Assessment in Counseling and Process of Recovery

Assessment in Counseling

Evaluate your position on the role of assessment in counseling and compare it to your initial ideas at the beginning of the course in the Unit 1 discussion. What are your expectations for assessments in practice? How important are understanding assessment constructs to choosing the appropriate assessments in practice (reliability or validity)? What contributed most to your understanding of assessment in counseling? Discuss the experience of completing and scoring assessments, interpreting results, and the practice of reporting results.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the main discussion post of at least one learner. What reactions do you have to the ideas presented? Include examples from the course readings, scholarly literature, and practical experiences to support your perspective, and raise questions to continue the discussion.

Learner: LaShandra Dupree 

Assessment in Counseling

COLLAPSE

In the practice of CMHC, I expect assessments to assist me with measuring the client’s issues, understanding the client’s issues, choosing the most helpful and appropriate treatments, and appraise the effectiveness of my counseling.  When choosing the appropriate assessment, the constructs of reliability and validity are critical.  Learning about reliability and validity contributed mostly to my understanding of assessment.  Before learning about these constructs, I did not know how significant measuring assessments against one another in order to choose an appropriate assessment.  I assumed all assessments were validated by an authoritative source such as the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association [AERA], American Psychological Association [APA], or the National Council on Measurement in Education [NCME].  It is important to measure whether the results of the assessment are constant and consistent (reliability).  These test results can have a significant impact on a person’s life and it is imperative that the assessment tool has relatively high reliability coefficients that are applicable to the examinee.  It is also important to ensure the assessment actually measures the construct(s) that it proposes to measure and to what degree (validity).  Before using an assessment, the counselor should assess the validation research to determine the utility of the assessment for the client.  The content, criteria, and consequences should be considered across several constructs and coefficients.  I found that completing assessments can be somewhat easy for me.  But the ease of completion depends on who the assessment was developed for.  Interpreting results for the GAD7and the C-SSRS was logical and rational.  Each answer to each question was assigned a value that contributed to a total score.  There were ranges provided to determine what those scores meant.  However, some of the discussions about interpreting other instruments (formal and informal) were very confusing for me.  When interpreting and communicating test results, the counselor will take into consideration cultural factors such as age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, etc.  Using interview skills, the counselor should consider the client’s worldview, family background, cultural explanations for the presenting issue, and cultural dynamics of the counseling relationship.  The counselor should intertwine test results throughout the counseling process focusing on the client’s questions and reactions towards the results rather than the results themselves ensuring the dialogue is a positive experience for the client.   In the beginning of this course, I chose to focus on the assessment role of treatment monitoring systems.  PCOMs is quick and easy and provides instant feedback regarding the outcome of treatment.  OQ-Analyst also provides instant feedback once a client completes a session.  iAx provided personalized instant feedback.  The ultimate goal is to help the client feel better.  This type of feedback will allow me to make adjustments as needed in real time improving the efficiency of client treatment.  It increases conversation, clarity, focus, and understanding consistently throughout the counseling process.  After learning more about reliability, validity, scoring, interpretation, and reporting of assessments, it my opinion that treatment monitoring is just as important.  After doing due diligence in those necessary areas, it would be a disservice to the client if the counselor does not go a step further to ensure that the assessment chosen is actually helping the client. 

WWhiston, S. C. (2020). Principles and Applications of Assessment in Counseling (5th ed.). Cengage Limited.

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Process of Recovery

After reading this unit's materials, discuss the importance of recovery maintenance. Include the essential components of recovery including the role of self-help groups and provide examples.

Response Guidelines

Read the posts of other learners and respond to at least two. In your response, evaluate their discussion about the importance of recovery maintenance. Use citations from your readings and research to support your evaluations and questions.

Learner 1:

Katrina Marchand 

week 9 discussion 2

COLLAPSE

Recovery is a “process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life and strive to reach their full potential” (SAMHSA’s WORKING DEFINITION OF, 2012). The 10 core principals of recovery are; hope, personal driver, many pathways, holistic, peer support, relational, culture, trauma, strength/ responsibility, and respect (SAMHSA’s WORKING DEFINITION OF, 2012).

Hope is a belief or strategies that will provide a better future. It help’s a person work towards overcoming internal and external challenges or road blocks and allowing them to resolve them in a healthy way.  Hope is a natural emotion that is cultivated by families, peers, teachers, providers, mentors and others. I picked this core principal because I feel it is the most important of all the principals.  Hope will guide us from the dark back to the light with a little encouragement.

SAMHSA’s WORKING DEFINITION OF. (2012). https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/pep12-recdef.pdf

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Learner 2:

Week 9 Discussion 2

COLLAPSE

After this week’s reading on the ten principles of recovery, I chose to analyze the “Person-driven” principle. This principle empowers the client in many ways and I think works well for many because it allows them not only the autonomy, but also puts the responsibility of recovery in their hands. Their success will be because of the discipline and self-control together with all else involved in the recovery process. The principles focus is that recovery is person-driven. Self-determination and self-direction are the foundations for recovery as individuals define their own life goals and design their unique path(s) towards those goals. Individuals optimize their autonomy and independence to the greatest extent possible by leading, controlling, and exercising choice over the services and supports that assist their recovery and resilience. In so doing, they are empowered and provided the resources to make informed decisions, initiate recovery, build on their strengths, and gain or regain control over their lives (page 4).One of the articles I came across deals with recovery from eating disorders and the importance of having the hope and a fulfilled life all throughout the recovery process. I found this article to be helpful and can also apply to those with substance abuse conditions. According to Wetzler et al. (2020), “With the evolution of person-centered recovery approaches, which recognizes people with lived-experience as experts in their own recovery, mental health practitioners can reciprocally work with people to understand, live with, and manage eating disorders while pursuing a life filled with hope, meaning, and (re) creating a positive and accepting sense of self” (page 1201).

Reference

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2010). SAMHSA's working definition of recovery. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/pep12-recdef.pdf

 Wetzler, S., Hackmann, C., Peryer, G., Clayman, K., Friedman, D., Saffran, K., Silver, J., Swarbrick, M., Magill, E., Furth, E. F., & Pike, K. M. (2020). A framework to conceptualize personal recovery from eating disorders: A systematic review and qualitative meta‐synthesis of perspectives from individuals with lived experience. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(8), 1188-1203. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23260

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• Personal Reflection Notes Chapter 3
• Annie's Anxiety-Navigating Models, Assessments, and Systemic Perspectives for Understanding
• Discussion 2
• Self Assessment Journal Entry
• Case Scenario Eve
• Fostering Communication and Empathy
• Letter to Addiction Facility Director
• Self-Care for Families Struggling with Addiction Introduction
• Perspective on Self-care
• Interventions