Evaluating Counseling Practicum Students

The purpose of this study was to determine significant differences in the self-ratings of counseling practicum students, their supervisor, and practicum assistants using the Counselor Evaluation Rating Scale (CERS). Subjects of the study were 25 master's degree students enrolled in practicum over three successive semesters at a southwestern university. A series of one-way analyses of variance of responses to the rating scale were used to determine significant differences in the mean ratings among the three groups. Findings indicated significant differences for 9 of the 27 items on the instrument, with most of the differences attributed to the students' higher ratings and differences in ratings between students and practicum assistants.     

Using Simulation Techniques in the Counseling Practicum

To help meet the need to educate school counselors in the broader aspects of their work, the application of simulation techniques is suggested. A rationale is provided with discussion centering on the following points: (a) simulation offers an opportunity to provide specific training emphases, and (b) simulation offers a way of providing a wide range of counseling and guidance experiences not easily obtainable under regular practicum conditions. Specific examples of simulation are described, including a case study, a PTA speech, a teachers' meeting, a counselor's day, and a school board presentation. Benefits for counselor education programs which can be realized from simulation experiences also are discussed. Rather than choosing actors to play roles it is suggested that practicing counselors, state department personnel, doctoral students, and counselor education faculty should participate in simulation activities. As role players, they will gain an appreciation of current trends in the education of counselors.     

Use of the Collaborative Drawing Technique in School Counseling Practicum: An Illustration of Family Systems

According to the extant school consultation literature, counselors can effectively use brief family interventions and family assessment procedures in schools as part of a collaborative consultation approach. School counselors, however, often lack training in family systems theory, because counselor training programs tend to use individual counseling models. When used in a school counselor practicum course, the Collaborative Drawing Technique (CDT; G. M. Smith, 1985) introduces counselors‐in‐training to family systems concepts and lays the foundation for postgraduate training in family systems. The authors use a case illustration to explore paradigmatic shifts in trainees' case conceptualizations as a function of their use of the CDT with a family.     

Suggestions for Teaching an Advanced Career Counseling Practicum

Counselor educators need to explore methods for enhancing students' career counseling knowledge and competencies. Suggestions are offered for conducting an advanced career counseling practicum as one such opportunity.     

Ethical Dilemmas in College Counseling:

Since 1988, the Professional Development Committee of ACPA Commission VII has written a column focusing on ethical dilemmas that face counselors and psychotherapists in a college setting. "Dear Doctor Ethics" has become extremely popular in the commission, and this article shares the first two years of the good doctor's work with counselors who are not Commission VII members. A commentary follows which compares and contrasts five ethical codes utilized by pscyhotherapists who work with college students.     

Evaluation of Counseling Practicum: National Study of Programs Accredited by CACREP

This study assessed the current status of practicum training in counselor education programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Findings and implications for counselor training are discussed.     

A Scale for Evaluating Practicum Students in Counseling and Supervision

This article presents an instrument, the Counselor Evaluation Rating Scale, which can be used as an aid in the systematic evaluation of a student counselor in a supervised counseling experience. Development of the CERS and its reliability are discussed. Some suggestions are offered as to how the instrument can serve as a useful tool for supervisors when faced with the task of conceptualizing and communicating an evaluation.     

Using Cognitive Interventions With Counseling Practicum Students During Group Supervision

The authors argue that students in counseling practicum courses experience many self‐defeating thoughts and anxieties. These worries can impede their performance as new counselors and can have a negative impact on the supervision process. The authors outline innovative methods used by cognitive therapists to address this anxiety. In addition, a model is presented for counselor educators to use cognitive restructuring techniques as a supervision tool. Summary Throughout their studies, counseling graduate students face many possible fears and anxieties that arise from their classroom experiences. The greatest fears and anxieties seem to be related to the counseling practicum experience. This experience is one in which students may feel incompetent, vulnerable, and unskilled as they begin to put their classroom knowledge and experiences into practice. If these fears and anxieties persist, students have a hard time making progress in the area of the counseling relationship and skill building. We have examined how practicum students' fears and anxieties might be addressed, using cognitive interventions. Such interventions allow students to take irrational thoughts and change them to rational thought patterns. This is accomplished by asking students to state their fears verbally, to think about the effects of the fears and the consequences, to think about intervening beliefs and thoughts, and to restate the fears in a rational manner. Our experience suggests that cognitive interventions are useful strategies to help practicum students combat fears and anxieties. Further research might examine the use of other behavioral interventions to address these fears. For example, does role‐playing a counseling technique in supervision make a student less anxious about applying it in a real counseling session? In summary, fear and anxiety can impede the preparation of counselors during their practicum experiences. Understanding the underlying thoughts that cause these fears can help students overcome self‐defeating thought patterns. Cognitive restructuring techniques have been shown to reduce tension and can be used with counseling practicum students to help relieve performance and supervision anxiety.