Counselor Education Commons^™

Gatekeeping: A Counselor Educator’S Responsibility To The Counseling Profession And Community, Patricia L. Kimball, Lucy C. Phillips, Krista E. Kirka, John J.S. Harrichand

International Journal on Responsibility

Counseling is one of the few professions practiced in private with vulnerable individuals. Because of this, counselors must be held to high training standards and be deemed competent prior to being allowed to practice independently. The responsibility for ensuring future counselors’ competence rests with counselor educators and clinical supervisors via a process known as gatekeeping. This paper highlights the importance of gatekeeping in the counseling profession and describes models of remediation for supervisors and educators navigating this complex process. Utilizing a case study, the authors demonstrate the protective function gatekeeping serves society by applying a gatekeeping decision-making model. Finally, recommendations …