TPC Journal-V6, Issue 4- FULL ISSUE

The Professional Counselor /Volume 6, Issue 4 376 Gatekeeping in the Field According to Kerl and Eichler (2005), “ In the field of counselor education, gatekeepers are the professionals whose responsibility it is to open or close the gates on the path toward becoming a counselor” (p. 74). The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) requires counseling programs to start the gatekeeping process at the onset of screening applicants for admission. Unfortunately, there is ambiguity about specific ways to gatekeep during the admission process, which may prompt inconsistencies between those operating as gatekeepers. Several studies have examined barriers to effective gatekeeping (Brear & Dorrian, 2010; Brodersen et al., 2009; Brown-Rice & Furr, 2014). Some of the barriers include a need to meet desired enrollment, inconsistent screening procedures, likability effect, inadequate training on how to be a gatekeeper, social loafing, the leniency effect, and the empathy veil effect (Brear & Dorrian, 2010; Brown-Rice & Furr, 2014). The previous findings support the need to examine the current use of objective measures that may diminish some of these described obstacles. Swank and Smith-Adcock (2014) examined the screening and gatekeeping methods used by 79 master’s- and doctoral-level CACREP-accredited counseling programs. Specifically, they asked programs about their use and perceived effectiveness of objective (e.g., grade point average [GPA]) and subjective (e.g., interviews) methods of gatekeeping during the admission process. The majority of surveyed programs placed higher weight on GPA and letters of recommendation during the admission process. Participants described their methods as inefficient and stressed the need to use consistent evaluation to reduce the impact of subjectivity. They also described a desire to use reliable assessments such as formal background checks to better assess psychological fit (Swank & Smith- Adcock, 2014). Brear and Dorian (2010) conducted a study to examine how 63 counseling educators experienced their training and training as gatekeepers. Their respondents indicated a commitment to be effective gatekeepers, but they had difficulties minimizing their subjectivity because of vague guidelines and written policies. Many of their participants stated they observed other faculty being lenient and failing to capitalize on key moments when students were displaying behaviors of concern. Brear and Dorrian suggested that programs use objective procedures for gatekeeping and provide ongoing training to help faculty better understand their gatekeeper roles and related policies. Brown-Rice and Furr (2014) discussed the role empathy can play in the gatekeeping process. Ultimately, the authors suggested that counselor educators benefit from finding a balance between being empathic and evaluative in their roles. Brown-Rice and Furr described that empathy may impact how counselor educators gatekeep and intervene with problematic behavior. They coined the term empathy veil effect and suggested that it is compounded by factors such as lack of consistent standards across faculty, lack of scholarly sources to refer, and fears of legal retaliation made by students. Although these factors have historically been barriers, the field of counselor education is at a critical point to establish well-documented, researched and supported screening procedures for potential CITs. This study aims to provide a greater description of how counseling programs currently use CBCs in the process of gatekeeping. Criminal Background Checks Literature searches revealed only one study that explored the use of CBCs by counseling programs (Erwin & Toomey, 2005). This is concerning given that some states require CBCs of school counselors and licensure candidates. Over 10 years ago, Erwin and Toomey (2005) conducted a study of 50