Competence as a Facilitator of Personal Growth Groups

Abstract

This article exammes the accreditation process m the encounter group field. Its fundamental thesis is that most attempts to accredit practitioners have little value and do not accomplish their stated purpose of protectmg the public from harm. Difficulties arise because important assumptions tend to remam unexammed. In particular, the following areas have posed significant hurdles. It is especially difficult to define the limits of the field of personal growth groups. What is meant by competency (i.e., what kmds of outcomes will occur m a group led by an accredited professional) is also rarely identified. Standards and criteria appropriate for measurmg competence and valid and reliable methods of selection have not been adequately estabhshed. Finally, accreditmg orgamzations have a tendency to strive for absolute control of a particular field (witness the AMA) without examining some of the evil effects of that influenced. To clarify the nature and extent of these problems, this article exammes the proposed accreditation process of the International Association of Applied Social Scientists. It concludes that the basic purpose of accreditation should be changed from the ambitious aim of protecting the public to simply identifymg practitioners who perform certam types of service. Given the primitive state of the art, it is suggested that educatmg the public about the problems m identifying competent professionals may be the best way of protecting that public.