The Challenge of Counseling Research in Developing a Signature Pedagogy for Quantitative Methods

Research in counseling is at a crossroads with an overwhelming focus on topics that fail to connect to client-centered outcomes or generate findings that attract external funding opportunities. Concern over the type of research conducted in counseling appears warranted. If the dissertation is viewed as the primary outcome of research training, the majority of dissertations in counselor education lack application to client-centered outcomes or potential funding opportunities. Rather, counseling dissertations seem overwhelmingly focused on counselor training, school counselor training and environment, and multicultural/social justice competence of counselors in training (Richards et al., 2018). A likely outcome is that graduating students pursuing academic positions may lack a research agenda built off of their dissertation research that is impactful and fundable. For a profession focused on “empower[ing] diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals” (Kaplan et al., 2014, p. 366), much of the research generated through dissertations appears focused on perceptions of counseling and competence for counselors and counselors in training. An apparent obstacle in developing researchers in counselor education is the lack of association of research with the practice of counseling. In this regard, Baltrinic and Wachter Morris (2020) noted the role of signature pedagogy in counselor education, implying that the absence of a signature pedagogy could result in reduced preparation for students to engage in practices specific to the profession. More specifically, the emphasis on educational research, as opposed to counseling research, diminishes the understanding and application of research to counseling.