The Past, Present, and Future of Counseling

The history of the counseling profession is filled with stories of the people and events that helped shape it and make it what it is today. The field has been influenced by multiple historical events, societal needs, and social contexts. The counseling profession continues to evolve through unique approaches and philosophies from the counseling field and from contributions of the American Counseling Association (ACA), American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).

ORDER NOW FOR CUSTOMIZED SOLUTION PAPERS

For this Assignment, you will examine historical contributions to the identity of the mental health counseling profession, you will discuss how this field differs from other helping fields, and you will analyze a future direction in the field and how it might affect you in your professional role.

To Prepare:

Review Chapter 1 of the Erford course text in this week’s Learning Resources, and select one historical figure (a person) to discuss in your paper.
From Chapter 1, select one future direction (from the section “Where We Are Going,” beginning on p. 22) to discuss.
Review the webpage “Keyword Searching: Finding Articles on Your Topic: Searching Basics,” located in this week’s Learning Resources related to how to search the Walden Library databases.
Search the Walden databases for at least one scholarly article pertaining to the historical figure and/or to the future direction you chose.
Use the Research Paper Template in this week’s Learning Resources to complete this Assignment. Refer to your American Psychological Association (APA) manual to assist you in the proper use of APA throughout your paper.

Assignment: (2–4 pages, excluding Title Page and Reference Page)

Include the following sections:

Part 1 – Present
- What is counseling?
- How does it differ from other helping professions?
- Summarize the philosophical underpinnings of the counseling profession.
Part 2 – Past
- Looking historically, if you showed Part I of your paper to the historical figure you chose, how would this figure handle it? Would the figure be shocked, mildly surprised, or in complete agreement? How would the figure respond?
Part 3 – Future
- Discuss the future direction you selected that most excites you, and explain how it will enhance your professional practice as a counselor.

Be sure to use proper APA format and citations. These details are demonstrated in the template provided for this Assignment.

Note: In this program, you will be required to write using the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manualformat and style. Please be sure to cite your Learning Resources or other resources you utilize for this Assignment and provide a Reference page for your citations. The Walden Writing Center has APA writing tips to assist you. We recognize that this formatting may be new to you, so your Instructor will be providing detailed feedback to you on your writing. As a result, please be sure to review the feedback you receive so you can develop strong writing skills.

The Past, Present, and Future of Counseling

This is where you introduce the purpose and format of the paper. The introduction paragraph does three things: It sets the context for the paper, providing general information so your reader understands the topic; it demonstrates why the topic is important; and it states your thesis. Conclude your introduction with a sentence or two outlining the topics you will cover in the paper. The maximum page length for this assignment is 2 to 4 pages, not counting the title and reference pages. Please note this template is in perfect APA format. Do not change the font style or size, heading format, or reference format.

Present

Each section (under each heading) requires at least one paragraph (i.e., a minimum of three sentences). In this section, define the profession of counseling, describe how it differs from other helping professions, and summarize the philosophical underpinnings of counseling. Be sure to support your points with citations to the Learning Resources. Using multiple resources will support your points further.

Past

Choose a historical figure from the assigned chapter. Describe how the historical figure you chose would react to the definition of counseling above. How would this figure handle it? Would the figure be shocked, mildly surprised, or in complete agreement? How would the figure respond? Be sure to support your points with citations to the Learning Resources.

Future

From the assigned chapter, discuss the future direction you selected that most excites you, and explain how it will enhance your professional practice as a counselor. Be sure to support your points with citations to the Learning Resources.

Conclusion

Finish the paper with a strong conclusion paragraph. In this paragraph, summarize the main thesis and sub-topics of the paper. Leave your reader with an interesting impression. Aspire to spark their curiosity to learn more about the topic.

References

Erford, B. T., & Bardhoshi, G. (2018). Becoming a professional counselor: Philosophical, historical, and future considerations. In B. T. Erford (Ed.), Orientation to the counseling profession: Advocacy, ethics, and essential professional foundations (3rd ed., pp. 3–34). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Note: You are required to include one scholarly, peer-reviewed article in addition to the chapter above. Keep in mind that only those resources that are cited within your text should be included in your references (i.e., you need to cite all of your references). Citations and references should match up exactly. If you cite a source, it must be included in your references. Be sure to delete this paragraph before submitting your paper.