual? Collaborative? Consultative?
  Creative?
• Purpose
• Mission-based? For the Benefit of Whom?

7
Questions NBCC Asked

• What will it mean if we foster the development of
  counsellor credentials that are less than what
  we currently require in the US? (And, that we
  fought long and hard to obtain?)
• Can we empower counsellors in other regions to
  self-define?

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Questions CACREP Asked

• Why would a foreign program seek CACREP
  accreditation?
• Should CACREP foster excellence in program
  development and review outside of the US higher
  education system?
• How can CACREP assist other countries or regions
  in developing educational standards to meet their
  own needs and/or the needs of the never served?

9
CACREPs Steps

• Saying more than 15 years ago, Sure, well
  accredit UBCs counselling program
• Developing bi-lateral discussions with CACEP
• Working with a CACREP program that is twinning
  its curriculum with a university in Mexico
• Tracking international inquiries about our
  standards and processes

10
CACREPs Steps

• Surveying our accredited programs about their
  international activities
• Translating our Standards into Spanish
• Joining international associations and attending
  international conference
• Establishing an international working group to
  focus on core values for counsellor preparation

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CACREPs Steps

• Board decision to create a separate program arm
  of CACREP to address international efforts and
  requests
• Separate name perhaps CACREP, Intl
• Separate steering committee with international
  membership
• Consideration for a program recognition function
  that could be region or country specific
• Availability of consultation services
• Close alliance with NBCC-I through field offices

12
NBCCs Steps

• Attending CQAIE conferences learning about trade
  agreements and educational commerce
• Joining and developing relationships with leaders
  in international organizations (IAC, IAEVG)
• Establishing ties to UNESCO and WHO through
  committee membership, funding for project
  development

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NBCCs Steps

• Making contact with USAID to establish future
  possibilities
• Creating NBCC International in 2003
• To provide quality assurance in counselling
  practice
• To promote the need for culturally sensitive
  counselling practice
• To increase public awareness of counselling
• To develop professionalism and leadership in
  counsellor credentialing

14
NBCC-Is Objectives

• Develop alliances
• Identify assets
• Encourage leadership development
• Collaborate in professionalism

15
Thinking Acting Globally Initiatives that
Illustrate Goals

• Unitwin- submitted a proposal to UNESCO for
  developing twinned programs
• Developing the GMHF for possible use by WHO
• Publishing a resource on preventing suicidal
  behavior as a service to WHO

• Member, Geneva World Trade Centers Association
• Mental Health Atlas Program listing service
  resources (WHO)
• Counselor Preparation 12th edition which is being
  prepared to include non US training programs and
  a chapter on globalization of counselor education

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Thinking Acting Globally More Initiatives

• The Intl Vanguard of Counsellors- a web based
  coalition of intl students in the US offering
  resources, forums
• NBCC International Fellows program
• Counselor-in-Residence Program

• Conscious effort to collaborate in every WHO
  region when requested on assisting in development
  of region/country specific counselor credentials
  and self-regulatory processes
• Establishment of NBCC-I field offices in
  different regions

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Africa

• Collaborating with 25 countries in formulating a
  framework for credentialing counsellors
• Attending meetings of the African Association of
  Guidance and Counselling
• Malawi Center- Resource/Training Venue
• The Guidance, Counselling, Youth Development
  Centre for Africa with sponsorship of an
  administrative position

18
The Americas

• Jamaica Association of Guidance Counsellors in
  Education-
• NBCC Jamaica
• FAVO (Venezuela)
• CACEP
• Interamerican Counselling Congress

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Eastern Mediterranean

• Developing collaborations in this region is just
  beginning
• Fellow selected from Lebanon

20
Europe

• NBCC established its 1st intl Secretariat in
  Romania
• NBCC Romania
• NBCC Bd. Mtgs. in Paris (02) London (03)
  Istanbul (05)

21
Southeast Asia

• Worked with WHO and Ministries of Health in
  tsunami relief efforts Disaster Relief Fund
  created
• NBCC-I sponsored (in collaboration with WHO)
  Global Mental Health Congress Focus on the
  Need of the Never Served October 23-24 in New
  Delhi, India

22
Western Pacific

• Develop of NBCC-China and NCC-China
• Board meeting in Hong Kong
• Exploring collaboration with PERKAMA in Malaysia

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Working Jointly

• Need for ties between accreditation and
  certification since countries are now wanting
  consultation from both credentialing
  organizations
• Meetings between NBCC and CACREP board members
  and staff
• Outlining each organizations strengths and
  activities
• Definition of roles and responsibilities
• Merging or alignments of philosophical approaches
• Sharing information and resources
• Joint international efforts (e.g., secretariats
  in Geneva and Romania work with both orgs)

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The Future

• Requires a Multi-pronged Approach
• Requires a Focus on our Vision
• Imagine a world where counselling services are
  available to all who seek assistance
• Imagine a world where counsellors are connected
  for resources, information, and disaster relief
  within minutes regardless of where they work
• Imagine what it takes for that to happen

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Contact Information

• Email me cbobby_at_cacrep.org
• WEB Information located at
• www.cacrep.org
• www.nbcc.org
• www.nbccinternational.org
• www.vanguardofcounsellors.org
• www.who.int/globalatlas/