How difficult was it to arrive at the following consensus definition?
Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education and career goals. Sam Gladding, 20/20 facilitator: Different individuals and associations emphasize various aspects of counseling. What 20/20 did that was unique was to conduct a Delphi study of what features of counseling stood out most among a host of diverse groups inside and outside the American Counseling Association. Each of the delegates in the seven teams that 20/20 is divided into gave input into the process of what features unite counseling as a profession, and the teams, in turn, brought these definitions forth. The process lasted almost a year, with individual delegates reacting to each definition that teams suggested. A factor analysis of the words most often used in the suggested definitions of counseling was done also. The goal was to reach an apolitical, objective and brief definition of counseling. When the 20/20 delegates ca
