Therapeutic Change

In this rejoinder, the authors respond to the comments, feedback, and suggestions offered by Hatcher, Miville, and Nutt. The authors clarify a possible point of confusion, reaffirm their contention that the crux of sound psychology practice rests on therapists’ ability to facilitate change with their clients, and acknowledge both the progressive development that characterizes the process of becoming a competent counselor and the problem of assuming advanced training alone can compensate for the limitations inherent in the microskills-only approach to training. Next, the authors address the issue of complexity, including their intention to balance the need to provide a coherent, accessible model that does not fall prey to oversimplification. Finally, the authors note key similarities to and differences from the competency benchmarks and invite their colleagues to join them in the rigorous testing needed to validate their model of counseling competence.

Microskills, Trainee Competence, and Therapy Outcomes

This article represents an invited reaction to the series of articles critiquing the microskills approach predominant in most counseling training programs as well as the new model of counseling competence presented in this issue. The authors note that the microskills approach has been a useful and well-researched framework in the field, although they were generally in agreement with the conclusions drawn regarding this approach. These authors suggest that the authors of the series of articles address how their new model intersects with the competency benchmarks model as well as provide feedback concerning the social justice applications of the model.

Training in Counseling Psychology

This Major Contribution, consisting of four articles, critically evaluates the status of training in counseling psychology, especially at the entry level, and offers a model for moving the field forward. In this first article, we provide a rationale for the contribution, laying the foundation for the subsequent three articles. Specifically, we ask the questions, Do training programs in counseling psychology produce the desired results? and Is the prevailing paradigm of training effective in developing counselor competence? Then we report on the research showing a disappointing relationship among training, experience, and expertise. We conclude by inviting the profession to engage in honest self-reflection about the status and future direction of training in counseling psychology.