VISTAS Online is an innovative publication produced for ACA by Dr. Garry R. Walz and Dr. Jeanne C. Bleuer of Counseling Outfitters, LLC. Its purpose is to provide a means of capturing the ideas, information and experiences generated by the annual ACA Conference and selected ACA Division Conferences. Papers on a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience may also be submitted. This digital collection of peer-reviewed articles is authored by counselors, for counselors. VISTAS Online contains the full text of over 900 proprietary counseling articles published from 2004 to 2017.
2016
Personal Counseling Factors Among Counseling Trainees: Results From a Nationwide Survey
J. Stephen Byrne and Alisha R. Ost
2016
This article explores graduate counseling students’ attitudes and behaviors regarding their personal counseling (or lack thereof). From a nationwide sample (n = 574), 73% of respondents endorsed a history of personal counseling, most commonly for anxiety or relationship distress. Students in mental health counseling programs were more likely than students in school counseling programs to have sought counseling. Non-consumers reported that they received support in other ways or did not need counseling, but some would consider seeking professional help if they experienced a traumatic event or a significant loss. Counseling consumers scored higher on measures of neuroticism and openness to experience than non-consumers. Implications for counseling trainees and counselor education programs are discussed, as well as limitations of the study and
future directions.
Keywords: personal counseling, training programs, counseling, school counseling, mental health counseling