Are You There, Supervisor? It's Me, Your Counselor!

In recent years counselors have attempted to clarify their role for their employers and/or supervisors. These attempts although well‐intentioned, have achieved limited success because supervisors in community mental health centers, principals in schools, deans in community colleges and universities, and employers in governmental agencies continue to heap administrative and secretarial tasks upon counselors. This leads to a reduction in counselor‐client contact hours and an increase in counselor burnout. Suggestions are presented here to help counselors understand the employers' frame of reference—an important first step in initiating change. 1980 American Counseling Association