Advocacy Proposal How Advocacy Affects

Advocacy

Proposal How Advocacy Affects the Counseling Profession: Innovations

More and more researchers are studying the ways advocacy can benefit not only clients but also the counseling profession. Advocacy is one method counselors can use to increase their influence in the community and change the environment their clients work in. Advocacy may also help strengthen the profession and aid counselors whose goal is to not only treat patients but also help them develop and grow.

A new model of advocacy proposes that counselors become community advocates, taking collective action to change the environment as well as their reputation in the community. Professional counselors can also work to raise awareness in the community of their programs and abilities. This will help strengthen the profession and improve counselor's abilities to help develop patients in the long-term.

New Framework For Advocacy

For one to promote a framework of advocacy in the counseling profession it is first important to understand what advocacy is. Home & Martin (1998) define advocacy as a method "based on the belief that individual or collective action must be taken to right injustices or improve conditions for the benefit of individuals or groups" (284). Lee (1998) also defines advocacy as "the process or act or arguing or pleading for a cause or proposal" (8).

It requires that counselors take action. In recent years the issue of advocacy in counseling has drawn much attention. Much of this attention is meant to change the role of a counselor from a static to a functional agent responsible for changing any practices that might limit their client's opportunities for success (Lee, 2001). Many believe the idea of advocacy and the counseling profession is not compatible (Myers, Sweeney & White, 2002).

Some have even suggested the counseling profession has moved away from functionality and more toward a less socially engaged process many view undesirably (Myers, Sweeney & White, 2002). While most advocacy efforts historically have focused on the needs of school counselors, today advocacy is something that can relate to all aspects of counseling (McWhirter, 1997).

A new framework proven successful for promoting clients success is developmental advocacy which strengthen counseling programs by focusing on developing clients instead of preventing or remediating bad circumstances (Akos & Galassi, 2004). A new model for patients to adopt would be one that includes skills, knowledge and attitude promotion to help clients develop and thrive, and in certain circumstances gain competence.

One new way the counseling profession can change is to adopt advocacy efforts that encourage counselors to change the environment their clients engage in every day to help promote and develop clients. This will compel counselors becoming more involved in their communities and in outreach programs, and will increase the effort necessary to work with clients successfully. Counselors may enlist the assistance of professional associations to help spread information about their practices and programs to interested community members (Akos & Galassi, 2004).

Research Supporting Premise

Much of the research examined supports the idea that advocacy in counseling is valuable, not just for clients but also for counselors. Advocacy in counseling can take many forms. Much of the research reviewed supports developmental advocacy for patients. Even within the health arena advocacy is encouraged as a means to improve patient outcomes. Salminen, Isoaho, Vahlberg, Ojanlatva & Kivela (2005) suggest health advocacy as a positive method for increasing patients knowledge of their disease and reducing depressive symptoms in patients with depressive symptoms resulting from disease.

Akos & Galassi (2004) suggest that a developmental advocacy framework may help promote healthy youth development "through direct services as well as through helping to shape asset-enhancing environments for young people" (164). Other researchers suggest that development advocacy may be used as a framework to stress a practice approach to counseling to increase an individual's asset building ability (Lewis & Bradley, 2001).

Lewis, Cheek & Hendricks (2001) support developmental advocacy as a framework from which counselors can promote the health and well-being of patients in a dynamic forum. Kiselica & Robinson (2001) point out the community outreach programs may be beneficial for clients but also the counseling profession. This notion is supported by other research including that of Myers, Sweeney & White (2002) who suggest that professional associations can create venues for counselors to share knowledge, training and standards, as well as provide advocacy advancement and help the profession remain credible (394).

Though advocacy programs in the past have focused primarily on the needs and abilities of school counselors and educational representatives, counselors must broaden their perspectives so advocacy may now include all branches of the counseling field. This may require additional training and resources, but will help strengthen the credibility and success of the profession. Advocacy efforts will also help raise community awareness and strengthen the ability of counselors to develop their clients over short- and long-term periods.