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Progressive Era
A philosophical shift in Americans occurred after negative changes from events such as: an overwhelming number of immigrants in the 1800's, corruption, and rapid industrialization. This included shifts in thoughts regarding needs of youth, women's rights, election reform, and prohibition. -
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Intelligence Tests
The first intelligence test was created by Alfred Binet and his student Theodore Simon in 1904. The initial purpose was to determine if a child was appropriate for public school. Later, in World War I (1914-1918), the army developed and distributed psychological tests to place military personnel. Psychometrics then became a popular movement, giving counseling a more "scientific" identity. -
Frank Parsons, the "Founder of Guidance"
Frank Parsons starts Boston's Vocational Bureau. Here, Parsons helped young individuals make career decisions. His book, Choosing a Vocation (1909), was published one year after his death in 1908. Jesse B. Davis was also an important figure at this time. Davis paved the way for guidance school counseling through the first systematized guidance programs. -
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World War II
World War II brought a significant need for more counselors. About two million soldiers were excluded from service due to mental illness including PTSD. Because many women worked outside of the home during war, WWII also brought a change in the traditional sex roles in vocations. After the war, the US government promoted counseling through Acts and other form of fundings, such as the Veterans Administration. -
Carl Rogers and Client Focused Counseling
Carl Rogers began another philosophical shift, giving clients the responsibility for their growth through client-focused counseling. His approach to counseling included being nonjudgmental, genuine, and positive. -
Behaviorism
B.F. Skinner published texts that explained this theory of Behaviorism. This was the first idea that uses human behavior in a quantitative way, directly in contrast with former Freudian and Rogerian beliefs. -
National Defense Education Act
After the Soviet Union's first space satellite was launched, the National Defense Education Act was passed. This Act was primarily to gather funds for training counselors and upgrading school programs, as well as establishing counseling and guidance institutes. -
Community Mental Health Centers Act
This Act allowed establishments that offered counseling employment in a non-educational setting. This included Drug Abuse Counseling and Marriage and Family Counseling. -
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Diversification
Women, minorities, and those with disabilities began receiving human services due to legislations such as: Title IX, affirmative action laws, and anti-legislation laws. This also influenced the specialization in training for counselors. Places such as mental health clinics, rehabilitation centers, and psychiatric hospitals began employing counselors. -
Virginia's Professional Counselor Licensure Law
During the 1970s, state boards of examiners began putting restrictions which prevented education department graduate programs from taking the licensure exam. To combat this, the state and national licensure laws were created. -
CACREP and NBCC
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs was formed as an affiliate organization of American Personnel and Guidance Association. This promotes the professional competence of counseling through preparation standards and certifications. In 1982, the National Board for Certified Counselors was formed which began to certify counselors on a national level. -
Recognized as a Primary Mental Health Profession
For the first time, counseling was included in the healthcare human resource statistics as a primary health profession. This made it equivalent to psychology, social work, and psychiatry in terms of credibility. -
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Prevention and Treatment
After events that caused significant trauma for many Americans, such as Columbine and the 9/11 attacks, counseling began to shift focus to treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder. This also shifted to the idea of preventative care and promoting positive well-being. -
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Technology
New technologies have transformed the counseling field, allowing individuals to receive counseling services over phones and laptops. This concept was highly impacted by Covid-19, which made "Telehealth" much more prevalent. This allowed those who feel uncomfortable doing counseling in-person, as well as those physically unable, able to participate in mental health treatment from their homes.