Introduces special journal issue which contains 58 personal accounts of the impact of direct experience on counselor development. Defines these experiences as "critical incidents," explores the impact of critical incidents on counselor education, describes theoretical perspectives, and explains the development of the special journal…

The critical incident technique is an exploratory qualitative method of research which generates a comprehensive and detailed description of a content domain. It consists of asking eyewitness observers for factual accounts of behaviors (incidents) which signficantly contribute to a specified outcome (are critical). This paper illustrates how to do…

The four most common techniques for assessing continuing education needs in the health professions are quality assessment, critical incident techniques, surveys, and literature searches. Each method tends to reflect different needs, real or felt. (SK)

A systems model is presented which combines critical incident research techniques and systems methodology to improve individual decision-making. The model: (1) revolves around a critical incident approach to understanding personal history of decision-making in several environments such as family, educational, and vocational; (2) utilizes the…

The management strategy of calling attention to problems and labeling them as crises is discussed as a method of coping with prolonged periods of shrinking resources. Part I, "Entering the Realm of Crisis," discusses the importance of defining a crisis, the crisis as an organizational good, and when to declare a crisis. Two types of…