Counselor Educators' Experiences within the Faculty Microsystem during Gatekeeping

Authors

Victor Chang, Southern Oregon UniversityFollow
Deborah J. Rubel, Oregon State UniversityFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

Victor Chang: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7265-5301

Deborah Rubel: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4085-8795

Author Biographies

Dr. Victor Chang, PhD LPC is an Associate Professor within the Division of Social Sciences at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, OR. His research interests include: teaching social justice advocacy, gatekeeping in counselor education, cultural competence, and clinical supervision.

Dr. Deborah Rubel, PhD is a Professor within the College of Education at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. Her main research interest remains understanding the psychosocial processes of group membership and leadership in their many forms. Her inquiry is conducted largely through the use of qualitative methods.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7290/tsc07iech

Abstract

Gatekeeping is a responsibility for all counselor educators (CEs). Little is known about how CEs work with their colleagues to enact gatekeeping in counselor education programs. This grounded theory study explored 12 diverse CEs’ gatekeeping experiences, creating an ecological model of the Faculty Microsystem during gatekeeping that illuminates important conditions, processes, and interactions during gatekeeping in counselor education. Implications for counselor educators and doctoral students on the nature of collaboration during gatekeeping are described.

Public Significance Statement

This study illuminates the gatekeeping experiences of 12 diverse counselor education faculty within masters-level counselor education programs in the United States. During gatekeeping, counselor educators interact significantly with their colleagues, sometimes effectively and sometimes not. These findings may enhance counselor educators’ awareness of the benefits and challenges of the interpersonal and systemic nature of gatekeeping and help them to collaborate with their colleagues more effectively during gatekeeping.

Recommended Citation

Chang, Victor and Rubel, Deborah J. (2025) "Counselor Educators' Experiences within the Faculty Microsystem during Gatekeeping," Teaching and Supervision in Counseling: Vol. 7 : Iss. 1 , Article 5.
https://doi.org/10.7290/tsc07iech
Available at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/tsc/vol7/iss1/5