We take a handful of sand from the endless landscape of awareness
around us and call that handful of sand the world.

-- Robert M. Pirsig

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

The concern and interest surrounding diversity and multiculturalism in
counseling has forced a rethinking of the ways in which we counsel clients and
educate future counselors. The multicultural movement continues to identify
cultural gaps in traditional counselor education curricula. Counselor educators
have been forced to look at inherent problems within the theoretical frameworks
from which they function. It is time to take a deeper look. This chapter
examines issues and problems in the standardization of educational programs and
in the psychological foundation of counselor education. Of major concern are the
exclusionary aspects of current theory and practice, more specifically, the link
between power and knowledge, power and definitions of mental "health," power
and practice, and the individual and group oppression brought about by biases in
the foundational frameworks of psychology. This closer examination opens the
door to a deeper critique of the current philosophy, which in turn advances an
agenda of critical thought.

Perhaps a logical approach prior to the discussion of further issues in
counselor education is defining what comprises counseling in schools and the
role of the school counselor. Counseling in schools differs from counseling
conducted in other settings, such as mental health clinics, private practice, and
psychiatric hospitals ( Baruth & Robinson, 1987; Nugent, 1994). The role of the
school counselor has been articulated by the American School Counselor

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