Supervision, Gatekeeping

In the fields of couples and family therapy, counseling, and counselor education, gatekeeping is an essential ethical duty of site and faculty supervisors, licensure boards, and colleagues. This may include restricting access to training, licensure, and employment, dependent upon the degree to which the behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs of the counselor or counselor in training warrant concern. Gatekeeping strategies and duties may be employed at any point before or after counselor [Page 1642]training, including during the training admissions process up through the point of licensure renewal for seasoned professionals.

There exists no specified standard regarding gatekeeping protocols and procedures in counseling and therapy, though there are some commonly used strategies that might be employed at different training and professional junctures. Ultimately, it is left up to ...