Student clinical competence in Master's counselling programs
Date
2001
Authors
Brown, Julie May
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Abstract
The Coordinators of Master's level Counselling Programs in Canada were surveyed in order to determine the incidence of student counsellor incompetence, to examine the mechanisms that programs use to identify students who may be inappropriate for counselling work, and to learn how faculty and programs are managing student incompetence when it is identified. Of 21 deliverable surveys, 13 usable returns were yielded providing a response rate of 62%. Descriptive analysis was conducted on the data and patterns in the manner that programs are identifying and managing incompetency was noted. Noteworthy was the fact that eight programs (62%) reported having a formal written policy to deal with clinical incompetence. Transcripts, Resume/Previous Experience, and Reference Letters were reported as the most commonly used procedures to determine student applicants appropriateness for counselling work. Ten respondents (77%) reported one or more occurrences of incompetence in the past five years with lack of response to supervision and inadequate counselling skills reported as being the most common types of incompetence. Referral to personal counselling and increasing supervision were the most common methods of remediation. Seven respondents (55%) reported iii having dismissed one or more students in the past five years due to clinical incompetence. Analysis was conducted on the returned policies according to due process guidelines.