Trends and Prospects in Counseling in the Third Millenium
by Rose Marie Salazar-Clemena
De La Salle University-Manila

This article describes three possible scenarios fro the Philippines within the first 20 years of the Third Millennium: the downbeat scenario, the reference scenario, and the upbeat scenario. The scenarios are described along key development areas: economics, politics, socio-cultural issues, environment, technology, values and religion. For each of these scenarios, implications for counseling are defined in terms of needs/problems/concerns and in key strategic options which counseling practitioners and counselor educators may take.

The author laments the findings that the practices in the name of Guidance and Counseling in the Philippines have not improved or even have deteriorated. She advocates professionalization, which includes licensure examinations and standardization of counselor training as the answer to this worsening situation.

This article asserts that there is a need for Filipino counselors to have ethical governance, i.e., certification and licensure. It presents the challenges of certification and licensure, and asks the Filipino counselors and their professional organizations to responde to the challenge.

This paper looks into the status of counselor education program in the Philippines. It starts with a review of the development of counselor education, then compares 6 present counselor education programs: 4 from universities in the Philippines and 2 from universities int he United States. It explains the set standards for counselor education, and, in the absence of local standards, assesses how Philippine universities fare according to the standards of the U.S. Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

In this article, the author encourages counselors to integrate research in their pracice as a way to be empowered, i.e., to make, implement and take responsibility for decisions. Problems that detract counselors from pursuing research were culled from interviews with practicing counselors. Strategies by which these problmes can be counteracted are proposed, and descriptions of recommended research are included.

This article recognizes the value of developing counseling approaches indigenized to address the needs and concerns fo the Filipino clientele. It outlines the common problems of Filipino clients and the type of strategies employed by Filipino counselors. Data were gathered through a series of round table discussions conducted with counselors in different regions in the Philippines. The findings resulted to a description of the roles and functions of the counselors.

This article looks into counselor training programs, based on a survey of practicing counselors. It compares the preferred supervions focus and supervison approach of 3 different levels of practicing counselors: those working ont heir master's degrees, those with master's degrees, and those with doctoral training. Based on the results, it makes recommendations for the use of teaching, consulting, and counseling as supervision interventions.

This article cites reasons and proofs that the Filipino family is in crisis, and expounds on efforts made by the Church and the schools to address the problem. It concludes with recommendations for skills training programs to be undertaken by the various agencies to further strengthen and maintain the Filipino family.

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Interested contributors should submit manuscripts prepared in accordance with the 4th Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association to:

The Editor
Philippine Journal of Counseling Psychology (PACERS)
c/o Counseling and Educational Psychology Department
College of Education
De La Salle University-Manila
2401 Taft Avenue, Manila
Philippines

Published Issues:

• Volume 3 November 2000
• Volume 4 November 2001
• Volume 5 February 2003
• Volume 6 February 2004
• Volume 7 February 2005

For inquiries and orders, please send us an email.[email protected]

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