A change in counseling approach begins with an objective, reflective analysis of what is actually transpiring in the school and home environment. Counseling competence involves more than a knowledge of the current theories and techniques, but also an awareness of the applicability and feasibility of those in methods in different contexts. The comprehensive theoretical model that best describes the knowledge base for John Brown University s counselor education program is General Systems Theory. First proposed by biologist Ludwig von Bertanlanffy in the 1940s, General Systems Theory focuses on the interactive processes taking place among the components of a complex system. Bertalanffy stressed that analysis of the relationships among the various components can best be understood as functions of the total system.
Systems thinking focuses counseling on the relationships among system parts.
This approach embraces all living systems and is relevant to all the behavioral sciences. At the same time, it provides clinical opportunities for developing counseling skills. The knowledge base for counselor education is truly interdisciplinary in nature and includes psychology, sociology, anthropology, professional counseling, and educational psychology. The knowledge, performance, and dispositions derived from these disciplines and the experiences gained from practicum experiences are indispensable to the preparation of a competent counselor. A salient characteristic of a competent counselor is the ability to look beyond the surface data to see the potential of the client or student.