The educational setting, in particular the college classroom, is a natural training ground for fostering critical thinking skills for the 21st century worker. In this study, debate is explored as a technique to help students attain mastery of content and critical thinking skills considered key to working in the field of rehabilitation counseling. Results indicate that students experience debates as more challenging and less comfortable than traditional lessons yet debates led to increased willingness to consider alternate points of view. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed. (Contains 6 tables and 5 figures.)