A Delphi Study Exploring Scope and Sequence of Trauma Education in Counselor Education Master Level Council of Accreditation of Counseling Related Education Programs

The growing awareness of trauma and its impacts on the social, emotional, and overall wellness of individuals, couples, and families underscores the need for counselor educators to prepare counselors to address trauma symptoms effectively. To bridge this gap, counselor education programs can benefit from expert guidance on the content scope and course sequencing of trauma education in master’s programs. This research aimed to articulate trauma education scope and sequencing by gathering expert recommendations on best practices for trauma knowledge, awareness, and skill development through clinical experiences in counselor education programs. The grand research question explored expert opinions and beliefs about critical elements of trauma education, including educator experiences, academic content, and learning scope and sequence, in council of accreditation of counseling related education programs (CACREP) accredited master’s programs. Using the Delphi method, a qualitative approach with quantitative aspects for consensus building, 14 voluntary experts were recruited via purposeful and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis of Survey #1 informed the creation of Survey #2 items, which utilized Likert scales and iv rankings to prioritize and reduce variability in responses. Descriptive and interquartile range analyses assessed consensus on the 24 Survey #2 items, with eight participants completing the second phase. This study resulted in recommended criteria for counselor educators teaching trauma courses, eight learning objectives, six primary content areas, and suggested pre-requisite coursework for sequencing a trauma course. Consensus was achieved during the second Delphi round, contributing to a framework for integrating trauma education into counselor training programs effectively.