ABSTRACT
The implementation of assessment practices appropriate to the counselor’s specialization is a central skill in the practice of professional counseling. The standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP, 2009) require as part of the core curriculum that all specializations include instruction in “basic concepts of standardized and non-standardized testing and other norm referenced and criterion referenced assessment, environmental assessment, performance assessment, individual and group testing and inventory materials, personality testing and behavioral observation” (G.7.b). The specializations of addictions counseling and mental health counseling also require instruction in the use of the diagnostic classifications of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The proposed 2016 CACREP Standards, Draft 2 (CACREP, 2013), include the use of assessments for diagnostic and intervention purposes (G.7.e); the use of assessment relevant to academic, career, personal, and social development (G.7.i); and the use of assessment results to diagnose developmental, behavioral, and mental disorders (G.7.l). The specializations of addictions counseling; clinical rehabilitation counseling; marriage, couple, and family counseling; and clinical mental health counseling will also require instruction in the DSM and International Classification of Disorders (ICD) diagnostic classification system. The practicum and internship experience provides the counselor-in-training with the opportunity to implement assessment and testing practices under supervision.
