Open AccessComponents of a High-Quality Doctoral Program in Counselor Education and Supervision
Author(s) -
Jennifer Preston,
Heather C. Trepal,
A. Christian Morgan,
Justin G. Jacques,
Joshua D. Smith,
Thomas A. Field
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the professional counselor
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2164-3989
DOI - 10.15241/jp.10.4.453
Subject(s) - accreditation , counselor education , medical education , psychology , quality (philosophy) , diversity (politics) , qualitative research , counseling psychology , pedagogy , higher education , applied psychology , medicine , sociology , political science , social science , philosophy , epistemology , anthropology , law
The doctoral degree in counselor education and supervision is increasingly sought after by students, with the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) reporting a 27% enrollment increase in just a 4-year span. As new programs are started and existing programs sustained, administrators and faculty may be seeking guidance in how to build a high-quality program. Yet no literature currently exists for how doctoral counseling faculty define a high-quality program. This study used a basic qualitative research design to examine faculty perceptions of high-quality doctoral programs (N = 15). The authors analyzed data from in-depth interviews with core faculty members at CACREP-accredited doctoral programs. Five themes emerged from the data: relationships, mission alignment, development of a counselor educator identity, inclusiveness of diversity, and Carnegie classification. The findings of this study can be important for faculty and administrators to consider when establishing and maintaining a counselor education and supervision doctoral program.