Counselor Cognitions: General and Domain‐Specific Complexity

Abstract

Counselor cognitive complexity is an important factor in counseling efficacy. The Counselor Cognitions Questionnaire (L. E. Welfare, 2006) and the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (J. Loevinger & R. Wessler, 1970) were used to explore the nature of general and domain-specific cognitive complexity. Counseling experience, supervisory experience, counselor education experience, and highest counseling degree completed were identified as significant predictors of counselor cognitive complexity. Implications for counselor education are discussed.

Attending to Diversity Representation Among Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) Master’s Programs: A Pilot Study

“…While exploring extant counselor education research that reported student demographic data (see Dickson et al 2008;Greason and Cashwell 2009;Smith et al 2007;Welfare and Borders 2010), it quickly became clear that almost all racially/ethnically diverse groups were under-represented compared to their proportions within the general U.S. population and the national pool of bachelor's degree recipients (see Table 1). Although Asian Americans earned a higher percentage of bachelor's degrees compared to their proportion of the U.S. population, they were under-represented in all the counselor education studies reviewed by the authors.…”

The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision Volume 6 Issue 2 Fall 2014

“…Therefore, this author suggests that integrating client feedback practices into counselor training can enhance the ability to develop counselors in training in the most critical areas: skill competence, cognitive complexity, and client matching models that include the identification of appropriate evidence based practices (Sexton, 1999). Each of these can be fostered and enhanced over time both through pedagogical approaches within the classroom that target cognitive complexity and reflective practice (Granello, 2010;Welfare & Borders, 2010), systematic and routine delivery of feedback from a more knowledgeable other (Schmidt & Adkins, 2011), as well as a classroom culture that allows for support and challenge (McAuliffe, & Eriksen, 2000;Wheeler, 2000).…”

“…Counselor cognitive complexity refers to a counselor's ability to identify and integrate many ambiguous pieces of knowledge in order to gain an accurate understanding of the client's needs, the interpersonal dynamics, and the treatment implications (Welfare & Borders, 2010). The process of growth in this area is developmental; students begin their studies at variable levels of complexity and educators seek to support and challenge their progression throughout their time in the program.…”

A Problem-Based Approach to Skill Acquisition and Cognitive Complexity with Pre-Practicum Supervisees

“…Effective counseling practice includes the ability of counseling trainees to respond in a flexible, competent, and generative manner when faced with variable and complex processes that occur in the immediacy of counseling sessions (Hawley, 2006; Downloaded by [Florida International University] Wheeler & D'Andrea, 2004). The complex processes of counseling require that counseling trainees develop sophisticated cognitive schemas (i.e., cognitive structures that serve to allow one to interpret the world) in order to be effective in their professional roles (Duys & Hedstrom, 2000;Welfare & Borders, 2010). Cognitive complexity is the ability to absorb and integrate information into schemas so that it may be translated into skills.…”