Leaders and Legacies

Contributions to the Profession of Counseling

John West, Don Bubenzer, Cynthia Osborn

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781135944803
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Clinical Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Leaders and Legacies discusses leadership involvements in the historical development of the profession of counseling. The lives of 23 noteworthy counselors are also chronicled, documenting their dreams, work and accomplishments.

Part I

Perspectives on Leadership

CHAPTER 1

Dimensions of Leadership in the Counseling Profession

John D. West. Cynthia J. Osborn, and Donald L. Bubenzer

It is certainly difficult to imagine any community of people or any organization surviving without leadership, and, of course, a central concern for those in a community or organization focuses on the quality of leadership. The counseling literature appears to offer limited discussion pertaining to leadership. We see leadership as consisting of attitudes and behaviors that can be developed in counselors, and in this chapter, we have made an effort to discuss three dimensions of leadership (dimensions of context, vision, and action). In preparation for this discussion, however, we take a moment to reflect on the counseling profession, to consider how it is that its members are drawn to the profession, and to consider the importance of participation in professional organizations.

HEEDING THE CALL

Those who are drawn to counseling as a profession are likely to report a fascination with people and their stories about human behavior. “People watching” at an international airport, a shopping mall, an amusement park, or at various sightseeing attractions such as Niagara Falls is perhaps not an uncommon activity among many counselors.

Those who explain their selection of counseling as a profession may also refer to their sensitivity to human emotion and a natural or unencumbered empathy for the disenfranchised. In a national survey of major value orientations among American Counseling Association (ACA) members, Kelly (1995) noted that of 10 values represented, the value of benevolence, or the concern for the welfare of others, was rated highest by respondents. He concluded that “a strong core value of holistic-humanistic empowerment for personal development and interpersonal concern” (p. 652) reflected a predominant value system among counselors. Similarly, counseling students often report both an interest in people and a desire to help others as primary motivations for entering the profession. Ninety-one counseling students at various levels of program completion in the Community Counseling master’s degree program at Kent State University were surveyed regarding their entry into the counseling profession (Mason, 1998). In response to the question, “What draws you to this work?” the majority of respondents cited a desire to help and a genuine interest in people, regardless of their level of program completion (i.e., first four weeks of the program, completion of one practicum, completion of two practica, currently enrolled in internship).

It appears that the experience of being drawn into the profession for many counselors reflects a genuine desire to help people and to provide meaningful and useful services to others. A primary focus on service, rather than self-interest, and the social value provided by such service, represents an important professional criterion that counseling fulfills (Hosie, 1991; Ritchie, 1990). This commitment to benevolence is typically not a random decision, but one born of a sense of calling, a summons to a lifelong career. Indeed, professionalism has been described as a lifelong process, rather than a product (Spruill & Benshoff, 1996), and those “who do not possess a strong commitment or calling do not last long as counselors” (Ritchie, 1990, p. 222).

A PLACE FOR EXPRESSION

Once the desire to work with others in some meaningful fashion has been acknowledged, the intended professional begins searching for an appropriate avenue of expression. That is, one considers how and in what ways to pursue his or her intentions to become a helping professional. This entails finding people with whom to associate and carefully selecting a place in which one can belong. Entering a graduate degree program in counseling represents a mechanism that those would-be helping professionals can and do utilize to “announce” themselves as potential providers of services intended to offer hope, possibilities, and positive change for clientele. In a document that described eight different mental health disciplines, West et al. (2001) stated that,

counseling can be distinguished by its developmental and preventative orientation as well as its focus on the individual within an environmental context. Counseling thus takes a broad view of mental health care, emphasizing the developmental, preventative, and educational aspects in addition to the traditional focus on the remedial treatment of illnesses. (p. 303)

Establishing connections with those who share similar commitments may be helpful and one of the most important steps that an emerging counselor undertakes. In a very real sense, professional identity requires and entails affiliation with a specific group of people, people whose employment and lifestyles resonate or are compatible with one’s own values, ideals, and goals, or, as Vacc and Loesch (2000) underscored, one’s orientation to the kind of work desired and intended. This implies that professional practice is not an isolated endeavor, but rather a dynamic activity that is experienced and carried out interactively and collaboratively. It may be that upon graduating, finding a setting or an arena in which to practice, and a company of people with whom to surround oneself, becomes the hinge pin for one’s professional counselor identity.

Membership and active participation in a professional counseling organization at the local, state, regional, and national levels not only furthers one’s professional growth, but also defines one’s professional identity and integrity. Collison (2000) regarded active membership as an obligation for counselors who continue to benefit in meaningful and very concrete ways from the work of professional associations (e.g., obtaining counselor licensure, publication opportunities in counseling journals, employment opportunities as counselor educators, and benefiting from legislative lobbying efforts). He stated that refusal to join a professional counseling organization “is rejection of the professional colleague group of which one is a part” (p. 21). Echoing Collison’s observations, Weinrach, Lustig, Chan, and Thomas (1998) forthrightly asked, “Do not those who derive enormous personal benefit from ACA have a professional obligation to join?” (p. 434). Indeed, it would seem that to be identified and to practice as a counselor, an individual must surround him- or herself with other counselors and actively participate in counseling associations at the local, state, regional, and national levels. Such involvement is an important mark of professionalism (Spruill & Benshoff, 1996) and represents pride in one’s professional identity (Remley & Herlihy, 2001).

This is a good time to be a counselor and there is reason for optimism regarding the identity of professional counselors (Smith, 2001). Indeed, the counseling profession represents an impressive movement in that:

• 45 states and the District of Columbia currently have some form of counselor licensure,

• 31,756 counselors are certified with the National Board of Certified Counselors (Pam Leary, personal communication, July 26, 2000),

• ACA boasts 51,200 members (Janice MacDonald, personal communication, July 21, 2000),

• approximately 108,104 clinically trained counselors practice in the United States (West et al., 2001),

• approximately 490 departments in higher education offer one or more graduate-level programs in counselor preparation (Hollis. 2000),

• 331 counselor preparation programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) (Hollis, 2000), and

• the Journal of Counseling & Development, the flagship journal of ACA, has one of the highest circulations of any scholarly journal (Weinrach et al., 1998).

Yet, despite this impressive level of activity, Smith (2001) noted, “The identity of professional counselors must be built on professionalism … [requiring] active participation in the ongoing life of the profession” (p. 578). We have interpreted this type of remark to suggest the importance of counselors becoming involved with professional leadership.

Chi Sigma lota (CSI; CSI Academy of Leaders for Excellence, 1999) has recognized a philosophy of leadership built on service. Indeed, the first principle of CSI’s 10 “Principles and Practices of Leadership Excellence” states that “service to others, the profession, and the associations are the preeminent reasons for involvement in leadership positions.” One of the requirements of this form of leadership, according to CSI, is “acceptance of leadership positions primarily for the purpose of service rather than personal reward.” It would seem that leadership in this direction consists of at least an appreciation for the context in which leadership originates and is practiced, and an understanding of the importance of a meaningful vision dream for the future, as well as a willingness to act on this vision or dream in order to help it come to life.

DIMENSIONS OF LEADERSHIP

Context

Leadership begins with an appreciation of one’s context, past and present. This means that those who become leaders are mindful of their current surroundings and know their heritage. They are able to identify and make use of resources within their environment and opportunities within their reach, and they do so in a manner that exemplifies and honors the wisdom of their past. An awareness and use of one’s context suggests that leaders are industrious, resourceful individuals.

Historical Hindsight

Leaders within the counseling profession are those who know and value the history of the profession (CSI Academy of Leaders for Excellence, 1999)—the context of the past—and view themselves as privileged members of and contributors to the profession’s lineage. They have studied the timelines and tributaries of the profession and are familiar with its pioneers, their predecessors who comprise the profession’s “family tree.”

Heppner et al. (1995) stated that studying the history of a profession provides several benefits for students: (a) the ability to critically evaluate current work in light of historical roots and build on past accomplishments rather than reinventing conceptualizations or methods; (b) the ability to anticipate how current and future events will affect the field’s developments i.e., prepares students for the future); and (c) the ability to establish a greater sense of identity with the profession. Granello, Hothersall, and Os-borne (2000) described the academic genogram as an opportunity for counseling students to situate themselves within the counseling profession. The project entails identifying one’s mentors and tracing their academic and professional lineage. Students new to the field may benefit from the discovery of intergenerational themes and may gain a greater perspective on the profession and their place in it.

Maintaining such historical hindsight is vital for effective leaders. Their work has been shaped and influenced by the founding and early counseling practitioners. Without regard for the work and accomplishments of their predecessors, leaders fall out of context and lose their footing, their foundation.

This is not to say that leaders merely “step in line” and blindly perpetuate the views and actions of their forebears, without regard for their relevance to the present. Rather, leaders are students of their history who maintain a judgment about applying the fundamental values and practices of the profession to today. Leaders take their past with them in order to fashion new futures. As an illustration, counselors may participate in professional discussions about psychopathology yet they are also able to understand the counseling profession’s historical interest in developmental issues and, for example, they can consider the relevance of developmental issues even when in conversations about psychopathology.

Although written in reference to friendships, Kundera’s (1997) words might be applied to the importance of remembering the history of counseling and those who were active in it (i.e., the present counselor’s predecessors):

Remembering our past, carrying it with us always, may be the necessary requirement for maintaining, as they say, the wholeness of the self. To ensure that the self doesn’t shrink, to see that it holds on to its volume, memories have to be watered like potted flowers, and the watering calls for regular contact with the witnesses of the past … They are our mirror; our memory; we ask nothing of them but that they polish the mirror from time to time so we can look at ourselves in it. (pp. 45–46)

The “witnesses of the past” continue to be our teachers and, as leaders in the counseling profession, we all must nurture and cultivate what they have bequeathed to us as a way to “polish the mirror” that reflects our worth, legitimacy, and relevance as a profession.

Peripheral Vision

Not only are leaders familiar with the context of the past, they also situate themselves in the present. They not only have historical hindsight and a vision for the future, they also cultivate what we refer to as peripheral vision. This means that they are keenly aware of their surroundings, mindful of current events and trends, and perceptive to shifts in the landscape. They are alert.

Kouzes and Posner (1995) referred to this type of peripheral vision as “outsight,” meaning that leaders are sensitive to external realities, keeping their antennae tuned to such things as census results, changes in the stock market, supreme court rulings, and the effects of natural disasters. They suggested that good leaders “do not turn their back on the ocean,” a phrase attributed to a pamphlet they came across on a vacation to northern California that cautioned visitors about a particular stretch of the Pacific Ocean. This is evident in Smith’s (2001) discussion of three external domain issues relevant to the counseling profession: (a) identity of counselors in relation to other mental health care providers, (b) recognition of counselors in state and federal legislation, and (c) increased consumer knowledge of health care. Without being attentive to these and other external forces, leaders place their profession on shaky ground. As Kouzes and Posner noted, “when we take our eyes off the external realities, turning inward to admire the beauty of our own organization, we may be swept away by the swirling waters of change” (p. 47).

An illustration of this peripheral vision might include those individuals who first considered accreditation for graduate programs in counselor education. While being committed to their goal (establishing a procedure for accreditation in counselor education), they had to reflect on the perspectives of other professional accrediting groups, the views of university administrators, the opinions of university faculty, and the benefits of such an action for the public when formulating guidelines and standards for what was to become the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Peripheral vision also entails and implies an intentional connection with others. Leaders are fellow members of an organization or profession. As a leader, therefore, “I am one of you; indeed, I need to be one of you if am to represent your interests and the welfare of the organization.” An example of this needed connection is evident in the numerous travels made by ACA presidents. In their active presidential year, these leaders are typically on the road and raking up frequent flyer miles as they meet at the state and regional levels, attend ACA organizational activities, and represent ACA at meetings of related organizations (e.g., The Education Trust). Such visibility and involvement in the concerns of the association are expected of the ACA president, who is regarded by ACA as a full-time leader and representative of the association for one year. As an example, the ACA 2001–2002 President, Jane Goodman, reported (personal communication, December 29, 2001) her commitment to attend all divisional conferences during her presidential year.

We believe that leaders need to consistently interact with the persons they serve and to whom they are accountable, displaying an ability to relate well to others, considering their needs, and engaging them in conversations about their work and goals. This entails maintaining regular contact with colleagues and constituents, preferably in face-to-face interaction that encourages a consideration of mutual goals and long-term benefits (Kouzes & Posner, 1995). Examples of this might include making a point to stop in the offices of all staff members on a somewhat regular basis for a few minutes, schedulin...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• PREFACE
• ACADEMY OF ADVISORS
• PART I. PERSPECTIVES ON LEADERSHIP
• PART II. NOTED LEADERS AND THEIR LEGACIES
• PART III. DIMENSIONS AND AREAS FOR LEADERSHIP
• CONTRIBUTORS
• INDEX