INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNSELING

Counseling psychology is a psychological specialty that encompasses research and applied work in several broad domains: counseling process and outcome; supervision and training; career development and counseling; diversity and multiculturalism; and prevention and health. Some unifying themes among counseling psychologists include a focus on assets and strengths, person-environment interactions, educational and career development, brief interactions, and a focus on intact personalities[1]. In the United States of America, the premier scholarly journals of the profession are the Journal of Counseling Psychology [2] and The Counseling Psychologist[3].
Two differences in particular may distinguish the field of counseling from the field of counseling psychology: first, counseling is almost entirely an applied field: that is, the occupation of counselors is generally counseling and psychotherapy. In contrast, counseling psychology is both a research and applied field; applied work might include teaching, consultation, and clinical work, which in turn could include supervision, assessment, and forensic evaluation, in addition to counseling or psychotherapy. A second distinction is the breadth of topics encompassed by counseling psychology. In addition to studying and teaching counseling, counseling psychologists also engage in research in areas such as career development, culture, ethnicity, gender, identity development, personality, sexual orientation, race, and research methodology.