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Competencies for Counsellors

In the interest of supporting you to grow into these core counselling competencies, as well as more deeply familiarize yourself with them, I invite you to evaluate yourself prior to beginning your supervision sessions for the year.

I will not share your competency self-assessment with any outside governing body. I simply invite you to honestly share how you would like to grow, celebrate where you are doing well, and pinpoint where you need to round out your learning in this confidential form.

Rating Scale:

5 = Clearly Outstanding

4 = Exceed Standard

3 = Meet Standard

2 = Below Expectation

1 = Unsatisfactory

NA = Not Applicable

I invite you to rate yourself using the scale above and then share a bit of your personal experience in each area of competency in the form below. Please note that I offer suggestions for sharing to offer you a direct experience of the core competencies but feel free to be creative with your answers.

Name and ACCT Membership ID #

Date

Competency 1: Foundational Principles

1. How well do you integrate knowledge of therapeutic modalities, frameworks and strategies and apply them effectively into your practice? (Share your primary modalities and give an example of how you implement them.)

2. How well do you integrate your understanding of developmental transitions across the lifespan into your practice? (Share one thing you know about developmental transitions.)

3. How well do you integrate the knowledge of contextual and systemic factors that affect human functioning? (Share one thing you understand about context and systemic factors in your therapy practice.)

4. How well do you integrate your knowledge of human nature, and understand how problems develop from the viewpoint of your theoretical orientation? (Share one thing you understand about human nature.)

5. How well do you recognize how your values and biases may affect diverse clients? (Share one of your biases and how you would work with it in a counselling setting.)

6. How well do you integrate your knowledge and adapt your approach when working with diversity? (Share an example in reference to age, gender, ethnicity, levels of ability, language, spiritual beliefs, educational achievement or sexuality.)

Competency 2: Collegial Relations

1. How well do you communicate clearly and effectively with other helping professionals? (Please share an example.)

2. How well do you show respect and maintain healthy boundaries? (Please share an example.)

3. How effectively do you deal with potential or actual conflict? (Please share an example.)

4. How well do you honour your commitments and act with integrity? (Please share an example.)

5. How aware are you of client vulnerability and your influence as a therapist? (Please share an example.)

6. How well do you collaborate when appropriate with other professionals for mutual client care? (Please share an example.)

7. How well do you consult with culturally relevant colleagues when appropriate? (Please share an example.)

Competency 3: Professional Practice and Ethics

1. How well do you adhere to provincial and federal laws and regulations? (Please share one example.)

2. How well do you operate within your scope of practice, employing therapy within your level of skill and knowledge? (Please share one example.)

3. How well do you consult with and work under supervision when you are expanding your scope of practice? (Please share one example.)

4. How well do you adhere to legal and ethical standards of counselling practice? (Please share one example.)

5. How well do you demonstrate professional and ethical conduct with colleagues and clients? (Please share one example.)

6. How well do you maintain wellness practices, supervision and professional development?(Please share one example.)

7. How well do you demonstrate time management skills? (Please share one example.)

8. How well do you modify your professional behavior in response to constructive feedback? (Please share one example.)

9. How well do you protect client confidentiality? (Please share one example.)

10. How well do you manage the collection, use retention and destruction of client records in accordance with counselling policies and provincial laws? Please share one example.

11. How well do you demonstrate sound business practices, including liability insurance, billing procedures, ethical marketing, and confidentiality with dealing with third party billing procedures? (Please share one example.)

12. How well do you identify where advocacy for the client may be required and respond when appropriate? (Please share one example.)

Competency 4: Counselling Process

1. How well do you explain and evaluate your personal fit with a client within your scope of practice? (Please share an example.)

2. How well do you describe client confidentiality to your client? (Please share an example.)

3. How aware are you of the responsibilities of the client and therapist in the therapeutic relationship? (Please share an example.)

4. How well do you establish rapport with your clients? (Please share an example.)

5. How well do you operate in an authentic and non-judgemental manner? (Please share an example.)

6. How well do you demonstrate unconditional positive regard and a non-judgemental manner with your clients? (Please share an example.)

7. How well do you create a safe counselling environment that fosters feelings of acceptance? (Please share an example.)

8. How well do you demonstrate active listening skills (ie. validation, probing (delving deeper) techniques, paraphrasing clarification, and encouragement of emotional expression) with your clients? (Please share an example.)

9. How well do you employ micro-attendance (attention) skills, including effective verbal and non-verbal communication? (Please share an example.)

10. How well do you maintain personal and professional boundaries? (Please share an example.)

11. How would you rate your ability to maintain clear, concise and accurate client records, including documentation of client intake, case notes, assessment, treatment outcomes, and referral, collaboration with other professionals? (Please share an example.)

12. How well do you monitor your client's progress and evaluate the efficacy of treatment? (Please share an example.)

13. How well do you validate your client's progress and attend to your client strengths, vulnerabilities, resilience, and supports? (Please share an example.)

14. How well do you deal with client and therapist resistances, including transference and countertransference? (Please share an example.)

15. How well do you perform suicide, homicide, abuse and neglect screening, assessment, safety planning, and adhere to legal and ethical reporting procedures? (Please share an example.)

16. How well would you rate your knowledge of DSM categories, and your ability to recognize the presence of mental health issues, and refer to appropriate professionals? (Please share an example.)

17. How well do you maintain objectivity, and recognize when your subjectivity affects the therapeutic process, and take appropriate action to regain a therapeutic perspective? (Please share an example.)

18. How well do you respond to disruptions in the therapeutic alliance in a timely fashion including client emergencies, litigation, hospitalization, third party interference, premature endings, and insufficient funds? (Please share an example.)

19. How well do you demonstrate skill and sensitivity in terminating counselling relationships? (Please share an example.)

20. How well do you develop and implement method to assess effectiveness of yourself and your interventions and treatments? (Please share an example.)

21. How well do you demonstrate the ability to facilitate group counselling? (Please share an example.)

Competency 5: Applied Research

1. How would you rate your ability to review, evaluate, critique and apply research in the areas of counselling practice? (Please share an example.)

2. How well do you use research findings to increase your effectiveness as a therapist? (Please share an example.)

3. How often do you read current literature relevant to your practice area and apply the information to your practice? (Please share an example.)

4. How well do you assess your working hypothesis and the effectiveness of your therapeutic approach? (Please share an example.)

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