Glossary of Terms

Abandonment – the inappropriate ending or arbitrary termination of a counseling relationship that puts the client at risk.

Advocacy – promotion of the well-being of individuals, groups, and the counseling profession within systems and organizations. Advocacy seeks to remove barriers and obstacles that inhibit access, growth, and development.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) – technologies, such as large language models, automation, and machines, to complete tasks typically requiring human thinking, cognition, and decision-making.

Assent – to demonstrate agreement when a person is otherwise not capable or competent to give formal consent (e.g., informed consent) to a counseling service or plan.

Assessment – the process of collecting in-depth information about a person to develop a comprehensive plan that will guide the collaborative counseling and service provision process.

Bartering – accepting goods or services from clients in exchange for counseling services.

Client – person(s) seeking or referred to the professional services of a counselor.

Confidentiality – the ethical duty of counselors to protect a client’s identity, identifying characteristics, and private communications.

Consultation – a professional relationship that may include but is not limited to seeking advice, information, and/or testimony.

Correction Erratum – a formal notice published to correct significant errors in a previously published text.

Counseling – a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.

Counselor Educator – a professional counselor engaged primarily in developing, implementing, and supervising the educational preparation of professional counselors.

Counseling Researcher – a counselor engaged in systematic investigation into topics related but not limited to the counseling practice, counselor training and supervision, and presenting issues of clients.

Counselor Supervisor – a professional counselor who engages in a formal relationship with a practicing counselor or counselor-in-training for the purpose of overseeing that individual’s counseling work or clinical skill development.

Court Order – an official legal document issued directly through a court, signed by a judge, with the seal of the court, which includes specific directives.

Culturally Sustaining – practices that affirm clients’ cultural backgrounds as strengths, while proactively promoting equity long-term.

Culture – membership in a socially constructed way of living, which incorporates collective values, beliefs, norms, boundaries, and lifestyles that are co-created with others who share similar worldviews comprising biological, psychosocial, historical, psychological, and other factors.

Digital Delivery – technological means for providing services that may be conducted in synchronous or asynchronous formats.

Digital Mental Health Interventions (DMHI) – technology-based tools used for prevention, assessment, treatment, post-treatment monitoring, and general mental wellness.

Digital Platforms – technological systems for delivering counseling services, counselor education, or counselor supervision

Discrimination – the prejudicial treatment of an individual or group based on their actual or perceived membership in a particular group, class, or category.

Diversity – the similarities and differences that occur within and across cultures, and the intersection of cultural and social identities.

Documents – any written, digital, audio, visual, or artistic recording of the work within the counseling relationship between counselor and client.

Education Witness – a professional who testifies based upon substantive expertise solely to educate or provide information to the court not connected to an evaluation.

Emergency/Contingency Plans – outlined plans for counselors to utilize in the case of a future event or circumstance (e.g., counselor’s death, natural disaster).

Encryption – process of encoding information in such a way that limits access to authorized users.

Evaluator – a professional whose role is to assess, form an opinion, and render a professional report regarding a person, family, or defined set of circumstances.

Expert – a professional who has comprehensive and authoritative knowledge or skill regarding a topic or an area of practice.

Expert Witness – an expert who testifies based upon knowledge and evaluation in a specific case.

Exploitation – actions and/or behaviors that take advantage of another for one’s own benefit or gain.

Fact Witness – a professional who testifies solely about facts and observations, and does not render interpretations, opinions, or recommendations.

Fee Splitting – the payment or acceptance of fees for client referrals (e.g., percentage of fee paid for rent, referral fees).

Forensic – a role which is created by or for court purposes, or is court-involved.

Forensic Evaluation – the process of forming professional opinions for court or other legal proceedings, based on professional knowledge and expertise, and supported by appropriate data.

Gatekeeping – the initial and ongoing academic, skill, and dispositional assessment of students’ competency for professional practice, including remediation and termination as appropriate.

Harassment – all forms of unwelcome behavior, action, or communication (verbal, physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological) that are severe, persistent, or pervasive enough to create a hostile, humiliating, intimidating, demeaning, threatening, discriminatory, or offensive environment for an individual or group.

Impairment – a significantly diminished capacity to perform professional functions.

Incapacitation – an inability to perform professional functions.

Independent Researcher – a counseling researcher who is not affiliated with an Institutional Review Board granting institution.

Informed Consent – a process of information-sharing associated with possible actions clients may choose to take, aimed at assisting clients in acquiring a full appreciation and understanding of the facts and implications of a given action or actions.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) – an institutional body that oversees and ensures ethical treatment of human subjects involved in research.

Instrument – a tool developed using accepted research practices that measures the presence and strength of a specified construct or constructs.

Interdisciplinary Teams – groups of professionals from different disciplines serving the same clients.

Mandated Client – a client compelled to participate in an evaluation or the counseling process by a court or authoritative body.

Minors – generally, persons under the age of 18 years, unless otherwise designated by statute or regulation. In some jurisdictions, minors may have the right to consent to counseling without consent of the parent or guardian.

Multicultural/Diversity Competence – counselors’ cultural and diversity awareness and knowledge about self and others, and how this awareness and knowledge are applied effectively in practice with clients and client groups.

Multicultural/Diversity Counseling – counseling that recognizes diversity and embraces approaches that support the worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of individuals within their historical, cultural, economic, political, and psychosocial contexts.

Personal Virtual Relationship – engaging in a relationship via technology and/or social media that blurs the professional boundary (e.g., friending on social networking sites); using personal accounts as the connection point for the virtual relationship.

Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s words, ideas, or work as ones own without giving proper credit and/or citation. Plagiarism may include self-plagiarism, which is reusing one’s own previously submitted or published work in a new assignment or publication without proper citation, making it appear as original, new material.

Privacy – the right of an individual to keep oneself and one’s personal information free from unauthorized disclosure.

Privilege – a legal term denoting the protection of confidential information in a legal proceeding (e.g., subpoena, deposition, testimony).

Pro bono publico – contributing to society by devoting a portion of professional activities for little or no financial return (e.g., speaking to groups, sharing professional information, offering reduced fees).

Professional Virtual Relationship – using technology and/or social media in a professional manner and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries; using business accounts that cannot be linked back to personal accounts as the connection point for the virtual relationship (e.g., a business page versus a personal profile).

Professional Will – a legal document outlining how a counselor’s practice, business operations, client records, and client care should be managed if the counselor becomes incapacitated or dies, ensuring ethical continuity of care and protecting the client, and the counselor and/or practice. A professional will must be properly executed and meet all required legal provisions in the specified jurisdiction.

Records – all information or documents, in any medium, that the counselor keeps about the client, excluding personal and psychotherapy notes.

Records Custodian – a professional colleague who agrees to serve as the caretaker of client records for another mental health professional.

Self-Care – activities that promote and maintain mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and social well-being.

Self-Growth – a process of self-examination and challenging of a counselor’s assumptions to enhance professional effectiveness.

Serious and Foreseeable – when a reasonable counselor can anticipate significant and harmful possible consequences.

Sexual Harassment – sexual solicitation, physical advances, or verbal/nonverbal conduct that is sexual in nature; occurs in connection with professional roles and responsibilities; is unwelcome, offensive, or creates a hostile workplace, learning environment, or counseling setting or relationship; and/or is sufficiently severe or intense to be perceived as harassment either by a reasonable person in the common third-party setting (e.g., employer to employee) or by a client in the more vulnerable counseling setting.

Social Justice – the promotion of equity for all people and groups for the purpose of ending oppression and injustice affecting clients, students, counselors, families, communities, schools, workplaces, governments, and other social and institutional systems.

Social Media – technology-based forms of communication of ideas, beliefs, personal histories, etc. (e.g., social networking sites, blogs).

Stakeholders – individuals, groups, or organizations with a vested interest in the counseling profession and or counseling related activities.

Student – an individual engaged in formal graduate-level counselor education.

Subpoena – a document issued by or on behalf of the court to compel a counselor to produce records and documents and/or testimony under penalty of law for failure to comply.

Supervisee – a professional counselor or counselor-in-training whose counseling work or clinical skill development is being overseen in a formal supervisory relationship by a qualified trained professional.

Supervision – a process in which one individual, usually a senior member of a given profession designated as the supervisor, engages in a collaborative relationship with another individual or group, usually a junior member(s) of a given profession designated as the supervisee(s) in order to (a) promote the growth and development of the supervisee(s), (b) protect the welfare of the clients seen by the supervisee(s), and (c) evaluate the performance of the supervisee(s).

Supervisors – professionals who oversee the counseling, clinical, and administrative aspects of the development of counselors and counselors-in-training.

Teaching – all activities engaged in as part of a formal educational program that is designed to lead to a graduate degree in counseling.

Telehealth – the delivery of services through digital and virtual platforms, to consult, diagnose, and provide counseling remotely.

Testimonials – statements about the character and benefits of a professional counselor’s practice of counseling and related services.

Training – the instruction and practice of skills related to the counseling profession. Training contributes to the ongoing proficiency of students and professional counselors.

Virtual Platforms – See Digital Platform definition

Virtual Presence – webpages, social media platforms, and other accounts in which counselors maintain a professional and personal presence

Virtual Relationship – a non–face-to-face relationship (e.g., through social media).

Well-being – holistic state of optimal mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and social health.