The Counseling Psychologist

This article presents an overview of the Houston 2001 National Counseling Psychology Conference. The authors discuss the context for the 4th National Counseling Psychology Conference, documentthe process of decision makingaboutthe conference, andexamine the content of the conference. The authors also examine a unique feature of the conference, the social action groups, discussing their philosophical underpinnings as well as how they were organized, what took place, and recommendations drawn from the groups. The authors evaluatethe outcomes of the Houston Conference andalso assess the conference within the context of the legacy of the three other counseling psychology conferences held at Northwestern University in 1951, in the Greyston Conference Center at Teachers College in 1964, and in Atlanta in 1987. Finally, the authors make recommendations for the field to move the conference’s initiatives forward and plan for future conferences.

Using the structure modeled by Fouad et al., the authors discuss issues of identity, training, andsocial advocacyfrom a student perspective. In addition to topics raised by Fouad et al., broader issues within counseling psychology are discussed in terms of their impact on students. Finally, the authors offer suggestions and recommendations for considering the place of students within future counseling psychology conferences, as well as the place of students as future counseling psychology professionals.

The 4th National Counseling Psychology Conference presented a unique opportunity for our field to share our progress and contemplate future directions. Fouadet al. ’s accountis a contribution to the documentation of our profession’s history. Fouad et al. ’s article and the 4th National Counseling Psychology Conference can also be viewed as a continuation of our profession’s search for its identity. The authors of this reaction paper urge the counseling psychology profession to integrate a social change identity. Specific recommendations to effect this transformation are offered.

The authors briefly note the accomplishments of the Houston 2001 National Counseling Psychology Conference and focus on several questions raised that, in their judgment, have implications for how counseling psychology will continue to develop as a specialty. Noteworthy accomplishments are the following: (a) inclusiveness in content and participation, (b) better linkages to the American Psychological Association (APA) and among counseling psychology organizations, (c) spotlighting the importance of political advocacy, and (d) concretizing counseling psychology’s social advocacy mission to focus on social justice. The questions raised include (a) preparation of students for entry-level positions in science and practice, (b) ratio of potential earnings as an autonomous professional to the educational investment required, and (c) appropriate balance of breadth and depth in training professional psychologists.

This commentary highlights the innovative inclusion of social action groups in the 2001 Houston Conference and expands on their significance to the conference and the field. If the 2001 Houston Conference has correctly forecast a (re)establishment of social action as a mainstay of counseling psychology, then an in-depth exploration of how we train students, conduct research, and engage in practice is warranted. Given the political nature of social action and its inextricable connection to social justice, the implications of such a stance for the future of the profession are discussed.

Fouad et al. provide a meticulous description of the origins, design, functioning, and outcomes of the 2001 Houston National Conference on Counseling Psychology. This comment responds to the content of the article as well as issues of identity raised by Fouad et al.