Counselor Education is an academic discipline that has its roots in education, clinical supervision, counseling, human development, vocational guidance, psychology, and other human services occupations. The primary focus of Counselor Education is the training and preparation of professional counselors**; this includes recruiting and training the next generation of academic professionals who will teach the curriculum of counseling theory and practice. Counselor Education degree programs can become accredited by The Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs while Rehabilitation Counselor Education degree programs can become accredited by The Council on Rehabilitation Education.
Scholarship within counselor education covers a wide range of topics, but in general is related to the training and education of master's or doctoral-level counseling graduate students, novel applications of counseling theory including competencies across cultural groups, and best practice guidelines in both academic and clinical or applied settings. Counselor educators as a professional group are trained in multiple methodological approaches to research including both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Counselors and those who teach them - Counselor Educators - practice several different forms of counseling, that are similar, but different from other disciplines. These counseling forms are: