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Effectiveness and Relevance of Training for International Counseling Graduates: A Qualitative Inquiry

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Abstract

The present study was a qualitative study that sought to examine the experiences and perceptions of international counseling graduates (ICGs) who had returned to their home country to work, focusing on the effectiveness and relevance of the training they had received in the United States. Participants were also asked to outline the roles they played in the development of professional counseling in their own country. Eight themes emerged from in-depth interviews involving nine participants: (a) Pioneering and Leadership, (b) American-centric Training, (c) Sojourner and Returnee Adjustment Distress, (d) Personal Investment from Trainers, (e) Student-Centered Training, (f) Time and Financial Constraints, (g) Independent Learning, and (h) Research. The data indicated that participants’ perceptions of the effectiveness and relevance of their training were mixed. Implications for training international counseling students are considered.

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Acknowledgement

This project was supported in part by a research grant from the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counseling, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA

    Jared Lau & Kok-Mun Ng

Authors
  1. Jared Lau
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  2. Kok-Mun Ng
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jared Lau.

Additional information

This research was supported in part by a grant from the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES). Results in this study had been presented at the 2010 American Counseling Association Annual Convention, Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A.

Appendix

Appendix

Effectiveness and Relevancy of Training for International Counseling Graduates: Interview Questions

Please review the following questions and conceptualize how they relate to you. There is no right or wrong answer. Thank you.

Relevance of Training:

  • Can you describe the usefulness of your training in the U.S. in a counseling or related program as it relates to work in your home country?

    • What types of things were helpful?

    • What types of things were not helpful?

    • What information was not presented in the curriculum that needs to be added?

    • Specific cultural practices, etc.?

  • What did you wish you could have learned in your training while in the U.S.?

Recommendations to current International Counseling Students and Counselor Educators:

  • Based on your personal experiences of being an international counseling student in the U.S. now working in your home country, what would you recommend to current international counseling students in America who intend to return to their home country for work to better prepare them for their careers as professional counselors, counselor educators, family therapist, or psychologist?

  • What advice would you give to counselor educators who currently train and supervise international counseling students in counseling and related programs in the U.S. to help them maximize their training in order to increase their preparedness to practice professionally when they return to their home country?

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Lau, J., Ng, KM. Effectiveness and Relevance of Training for International Counseling Graduates: A Qualitative Inquiry. Int J Adv Counselling 34, 87–105 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-011-9128-2

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