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Score

Primary Counseling Skill(s)

Specific Counseling Descriptors

Exceeds Expectations / Demonstrates Competencies

(5)

Meets Expectations / Demonstrates Competencies

(4)

Near Expectations / Developing towards Competencies

(3)

Below Expectations / Unacceptable

(2)

Harmful

(1)

1.A

Nonverbal Skills

Includes Body Position, Eye Contact, Posture, Distance from Client, Voice Tone, Rate of Speech, Use of silence, etc. (matches client)

Demonstrates effective nonverbal communication skills, conveying connectedness & empathy (85%).

Demonstrates effective nonverbal communication skills for the majority of counseling sessions (70%)

Demonstrates some inconsistency in his or her nonverbal communication skills.

Demonstrates limited nonverbal communication skills.

Ignores client &/or gives judgmental looks.

1.B

Encouragers

Includes Minimal Encouragers & Door Openers such as “Tell me more about…”, “Hmm”

Demonstrates appropriate use of encouragers, which supports development of a therapeutic relationship (85%).

Demonstrates appropriate use of encouragers for the majority of counseling sessions, which supports development of a therapeutic relationship (70%)

Demonstrates some inconsistency in his or her use of appropriate encouragers.

Demonstrates limited ability to use appropriate encouragers.

Uses skills in a judgmental manner.

1.C

Questions

Use of Appropriate Open & Closed Questioning (e.g., avoidance of double questions)

Demonstrates appropriate use of open & close-ended questions, with an emphasis on open-ended question (85%).

Demonstrates appropriate use of open & close-ended questions for the majority of counseling sessions (70%).

Demonstrates some inconsistency in using open-ended questions & may use closed questions for prolonged periods.

Uses open-ended questions sparingly & with limited effectiveness.

Uses multiple questions at one time

1.D

Reflecting a

Paraphrasing

Basic Reflection of Content – Paraphrasing

Demonstrates appropriate use of paraphrasing as a primary therapeutic approach (85%).

Demonstrates appropriate use of paraphrasing (majority of counseling sessions; 70%).

Demonstrates paraphrasing somewhat inconsistently & inaccurately or sometimes mechanical or parroted responses.

Demonstrates limited proficiency in paraphrasing or is often inaccurate.

Judgmental, dismissing, &/or overshoots

1.E

Reflecting b

Affect

Reflection of Feelings

Demonstrates appropriate use of reflection of feelings as a primary approach (85%).

Demonstrates appropriate use of reflection of feelings (majority of counseling sessions; 70%).

Demonstrates reflection of feelings somewhat inconsistently & sometimes is not matching the client.

Demonstrates limited proficiency in reflecting feelings &/or is often inaccurate.

Judgmental, dismissing, &/or overshoots

1.F

Reflecting c

Summarizing

Summarizing content, feelings, behaviors, & future plans

Demonstrates consistent ability to use summarization to include content, feelings, behaviors, and future plans (85%).

Demonstrates ability to appropriately use summarization to include content, feelings, behaviors, and future plans (majority of counseling sessions; 70%).

Sometimes demonstrates inconsistent & inaccurate ability to use summarization.

Demonstrates limited ability to use summarization.

Judgmental, dismissing, &/or overshoots

1.

G

Advanced Reflection

(Meaning)

Advanced Reflection of Meaning including Values and Core Beliefs (taking counseling to a deeper level)

Demonstrates consistent use of advanced reflection & promotes discussions of greater depth during counseling sessions (85%).

Demonstrates ability to appropriately use advanced reflection, supporting increased exploration in session (majority of counseling sessions; 70%).

Sometimes demonstrates inconsistent & inaccurate ability to use advanced reflection. Counseling sessions may appear superficial at times.

Demonstrates limited ability to use advanced reflection &/or switches topics in counseling often.

Judgmental, dismissing, &/or overshoots

#

Score

Primary Counseling Skill(s)

Specific Counseling Descriptors

Exceeds Expectations / Demonstrates Competencies

(5)

Meets Expectations / Demonstrates Competencies

(4)

Near Expectations / Developing towards Competencies

(3)

Below Expectations / Unacceptable

(2)

Harmful

(1)

1.H

Confrontation

Counselor challenges client to recognize & evaluate inconsistencies.

Demonstrates the ability to challenge clients through verbalizing inconsistencies & discrepancies in the client’s words &/or actions in a supportive fashion. Balance of challenge & support (85%).

Demonstrates the ability to challenge clients through verbalizing inconsistencies & discrepancies in the client’s words &/or actions in a supportive fashion (can confront, but hesitant) or was not needed and therefore appropriately not used (majority of counseling sessions; 70%).

Sometimes demonstrates inconsistent ability to challenge clients through verbalizing inconsistencies & discrepancies in client’s words &/or actions in a supportive fashion. Used minimally/missed opportunity.

Demonstrates limited ability to challenge clients through verbalizing discrepancies in the client’s words &/or actions in a supportive & caring fashion, &/or skill is lacking.

Degrading client, harsh, judgmental, &/or being aggressive

1.

I

Goal Setting

Counselor collaborates with client to establish realistic, appropriate, & attainable therapeutic goals

Demonstrates consistent ability to establish collaborative & appropriate therapeutic goals with client (85%).

Demonstrates ability to establish collaborative & appropriate therapeutic goals with client (majority of counseling sessions; 70%).

Sometimes demonstrates inconsistent ability to establish collaborative & appropriate therapeutic goals with client.

Demonstrates limited ability to establish collaborative, appropriate therapeutic goals with client.

No therapeutic goals collaboratively established

1.

J

Focus of Counseling

Counselor focuses (or refocuses) client on his or her therapeutic goals – i.e., purposeful counseling

Demonstrates consistent ability to focus &/or refocus counseling on client’s goal attainment (85%).

Demonstrates ability to focus &/or refocus counseling on client’s goal attainment (majority of counseling sessions; 70%).

Sometimes demonstrates inconsistent ability to focus &/or refocus counseling on client’s therapeutic goal attainment.

Demonstrates limited ability to focus &/or refocus counseling on client’s therapeutic goal attainment.

Superficial, &/or moves focus away from client

1.K

Facilitate Therapeutic Environment a

Expresses accurate empathy & care. Counselor is “present” and open to client. (includes immediacy and concreteness)

Demonstrates consistent ability to be empathic & uses appropriate responses (85%).

Demonstrates ability to be empathic & uses appropriate responses (majority of counseling sessions; 70%).

Sometimes demonstrates inconsistent ability to be empathic &/or use appropriate responses.

Demonstrates limited ability to be empathic &/or uses appropriate responses.

Creates unsafe space for client

1.L

Facilitate Therapeutic Environment b

Counselor expresses appropriate respect & unconditional positive regard

Demonstrates consistent ability to be respectful, accepting, & caring with clients (85%).

Demonstrates ability to be respectful, accepting, & caring with clients (majority of counseling sessions; 70%).

Sometimes demonstrates inconsistent ability to be respectful, accepting, & caring.

Demonstrates limited ability to be respectful, accepting, &/or caring.

Demonstrates conditional or negative respect for client

Cultivating Change Talk

Low

High

1

2

3

4

5

Clinician shows no explicit attention to, or preference for, the client’s language in favor of changing

Clinician sporadically attends to client language in favor of change – frequently misses opportunities to encourage change talk

Clinician often attends to the client’s language in favor of change, but misses some opportunities to encourage change talk

Clinician consistently attends to the client’s language about change and makes efforts to encourage it

Clinician shows a marked and consistent effort to increase the depth, strength, or momentum of the client’s language in favor of change

Softening Sustain Talk

Low

High

1

2

3

4

5

Clinician consistently responds to the client’s language in a manner that facilitates the frequency or depth of arguments in favor of the status quo.

Clinician usually chooses to explore, focus on, or respond to the client’s language in favor of the status quo.

Clinician gives preference to the client’s language in favor of the status quo, but may show some instances of shifting the focus away from sustain talk.

Clinician typically avoids an emphasis on client language favoring the status quo.

Clinician shows a marked and consistent effort to decrease the depth, strength, or momentum of the client’s language in favor of the status quo.

Partnership

Low

High

1

2

3

4

5

Clinician actively assumes the expert role for the majority of the interaction with the client.

Collaboration or partnership is absent.

Clinician superficially responds to opportunities to collaborate.

Clinician incorporates client’s contributions but does so in a lukewarm or erratic fashion.

Clinician fosters collaboration and power sharing so that client’s contributions impact the session in ways that they otherwise would not.

Clinician actively fosters and encourages power sharing in the interaction in such a way that client’s contributions substantially influence the nature of the session.

Empathy

Low

High

1

2

3

4

5

Clinician gives little or no attention to the client’s perspective.

Clinician makes sporadic efforts to explore the client’s perspective.

Clinician’s understanding may be inaccurate or may detract from the client’s true meaning.

Clinician is actively trying to understand the client’s perspective, with modest success.

Clinician makes active and repeated efforts to understand the client’s point of view. Shows evidence of accurate understanding of the client’s worldview, although mostly limited to explicit content.

Clinician shows evidence of deep understanding of client’s point of view, not just for what has been explicitly stated but what the client means but has not yet said.