The Assessment of School Counseling Competencies as a Tool to Support School Counseling Students, Supervisors, and Training Programs

Abstract

The Assessment of School Counseling Competencies (ASCC) is a measure designed to assess school counseling trainees’ student learning outcomes in four domains: (a) school counseling program development; (b) academic, career, and social/emotional student services; (c) evaluation and assessment; and (d) professional dispositions and behaviors. The ASCC aligns with standards from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs and the American School Counselor Association, supporting sound evaluation processes and continuous programmatic improvement. This article (a) reviews the developmental needs of school counselors in training and the importance of sound evaluation measures; (b) introduces the ASCC as a tool to promote the development of reflective, ethical, and effective school counseling professionals; and (c) offers implications of the ASCC for quality program evaluation and research.

Assessment of clinical mental health counseling competencies for preparation programs

“…Formalized assessments can be a valuable gatekeeping tool to measure CITs’ skill development in clinical courses (Schuermann et al., 2018); yet counseling preparation programs may lack comprehensive and empirically based assessment methods to measure CMHC competencies (Flynn & Hays, 2015). Therefore, a comprehensive counseling competency evaluation assessment grounded in professional standards may support consistent remediation and gatekeeping processes; as well as offer supervisors with objective criteria for decisions related to CITs’ remediation (Lambie & Stickl Haugen, 2021; Swank et al., 2012).…”

“…Lastly, both supervisors and CITs sign and receive a copy of the ACMHCC evaluation, indicating the evaluation was completed and feedback was provided. This type of formal procedure can enhance accountability to foster students’ growth and investment in the process (Lambie & Stickl Haugen, 2021).…”

“…Therefore, practicum and internship represent important times to assess CITs’ competencies as they align with professional standards (Hamlet & Burnes, 2013). However, assessing counseling competencies in a consistent manner is challenging for preparation programs, and there is limited research on assessing counseling competencies in a sound fashion (DePue & Lambie, 2014; Lambie et al., 2018; Lambie & Stickl Haugen, 2021).…”

On the Association between Academic Studies and Professional Training – The Case of School Counseling Do Academic Studies Train School Counselors for Their Work, as Perceived by Them Retrospectively?

“…Despite the great significance of training for such a complex role, almost no studies have been conducted to evaluate the study programs and practical training of future school counselors (Lambie et al, 2018;Swank Lambie, & Witta, 2012). Lambie and Stickl Haugen (2021) developed a measure for evaluating the satisfaction of school counseling students during their practical training. Nevertheless, the professional skills acquired by the counselors during their training as evaluated by them while already on the job have not been assessed.…”

“…A good practical training builds the foundations of a successful career. The hours which students spend at school in fieldwork are the moments when the theoretical knowledge from books, discussions, and simulations in the classroom applied in practicing counseling in the schools (Gruman & Purgason, 2019;Lambie & Haugen, 2021).…”