Ch1 PP

C
I
S
A
B

1:
R S
E
T PT
P
A CE
H
C ON
C

E
S
AS

M
S
S

T
N
E

ASSESSMENT AND COUNSELING
 Assessment is integral to every stage in the counseling process.

 Assessment enhances a counselor’s efficiency in helping a client.

WHAT IS ASSESSMENT? – Testing is only part of the process.
– Psychological tests are an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior.
– The purposes of assessment:
• Screening
• Diagnosis
• Treatment planning and goal identification
• Progress (outcome) evaluation

HOW IS ASSESSMENT USED IN COUNSELING?

• Assessing client problems
• Conceptualizing and defining client problems • Selecting and implementing effective treatments • Evaluating counseling effectiveness

ASSESSMENT COMPETENCE AND PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS

Multimethod and multirespondent assessment methods can help counselors uncover diverse client information.
Assessment results provide a concrete record and lead to enhanced credibility.
Training standards for professional counselors through CACREP guide assessment education and practice.

ASSESSMENT COMPETENCE AND PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS
CONTINUED…

– Professional counseling organizations such as the ACA and its numerous specialty areas promote best practices.
– Professional counselors should become aware of the laws and regulations pertaining to assessment in their states.
– Assessment training standards exist to ensure that only qualified individuals can administer, score, and interpret psychological and educational tests.

ASSESSMENT TERMS AND CONCEPTS
– Standardized (formal) and nonstandardized (informal) tests
• Standardized tests have specific conditions for administration, timing, and scoring that nonstandardized tests do not.
– Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests
• Norm-referenced tests allow comparison of a person’s score to the scores of a comparison group with like characteristics, while criterion-referenced tests compare a person’s score to a predetermined score or level of