Preparing Counselors and Therapists: Creating Constructivist and Developmental Programs.

Written for those who will educate future counselors and psychotherapists, this book marks out a vision for counselor and psychotherapist training for the postmodern era. The book details specific practices that are grounded in constructivist and developmental principles including approaches to classroom instruction, field supervision, curriculum, admissions, student evaluation, and multicultural awareness. Committed to constructivist and developmental teaching in counselor education, the authors contend that these practices are critical for preparing thoughtful, creative, mental health practitioners. Part one outlines the general constructivist worldview upon which the book is based and offers background on what is known about the psychology of learning. Guidelines for constructivist teaching are explicated from these principles. Part two suggests the application of constructivist principles to the overall design of counselor education programs. The extensive use of democratic groups, cohorts, and narrative-generating activities are considered. Specific attention is given to reconstructing the admissions and evaluation process in a more dialogical, multicultural direction. Part three offers illustrations of counselor education course designs that use constructivist principles. Part four concludes with a discussion of why such programmatic and teaching ideas havent been implemented more frequently, and what it might take to persuade counselor educators to integrate constructivist and developmental thought into their programs. (Contains an index and references at the end of each chapter.) (GCP)