ABSTRACT
Gatekeeping is the evaluation of student suitability for professional practice. In counselor education, instructors monitor student progress and oversee the academic and professional development of the individual entering the field of practice. Therefore, counselor educators play an incredibly important role in ensuring the health of the counseling profession. Gatekeeping is the responsibility of all counselor educators to intervene in response to skills or behavior that could threaten the welfare of future or current clients or supervisees. Sometimes counselor educators struggle with what feels like a collision of values when they identify as a helping professional yet are expected to potentially remediate or even recommend dismissal for students. This chapter will educate readers on the importance of gatekeeping as applied to both skill development as well as professional comportment. It includes an overview of developing, implementing, and assessing the outcomes of a remediation plan.
