Collaborative Counseling : Using Course-Embedded Experiences to Train Skills and Foster Confidence

Abstract

Counseling is one of the eight primary practice domains of speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Despite the emphasis in our daily practice, sparse empirical evidence exists regarding the best way to train acquisition of counseling skills. While counseling is within the scope of practice of SLPs, they are considered to be non-professional counselors, as opposed to professional counselors such as psychotherapists. Therefore, they need to understand what techniques fit within that scope. Because SLPs are experts in supporting communication for persons with severe communication impairments, they are often in a position to elicit counseling moments in a way that other disciplines are not. Therefore, knowing how to manage those moments is crucial. Existing evidence suggests that practicing SLPs and recent graduates feel unprepared to deliver the counseling interventions their clients need. Collaborative-counseling is a course-embedded practical experience that uses a collaborative process to develop skills while working with real clients. Working alongside of the instructor, graduate students implement techniques with instructor assistance to assure that they provide the support the client needs. Over the course of 3-4 collaborative sessions, skills develop. This investigation examined individual student reflections and group debriefings across each of the sessions to examine development of counseling skills and self-efficacy.