COVID-19 and The Counseling Profession: Effects and Implications for Practice

Abstract

COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic that has had a detrimental effect on all facets of our life. According to the literature, the effects of COVID-19 on mental health include higher anxiety and depression levels among the general population, adverse psychological impact on their daily livelihood, and higher domestic and alcohol abuse rates. As a result, there are major implications to the counseling process. This conceptual paper discusses the effects and implications of COVID-19 on the counseling profession. It includes the general effects of COVID-19 to the counseling profession and its implication for counseling practice and intervention especially for counselor practitioners and counselor education programs.