Full Digest V8, I2

12 TPC Digest ounselor educators are tasked with serving as the profession’s primary gatekeepers as they supervise counselors-in-training (CITs) during their graduate and clinical training. Gatekeeping responsibilities performed by counselor educators consist of regular and ongoing evaluations of CITs’ academic, clinical, and dispositional readiness for a career as a professional counselor. If counselor educators fail to intervene with CITs who are lacking the necessary knowledge, skills, and values expected of a professional counselor, CITs may enter the workforce not equipped to provide quality services. This concept is referred to as gate slippage in the counseling literature. Gate slippage not only impacts client care, but other CITs’ educational experience and the integrity of the profession. Consequently, effective gatekeeping by counselor educators is central to the health of the counseling profession. Doctoral preparation programs in counselor education are expected to prepare graduates to work in a variety of roles, one of which is gatekeeper. The latest CACREP standards call for doctoral programs to graduate students competent in gatekeeping functions relevant to teaching and clinical supervision. Despite the CACREP standards and doctoral students serving in evaluator positions during their doctoral studies, little is known regarding the development and training of doctoral students as emerging gatekeepers. This is problematic as the role of gatekeeper is well documented to be complex and multifaceted, and without appropriate training, the profession runs the risk of ill-equipped gatekeepers endorsing CITs who are not ready for the profession. Becoming a Gatekeeper Recommendations for Preparing Doctoral Students in Counselor Education Marisa C. Rapp, Steven J. Moody, Leslie A. Stewart C