Counseling Students' Interest in Gerocounseling: A Survey Study

Abstract

Recent trends in counselor education are moving away from a standardized academic track in gerocounseling. In response to this, we surveyed 385 counseling students regarding issues related to gerocounseling, such as their interest in gerocounseling topics, willingness to participate in gerocounseling training, how prepared they feel to work with older adults, and if they would engage in specialized training. Results showed counseling students have a substantial interest in gerocounseling, and many are willing to seek specialized training. Strategies are provided for counselor education faculty who wish to develop a gerocounseling specialization within their program.

KEYWORDS:

• counselor education
• gerocounseling
• gerontology
• CACREP
• gero-specialization
• aging