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Between 1900-1920 there were three very influential leaders which changed the course of mental health services.
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Jesse B Davis – Was a school superintendent who introduced the first guidance course as part of the school curriculum
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Clifford Whittingham Beers – Exposed how the mentally ill were being abused and changed societal attitudes about mental illness through his writings A Mind That Found Itself.
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Frank Parsons – Founded the Vocational Bureau of the Civic Service House and wrote Choosing a Vocation which created a new theory matching ones personality traits with what may be their best career choice.
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Wilhelm Wundt and began to use lab setting for greater understanding into human behavior. Wundt also inspired James Cattell who was the first to use the term mental test, later known as Stanford-Binet translated into English in 1909.
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In 1913, the National Vocational Guidance Association was founded and began publishing a bulletin which today is still published and known as the Journal of Counseling & Development.
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During this time grants were established for vocational education. Counselor training departments began to be established in university settings. Group counseling was being to become more popular.
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WWI began in 1914 causing the need for around 1.5 million English speaking and non-English speaking recruits to be screened, tested and classified. Those who administered the tests were called psychometrists.
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1920-1940: When the Great Depression hit people were desperately searching for employment. E. G. Williamson created a theory based on measurable traits related to occupational choices.
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In 1921 child-guidance clinics were created in the US. Early intervention and treatment for those displaying maladjustment.
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In 1922, Alfred Adler, who was a founder of individual psychology, began using group therapy, understanding that each family member impacts the behavior of the others. Meanwhile, J. L. Moreno was using psychodrama and role-play.
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In 1929 the first family and marriage counseling center was opened in NYC and during this time self-help and support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous were being established.
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Because the Great Depression hit impacted everyone so hard, the federal government had to answer back. Much new legislation was passed during this time period designed to provide employment.
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1940-1960
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In 1942 Carl Rogers published Counseling and Psychotherapy to purpose his theory of client-centered counseling, whereby the client was the expert on his own life and was solely responsible for the direction his life would take.
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The National Mental Act of 1946 was enacted when during WWII over 1 million men were rejected from military service for mental health reasons. The need for mental health workers increased. Women entered the workplace.
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Within a decade the field of counseling grew. Numerous professional associations were created.
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1960-1980: Our world took change “with the Vietnam War, the woman’s movement and the Civil Right movement, other issues and concerns began to take precedence” (Erford, B. p18).
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In 1963, the Community Mental Health Center Act began to tackle the everyday struggles which the community at large were dealing with.
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1980-2000: Counseling began to become more specialized and increased training and education was required. As the field was changing with the times the APGS changed its name to the American Association for Counseling and Development.
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Only 9 years after that, again, to keep up with change, the name changed once again and became what it is today, the American Counseling Association (ACA).
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2000-Present: Now professional counselors can attain their licensure in all 50 states. CACREP is now considered the education standard for counseling programs.
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References: Erford, B. T. (2014). Orientation to the counseling profession: Advocacy, ethics, and essential professional (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.