Counselor Educaton Accountability

Brott, Pamelia E. (2006, December). Counselor Education Accountability: Training the Effective Professional School Counselor. Professional School Counseling 10(2), 179-188.

Accountability is required in all professions today. In recent years, accountability has been demanded of school counselors (Brott, 2006). Historically, school counselors were seldom asked to provide any measure of their effectiveness, i.e., they were not asked to be accountable. According to the article this has all changed, in fact, school counselors are becoming more involved in leadership and collaboration within the school.

The author, Brott (2006) asserts that school counselor accountability must begin in counselor education programs, which, in turn, means that school counselor education programs must instill the need for accountability, i.e., effectiveness (Brott, 2006). Counselors should have some ways of demonstrating their effectiveness in the school setting (Brott, 2006). Effectiveness must be demonstrated in measurable terms which is what the author of this article tries to prove.

There are numerous standards that can be used to measure effectiveness, such as the standards published by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), counselor education accreditation standards, ethical standards from ASCA, by using "the scientist-practitioner training model" (Brott, 2006, p. 179) and standards can even be found in the literature (Brott, 2006). In one of its publications ACSA tells counselors to ask the question: "How are students different as a result of the school counseling program?" (Brott, 2006, p. 179). This is certainly the question that addresses effectiveness.

The author points out that before one can measure effectiveness, it is crucial to know what it is you want to know (Brott, 2006). In other words, you cannot measure anything if you don't know exactly what it is you want to measure. The author offers some possibilities, such as an outcome assessment that looks at "student improvement, reduction of symptoms/behaviors" (Brott, 2006, p. 179). Other possibilities include the competence one has in specific techniques or how specific functions are performed (Brott, 2006). Another important factor of measuring effectiveness is to use more than one source of data to measure the outcomes (Brott, 2006). Accountability and demonstrating one's effectiveness is something that should become part of the school counselor's identity (Brott, 2006). The author says:

School counselors should embrace accountability as a professional obligation and as a reflection of one's professional identity by reporting the effectiveness of the services and of the program (Brott, 2006, p. 179).

also comments that school counselors are developing new professional

identities, one that includes the need to demonstrate the effectiveness of the counseling program in the school. However, the calendars and logs that were once kept to demonstrate the counselor's work are no longer adequate . While these demonstrate the services delivered, they do not demonstrate the effectiveness of the counseling program. It is now essential for school counselors to try and demonstrate their effectiveness of the entire counseling program, which now goes beyond the specific services the counselor may have provided.

The author asserts that incorporating such an attitude is something that begins in training (Brott, 2006). Therefore one of the missions of a school counselor education program is to train effective counselors (Brott, 2006). And, one method for meeting this goal is to offer a more pragmatic, hands-on program or, as this author put it: "learn by doing" (Brott, 2006, p. 179). If this type of instructional approach is used, students in the school counselor education program will receive "the necessary knowledge, skills, and application for demonstrating the effectiveness" (Brott, 2006, p. 179). The author argues that it is essential for a counselor education program to include accountability in all courses (Brott, 2006). This will lead to these candidates incorporating effectiveness in their own professional identity (Brott, 2006).

Brott (2006) argues that counselor educators must also be accountable in terms of training effective school counselors. The goal of school counselor candidates internalizing accountability and effectiveness in their own professional identity should be viewed as a goal throughout the training program (Brott, 2006). This is accomplished by perceiving the training program "as a dynamic opportunity for learning that speaks to the structuring phase of professional identity development" (Brott, 2006, p. 179). The author cites from Brott and Myers who proposed four different phases of developing a professional identity: "structuring, interacting, distinguishing, evolving" (Brott, 2006, p. 179). Brott (2006) discusses only the structuring phase because this is the phase that deals directly with counselor education program. Structuring is founded on external influences, such as the courses and other training one receives in a counselor education program (Brott, 2006, p. 179). It provides the trainee with a frame of reference for their professional identity (Brott, 2006). In other words, the training program is "a critical aspect for developing one's self-conceptualization as a professional school counselor" (Brott, 2006, p. 179).

Brott (2006) identifies some of the courses in which she integrates opportunities for school counselor students to demonstrate accountability. The author relates these courses