Counseling Practicum
Competency Checklist
Updated July
Student Name: Semester/Year: Site:
Supervising Faculty/Instructor:
Rating scale: 1 – inadequate demonstration of skill (i.e., below expectation for Practicum level)
2 – adequate demonstration of skill (i.e., meets expectation for Practicum level)
3 – exceptional demonstration of skill (i.e., above expectation for Practicum level)
Helping Relationships -Basic Counseling Skills (Section I) Skill Level
1 2 3
1. Listens carefully and communicates understanding to client.
2. Is genuine and warm with client.
3. Is respectful of and validates the client.
4. Displays knowledge and skills appropriate to the client’s cultural and social context.
5. Displays knowledge and skills appropriate to the client’s developmental context.
6. Appears comfortable with a variety of feelings/and or issues shared by the client as
demonstrated by the ability to hold the session in an emotional space.
7. Demonstrates appropriate use of feeling reflections including appropriate delivery and
accuracy.
8. Appropriate use of paraphrases, content reflections and summaries including appropriate
delivery and accuracy.
9. Appropriate use of questions, probes, and accents including appropriate timing, concreteness,
accuracy and brevity.
10. Appropriate pacing of session/ responses.
11. Appropriate use of silences
12. Avoidance of advice-giving and inappropriate problem-solving.
13. Demonstrates ability to address termination issues with client.
Helping Relationships -Advanced Counseling Skills (Section II) Skill Level
1 2 3
1. Demonstrates ability to identify patterns and use these as a basis for interventions.
2. Demonstrates use of advanced-level empathy delivered accurately and appropriately.
3. Uses humor cautiously and only as appropriate.
4. Uses self disclosure cautiously and only as appropriate.
5. Appropriate use of immediacy.
6. Appropriate use of confrontation.
7. Offers client feedback, even when it may be difficult for client to hear. Feedback is appropriate
and offered respectfully/appropriately.
8. Uses counseling interventions that are consistent with theoretical understandings of client and
client concerns.
9. Upholds an orientation towards wellness and prevention when working with client.
1
Assessment & Intervention Planning Skills (Section III) Skill Level
1 2 3
1. Is able to organize client information (intake, assessment tools, clinical interview) into
understandings of client and client concern.
2. Integrates cultural and/or developmental issues into the assessment.
3. Integrates contextual and/or systemic factors into the assessment.
4. Is able to recognize normative/developmental from problematic
behavior/understandings/functioning.
5. Is able to construct appropriate theoretical conceptualization of client issues.
6. Is able to identify appropriate process goals congruent with the theoretical conceptualization.
7. Is able to identify appropriate outcome goals congruent with the theoretical conceptualization.
Personalization Skills (Section IV) Skill Level
1 2 3
1. Demonstrates insight into own intrapersonal style.
2. Demonstrates insight into own interpersonal style.
3. Demonstrates insight into the interaction between student’s intrapersonal and interpersonal
style.
4. Demonstrates awareness of diversity and multicultural issues including his/her/zer own biases.
This awareness is evidenced by conversations with supervisor and peers.
5. Is willing to take risks and explore how student is affected by client or client issues in
supervision.
6. Appropriately participates in feedback exchange with peers and supervisor (i.e., giving
feedback, hearing feedback, and incorporating feedback into subsequent client work) during
supervision sessions as evidenced by implementation of feedback with clients and peers.
7. Appropriately applies feedback to subsequent sessions as evidenced by conceptualization and
interventions with clients.
8. Recognizes own limitations and seeks additional supervision when unsure of how to proceed.
Professional Skills (Section V) Skill Level
1 2 3
1. Demonstrates a knowledge of and ability to abide by ACA ethical and legal standards.
2. Client records completed correctly and professionally.
3. Client records filed appropriately (locked/on-campus file).
4. Student on time to all campus class and supervision meetings.
5. Student on time for all counseling sessions.
Contextual Skills (Section VI) Skill Level
1 2 3
n.a.
1. Demonstrates sensitivity to diversity and multicultural issues including one’s own biases
during counseling sessions. This is evidenced in participation in these discussions in
supervision or the counseling session.
2. Demonstrates understanding of diversity and multicultural issues as evidenced by
conceptualization of client and interventions utilized during sessions.
3. Intervenes appropriately in cases of suicide ideation.
4. Promotes client self-advocacy (understanding of access to a variety of community
resources).
5. Engaged (practicum student) in system and community advocacy.
6. Able to use the DSM assessment system to understand client concerns.
7. Recognizes own limitations & makes referrals as appropriate (with supervision).
8. Works with others in client’s community (referral/consultation/collaboration).
2
Comments relevant to strengths of student:
Comments relevant to areas that are challenging the student:
3
This checklist should be completed and signed by the UVM Supervisor and reviewed and signed
by the student. The original will be kept in the student’s permanent file.
UVM Supervisor/Instructor Signature Date
Practicum Student Signature Date
To be completed by UVM Supervisor at end of the semester:
Student Name: Semester:
Passed Practicum
Did Not Pass Practicum (Will be required to enroll in an additional Practicum
course prior to internship.)
Original: Student’s Permanent File
