4. COUN Ed: Leadership & Advocacy (R)

Question 1

2024

Leadership and advocacy in counselor education and supervision. Content includes leadership models and applications of leadership models in professional advocacy and administration of counselor education programs. Question prepared for the CAU faculty by Dr. Ng and approved for the 2023 study guide by Dr. Field.

1. Demonstrate the ability to articulate a personal philosophy of leadership and describe how it can be applied in professional work and service settings
2. Demonstrate the ability to discuss, critique, and apply models of leadership in professional counseling settings and counselor education and supervision settings.
3.Demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge on legal, ethical, and diversity issues to leadership scenarios.
4.Demonstrate the ability to discuss major current professional advocacy issues (e.g., counseling professional identity, licensure, and accreditation) in counseling practice and counselor preparation.
5.Demonstrate the ability to design professional advocacy plans and strategies using a leadership model.

Sample question:

This question seeks to assess your competence in articulating your personal leadership theory and applying leadership theory in the field of counselor education. Please answer the following questions:

1.Describe briefly your leadership philosophy. In your description, clearly identify the specific leadership theory (or integration of theories) to which you subscribe and use to guide your leadership practice. (Please cite relevant primary sources.)
2.Select a current professional issue in the field of professional counseling or counselor preparation that you believe requires advocacy efforts. For the purposes of this question, *please DO NOT *select client-related social justice advocacy issues; rather, select an issue that is current and relevant to the day-to-day operation of counselors and/or the training of counselors such as licensure portability or accreditation.

Based on the “issue” you have selected,
a.Briefly discuss the reasons (rationale) why you believe “it” (the selected issue) needs professional advocacy. Please provide the contextual reasons for its relevance and importance.
b. Based on your personal leadership philosophy (as described in #1), describe briefly an advocacy plan you would want to develop to address the professional issue you have identified. In your description, briefly discuss how your leadership philosophy informs your advocacy plan and advocacy strategies. You can approach this question from any formal or informal leadership perspective, for example, you as the president of a counseling professional organization or a doctoral student who wants to start a grassroots advocacy effort. State specifically your role/position. Be creative.

Given the time limit for the question, you are not expected to discuss a very complicated professional advocacy issue that requires a very elaborate advocacy plan.

Suggested learning resources:
* Bolden, R., Gosling, J., Marturano, A., & Dennison, P. (2003). A review of leadership theory and competency frameworks. Exeter, UK: Center for Leadership Studies, University of Exeter. https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10036/17494/mgmt_standards.pdf?sequence=1 

(Please demonstrate knowledge of primary sources of leadership models. Merely citing Bolden et al. when describing a particular leadership model will not be considered as sufficient.)
* See learning resources listed in COUN 696.