You may have seen that NACAC has just published the Sixth Edition of its textbook for graduate students and practicing counselors, Fundamentals of College Admission Counseling. The new edition is authored by 39 NACAC members and co-edited by Dr. Beth Gilfillan, Associate Professor of School Counseling at Northeastern Illinois University and the 2023 Illinois School Counselor Educator of the Year, and Dr. Christopher Tremblay, the Executive Director of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan as well as editor-in-chief for AACRAO’s College and University Journal. Both of the co-editors have previously contributed chapters to earlier editions of Fundamentals.
I have received my copy of the book, and it’s an impressive resource. Given that one of the hallmarks of ethics is truthfulness and transparency, I must admit that I have done little more than browse through it at this point.
I am fully aware of one chapter, because I had the honor of writing Chapter Two, Ethical Practices. Beth reached out to me when the book was being planned to see if I might be interested in applying to write that chapter, and I jumped (no pun intended) at the opportunity. She indicated that she has been an ECA reader both as a practicing school counselor and as a counselor educator.
I notice that my chapter is one of the shorter ones in the book. I hope that doesn’t mean there’s less substance, but my goal was to provide an overview of ethical theory, how ethical practice is essential to our understanding of college admission counseling as a profession, and to identify some of the ethical principles that should guide our work and the ethical dilemmas we may encounter as we serve students, families, and our schools. Those who read this blog regularly will recognize a number of the themes.
The Sixth Edition of Fundamentals of College Admission Counseling can be ordered through NACAC: