A Model to Systematize Competencies in Counselor Education

Abstract

A domain of 2,186 competency statements was collected from a survey of counseling professionals, liteature, and counselor education programs. An examination of these statements revealed they were written at various levels of specificity and often the areas of knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics were confounded within a single statement. A concept analysis showed that competency statements have not been written for all of the duties performed by counselors. This article presents a model to rewrite existing competency statements in a standardized format; eliminating the problems of nonspecific, confounded, and missing competencies. Examples of the application of the model are given.

Criteria of Nonacademic Characteristics Used to Evaluate and Retain Community Counseling Students

“…More specifically, competent counselors have been referred to as having the following personal characteristics: emotional security, sincerity, extroversion, positive self-concept, patience (Bemak, Epp, & Keys, 1999;Chiko, Tolsma, Kahn, & Marks, 1980), interpersonal competence, openness to professional self-development, and understanding (Bradley & Post, 1991). Other qualities of competent counselors may also include goodwill, a recognition and acceptance of one's personal power, a willingness to be open, having self-respect, a growth orientation, approachability, trustworthiness, and a sense of humor (Atkinson & Wampold, 1982;Corey et al, 1998).…”

Role and Competencies of Family Court Counselors*

“…The competency model created in this study is based upon a general taxonomy of competencies proposed by Tolsma, Chiko, Marks, Kahn, Friesen (1977) and Chiko, Tolsma, Kahn and Marks (1980). In this taxonomy and the model generated for this project, competencies are divided into three areas; knowledge, skills and personal c h a racter ist ic state men ts.…”

Counselor Education and the Psychology of More

“…A number of publications that attempt to delineate key competencies needed by counselors are already available (ACES, 1977(ACES, , 1978aChiko, Tolsma, Kahn, & Marks, 1980;Dameron, 1980;Remer, Omvig, & Watson, 1978). The Dameron (1980) publication, for example, outlines 10 program-areas and 113 specific competencies that fall within those areas.…”