TPC Journal-V6, Issue 4- FULL ISSUE

The Professional Counselor /Volume 6, Issue 4 380 Table 1 Number and Percentages by Specialty Track and Criminal Background Required Specialty Track Offered by Program Criminal Background Required for Program Admission Criminal Background Required for Current Students in Program Yes No Yes No Yes No n % N % N % N % n % n % Clinical Mental Health/ Community 70 84.3 13 15.7 16 22.9 54 77.1 26 37.1 44 62.9 School 69 83.1 14 16.9 15 21.7 54 78.3 33 47.8 36 52.2 Marriage, Couple, Family 14 16.9 69 83.1 2 14.3 12 85.7 9 64.3 5 35.7 Student Affairs/College 11 13.3 72 86.7 3 27.3 8 72.7 5 45.5 6 54.5 Addiction 5 6.0 78 94.0 1 4.5 4 95.5 1 4.5 4 95.5 Career 3 3.6 80 96.4 0 0.0 3 100 0 0.0 3 100 Procedures for applicants . Table 2 provides a breakdown of the type of CBCs performed, who performs the applicants’ CBCs, and who paid for the applicants’ CBCs. All programs that required CBCs informed students of the CBC through at least one avenue: 45% ( n = 10) reported notice was given only via the program’s Web site; 18% ( n = 4) said they gave notice via program Web site, verbal discussion (i.e., interview), and written correspondence (i.e., e-mail, letter, handbook); 14% ( n = 3) stated they gave notice by written correspondence only; 9% ( n = 2) gave notice by verbal discussion only; 9% ( n = 2) gave notice by both program Web site and written correspondence; and 5% ( n = 1) gave notice via both verbal and written notification. An open-ended format was used to learn about how programs use information from the applicants’ CBCs. Thirty-five percent ( n = 8) of the participants shared that they used results in different ways depending on if there was a criminal offense, the level of offense, and the date of offense. One participant reported their program uses the results to determine fit for their program and the counseling profession: The nature of the crime and the time that has passed since then, and the applicant’s explanation (is it sincere, logical, etc.) will help faculty determine if the person will be considered or not. Also, we think about whether or not this person is likely to get certified as a school counselor or licensed as an LPC, or will be able to obtain liability insurance is all considered. Established protocols for applicants . Regarding research question three, 59% ( n = 13) of the 23 CACREP-accredited programs who reported requiring applicants to undergo CBCs had established procedures for deciding about the non-admission of an applicant in their program based on the CBC results. Twenty-three percent ( n = 5) provided that their program had not established procedures and 18% ( n = 4) reported that they did not know if their program had a recognized policy. Thirty-nine percent ( n = 9) of the participants shared that they used professional standards for deciding about the non-admission of an applicant. One participant described, “We would not accept an applicant who had a background inconsistent with our discipline, and we would not accept an applicant who would not be able to obtain a license.”