Contributors John F. McGowan is Dean of the University Extension Division of the University of Missouri. He received his Ed.D. from the University of Missouri in 1954. Cecil H. Patterson is Chairman of the Division of Counselor Education and Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1955. Larry G. Stewart is Associate Director of the Deafness Research and Training Center, School of Education, New York University. He received his Ed.D. from the University of Arizona in 1970. Allen E. Sussman is Associate Research Scientist and Instructor with the Deafness Research and Training Center, School of Education, New York University. He also is a psychotherapist with the Clinic for the Deaf, Maimonides Hospital Community Mental Health Center in Brooklyn, New York. He is currently working on his doctorate in Rehabilitation Counseling at New York University. Richard W. Thoreson is Director of Rehabilitation Counselor Training and Professor of Education at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri in 1963. Norman L. Tully is Director of Counselor Education, the Graduate School, Gallaudet College. He received his Ed.D. from the University of Arizona in 1970. McCay Vernon is Professor of Psychology at Western Maryland College. He received his Ph.D. from the Claremont Graduate School in 1966. Geno M. Vescovi is Coordinator of Services for the Deaf with the Massachusetts Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in 1971. Boyce R. Williams is Director, Office of Deafness and Communication Disorders, Rehabilitation Services Administration, Social and Rehabilitation Service, United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Washington, D.C. He has a master's degree from Columbia University, and Gallaudet College in 1958 awarded him an honorary doctorate. Preface During the past decade there has been increasing interest in the potential contributions of counseling and guidance with deaf people in school settings, community agencies, mental health clinics, and rehabilitation agencies and facilities. This interest is perhaps most clearly reflected in the growing numbers of counselors with deaf people employed in college programs, in State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies, and in various other settings, as well as in the slowly increasing number of university graduatelevel training programs offering specialization in counseling with deaf people. Clearly, the field of deafness education and rehabilitation is beginning to appreciate the role the counselor can play in efforts to provide deaf people with the values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills they must have if they are to meet the challenges they face in their development and adjustment in today's rapidly changing world. While those in the field of counseling with deaf people may feel justifiable pride in the progress made in recent years, future progress depends upon critical self-examination and vigorous attempts to strengthen areas of weakness and to continue to build upon strong areas. Without this continuing self-examination and attempts to further our knowledge in theoretical and applied aspects of our work, our advances will be nullified in the face of dynamic changes in deaf people and the world in which they live. This book is intended to sharpen the focus of counseling with deaf people by presenting discussions of the major issues that confront counselors and administrators of programs that are either providing or considering providing counseling services to deaf people. Deaf people of all ages generally have been denied access to proper counseling services primarily due to the problems of communication between the counselor and the deaf client. General counseling programs have been unable to serve deaf people properly due to this problem, and, since there are relatively few deaf people in most areas of the country, it has not been possible to develop special programs for them as rapidly as needed. For this reason comparatively little attention has been given to the many theoretical and applied considerations that are basic to the growth and development of the profession of counseling deaf people. 7 8 COUNSELING WITH DEAF PEOPLE For example, it would be reasonable for any general counselor or program administrator to ask the following questions with respect to counseling deaf people: (1) Are there special problems faced by deaf people that require specialized counseling assistance? (2) Must a counselor with deaf people learn special modes of communicating with his deaf clients? (3) Can the methods and techniques of counseling used with normally hearing people be used with deaf people? (4) What general and special training must a counselor have before he can work effectively with deaf people, and where can this training be obtained? (5) What research has been done in the area of counseling deaf people? These questions are of relevance not only to professionals not ac quainted with deafness but also to students who are preparing to become counselors with deaf people, as well as counselors actively engaged in counseling work with deaf people. The reason? At the present time there are no books devoted to providing answers to these questions! In fact some of these questions are considered in print for the first time in this book, and for this reason it is hoped that this book will be used as a text by uni versity training programs and as a basic reference by practicing counselors with deaf people. Four chapters in this book were co-authored by recognized authorities from the general field of counseling, and the second chapter was written by an authority from the field of counseling with deaf people. This approach was taken in order to provide a perspective of counseling with deaf people as it relates to the general field of counseling and also to bring together the current knowledge available from both areas. In some respects this is a radical departure from approaches used in the education and rehabilitation of deaf people, which for the most part have evolved without consideration of practices used with normally hearing people. We feel this new approach will add an interesting and valuable dimension to this book A better understanding of this book can be gleaned from the events surrounding its development. In 1969 and 1970, the New York University Deafness Research and Training Center sponsored a series of conferences on "A Task Force on Counseling Deaf People." The Task Force, which had in its membership the authors of the chapters in this book as well as former Center Director Dr. Edna S. Levine, Dr. Patricia Livingston of New York University, and, subsequently, present Director Dr. Jerome D Schein, had the objective of developing means whereby the field of coun seling with deaf people would be able to reach a level of professional development similar to that of the general field of counseling. During Task 'REFACE 9 force discussions it was revealed that (1) there was very little about ounseling with deaf people in the professional literature; (2) there was ot a single textbook on counseling with deaf people; (3) there were no ertification or training standards for counselors serving deaf people; (4) here is a widespread lack of understanding of what professional counseling onsists of, as opposed to counseling done by an untrained person; and (5) It was difficult to plan a method to upgrade the field of counseling with deaf people in the absence of authoritative information concerning methods of counseling the deaf, problems in counseling with the deaf, and certification nd training standards. Consequently, the decision was made to prepare a ook covering these issues, since such a book would provide a sound basis or future activities in this particular area. This book is the final result. It is the editors' conviction that the future development of counseling with deaf people will be determined by three factors. The first is the extent o which program administrators, consumer organizations composed of eaders of the deaf, and professional organizations such as the Professional Rehabilitation Workers with the Adult Deaf and the American Instructors of the Deaf recognize the need for and demand counselors for deaf people who are trained as counselors, have an understanding of the life problems and needs of deaf people, and can communicate with deaf people. The second factor concerns the extent to which universities and governmentunding agencies cooperate in the establishment and operation of training programs designed to prepare counselors with deaf people of all ages, including young children and elderly people. The final factor concerns counselors with deaf people. They must become more actively involved in research designed to provide greater strength to counseling approaches ased with deaf people; they must communicate better with other workers. with deaf people and obtain their approval and support of counseling services; and, they must work through their professional and training standards. This book contains information that can be used to upgrade the quality of counseling services for deaf people. It is not an end in itself, but a beginning. Hopefully this book will be the first of many on the subject of Counseling the deaf. The editors wish to thank the contributors to this book. The effort and time they put into the preparation of their chapters are gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks are due to Dr. Edna S. Levine, who supported the early work of the Task Force on Counseling Deaf People, and to Dr. Jerome D. Schein, whose strong support permitted early publication of this book. |