Introduction to the Profession of Counseling

Frank A. Nugent, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Western Washington University (WWU), Bellingham, has more than 50 years' experience in professional counseling. Over the years he has served as a counselor in schools and universities, as a counseling psychologist in private practice, and as a counselor educator, supervisor, and psychology professor. In 1993 the Washington State Counseling Association presented him with the Hank Bertness Award in recognition of his contributions to mental health and to the counseling profession during his long career.

Nugent received his MA in vocational counseling at Columbia University (1947), where he worked under Donald Super. Nugent worked, in turn, as a supervising counselor at the University of California-Berkeley and Stanford University Counseling Centers and as a counselor at Pleasant Hill High School in California. He completed his PhD in counseling psychology at the University of California-Berkeley (1959). Among Nugent's contributions is the creation of the student counseling center at Western Washington University, where he served as director from 1962 to 1973. He also initiated and coordinated for WWU's Psychology Department both the MEd program in school counseling in 1963 and the MS degree in mental health counseling in 1978. As president of the board for the Whatcom County Mental Health Clinic and, later, for the Lake Whatcom Residential Treatment Center, he helped spearhead the development of new facilities for both agencies.

At the state level Nugent was influential in gaining certification for school counselors and was recognized for promoting professional and ethical standards for both school and mental health counselors at the state and national levels. He served as president of the Washington State Psychological Association in 1968-69 and was initiator, cofounder, and first president of the Washington Mental Health Counselors Association in 1980. At that time he spearheaded the drive to obtain state licensing for mental health counselors.

Nugent received a Fulbright Senior Research Scholarship in 1982 to study counseling in Germany. After retirement he continued teaching part-time in WWU's psychology department; he also helped develop WWU's gerontology certificate program and taught courses in the extended-day program on the psychology of aging.

Karyn Dayle Jones, PhD, is an associate professor in counselor education at the University of Central Florida. She has 15 years of experience in the counseling profession. Jones has authored or coauthored several book chapters and refereed publications. She has given many international, national, and regional professional presentations in the field of counseling and counselor education. She is the past president of the Counseling Association for Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, a division of the American Counseling Association.

Jones is a Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and Certified Reality Therapist, and she has worked as a counselor in mental health agencies, schools, and private practice. Jones received her MA in mental health counseling at Rollins College (1991) and her PhD in counselor education from the University of South Carolina (1996). She has clinical experience providing individual, group, and family counseling to children, adolescents, and adults for such issues as child abuse, substance abuse, and various DSM-IV-TR disorders.