The Exposure of Counseling Practicum Students to Humanistic Counseling Theories: A Survey of CACREP Programs

Counseling theories applied in initial clinical training courses (practicum) influence the counselors-in-training's future practice of counseling. Results of this study indicated that humanistic models are influential in current counseling practicum courses and will maintain a strong influence in the future. Freeman and McHenry (1996) emphasized the role that theory plays in counselor training and education. More than 400 counseling theories exist (Corsini, 1996), and selecting theories for application in clinical counseling training courses is difficult. Process and conceptualization skills (Bernard & Goodyear, 1992) are both linked to the theory a counselor-in-training chooses to use with clients. The theories that counselor educators choose to teach in clinical practicum courses greatly influence the practice and orientation of the counselors-in-training. Practicum courses are defined here as the initial clinical training course when students begin counseling with clients. Several authors have indicated that the client-counselor relationship is more significant in positive counseling outcomes than are the techniques and models used (Brammer & MacDonald, 1999; Capuzzi & Gross, 1999; Cormier & Hackney; 1999). Because humanistic theories tend to emphasize client-counselor relationship variables more than most other models do, they should be especially relevant for use in clinical training. Humanistic theories that are frequently used today are person-centered counseling and Gestalt therapy. Both of these theories grew from existentialism--the belief that innate growth, choice, values, responsibility, and meaning are major concepts of counseling. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of teaching and applying humanistic approaches in counseling practicum courses accredited by the Council for Accreditation for Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Another purpose of the study was to compare the prevalence of humanistic theories taught in relation to other major forces of counseling, specifically psychodynamic and behavioral models. The current study seeks to validate or dispute the findings from Freeman and McHenry's (1996) study and to discover any new trends, especially regarding humanistic theory. THE THREE FORCES IN COUNSELING THEORY Nugent (2000) outlined three major forces in counseling theory. The forces have been cited as psychoanalytic, behaviorism, and humanistic counseling. These trends in counseling theory reflect major shifts in the perceived goals of counseling, the methods taught, and the main focus of counseling. For example, psychoanalytic counselors are trained to tap into the unconscious, whereas behavioral counselors focus on learning more adaptive responses. Humanistic counselors stress the significance of affect, self-understanding, and enhanced awareness. The future popularity of any of the three approaches can be partially anticipated by examining what theories counselor educators currently apply in clinical training courses. Proponents of humanistic models can anticipate the future strength and influence of these approaches by exploring the history of humanistic theories and the theoretical trends in counseling practicum courses. Although debate exists regarding the classification of theories, traditionally there have been three approaches classified as humanistic. According to Nugent (2000), they are (a) person-centered, (b) Gestalt, and (c) existential. However, existentialism is better defined as a philosophy that influences humanism rather than a distinct theory. Because some respondents listed existentialism as a theory applied in their practicum courses, it was listed as a separate theory on the survey. However, the real influence of existentialism is seen in its influence on humanistic theory. For the purpose of this study, the aforementioned theories are classified as humanistic; however, some authors might also include Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), as well as other theories. …