By
Amy Korst,
Andrew Brown,
Hanady Kader
February 7, 2007
People seeking social, mental or professional help in their lives often turn to counselors for guidance, but they may want to double-check credentials before they pour their hearts out.
In a long-overdue change, professional counselors statewide will likely be required to meet new, more stringent certification requirements within the next two years.
The only necessary work to become a registered counselor in Washington is a four-hour AIDS prevention class and a $40 application fee. Appallingly, as a recent Seattle Times article points out, not even a high school diploma is required for certification at this time.
The push for new legislation came after an exhaustive investigation by the Times last year titled "License to Harm," which revealed the surprising prevalence of sexual misconduct among some healthcare professionals in our state. The majority of and many particularly troubling reports were linked to professional counselors.
Beyond its obvious shortcomings in Washington where it has been very poorly regulated, we question the merits of the profession at large, which carries little or no apparent credibility to make diagnoses or even suggestions concerning issues of mental health.
The new legislation will require that most counselors earn at least a four-year college degree in mental health counseling or psychology. The change is expected to displace about 7,000 of the state's 18,000 counselors, according to the Times.
While 7,000 without any formal education in the field is a large enough number to cause enough concern for reform, it's still hard to believe that a four-year psychology degree qualifies anybody as a professional in counseling.
Undoubtedly, there are good counselors and bad counselors, but friends and Dr. Phil can probably fill in almost as well in most cases if professional psychological or psychiatric counseling is unwarranted, and especially if the professional help is from someone who is not properly certified to provide it.
The Times should be commended for its investigation, and state legislators will do well to pass the new regulations promptly — they are an improvement for the time being, and decades overdue.
2 Comments
#1 Doug McManaway
on February 7, 2007 at 8:11 p.m.(UW Campus | Unverified Name)
I am really pleased that this has been called attention to, particularly by The Daily. I have had family members run the gamut of crappy counseling in this state, and it's a travesty that so much goes under the radar in Washington. Mental health is crucial to our overall public health and the stigmas and stereotypes of mental disorders and problems, as well as poor counseling and a lack of resources, need to finally be dispelled with education, laws, and funding.
#2 Brandon Knox
on February 8, 2007 at 12:37 a.m.(UW Campus | Unverified Name)
I, too, am very pleased that this article appeared in The Daily.
I'm surprised that the thought of a high school diploma not being a requirement was brought up, though. Having or not having a high school diploma in no way makes you more or less able to be an effective counselor. There are other forms ways to receive the same, very basic education that one gets in high school.
Having a four year degree in a related field, while a huge step in the right direction, is not enough, either. There should be state criteria for a specific counselor training program, with certification given after satisfactory completion of the program.
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