"Be Careful What You Wish For".

Abstract

In the context of the debate about the state registration of counsellors in Aotearoa New Zealand, and drawing both on similar debates in the field of counselling in the United Kingdom and on the experience of psychotherapists in this country, this article first articulates a distinction between the terms recognition, regulation, and registration; second, it summarises a number of arguments against the statutory regulation of counselling and the state registration of counsellors; and third, with reference to the cultural, economic, professional, and philosophical context of counselling, it argues for a vision of counselling and counsellors independent of state control of the profession and of its professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)