View from the witness stand: licensed counselors’ experiences providing court testimony

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how licensed professional counselors (LPCs) experienced court testimony. Data was collected through interviews with 11 LPCs, all graduates from CACREP accredited programs. The following four themes emerged: (1) unprepared for court testimony; (2) ethical dilemmas in court testimony; (3) emotional responses to court testimony; and (4) professional identity and court testimony. The authors provide suggestions for training programs to contextualize court testimony within counselor professional identity.