Praxis 5422 Practice Exam 1 Flashcards
Which of the following school counselor activities does NOT take place within the Manage component of the ASCA National Model?
a. Completing a use-of-time assessment
b. Analyzing a results report
c. Creating a closing-the-gap action plan
d. Writing a mission and vision statement
b. Analyzing a results report
Analyzing a results report is part of the Assess component of the ASCA National Model, not the Manage component. Results reports are used to evaluate the effectiveness of classroom instruction, small-group services to students, and closing-the-gap action plans. Completing a use-of-time assessment, creating a closing-the-gap action plan, and writing a mission and vision statement are all part of the effective management of a comprehensive school counseling program. These
activities help counselors clarify the needs of their school and students and define priorities for
their program
Solution-Focused Brief Counseling consists of what six steps?
a. Define problem, determine goals, develop intervention, assign strategic tasks, emphasizepositive behavior, terminate counseling
b. Define problem, determine goals, develop intervention, revisit goals, develop a second intervention, terminate counseling
c. Conduct psychoanalysis, determine underlying problem, develop group intervention plan, reinforce behavior, assign strategic task, terminate counseling
d. Identify prevention steps, define problem, determine goals, develop intervention, assign strategic task, terminate counseling
a. Define problem, determine goals, develop intervention, assign strategic tasks, emphasizepositive behavior, terminate counseling
Beginning a Solution-Focused Brief Counseling session involves having the student define the
problem and determine his desired goals of the counseling. With the assistance of the counselor, the
intervention or behavior change is both determined and initiated by the student. Strategic tasks are
assigned by the counselor and involve a direct behavior change. For example, if a student is having
difficulty with academics and has a goal to raise his grades, then a strategic task would be for him to
study for one hour every night. In subsequent counseling sessions, the counselor would offer support and positive feedback in order to encourage the student to reach his academic goals. Once the goals for that particular problem have been reached, the sessions are no longer required and counseling is terminated
What forms can professional development take?
a. Continued education
b. Evaluating and reporting on program outcomes
c. Presenting research at professional conferences
d. All of the above
d. All of the above
Continued education is required for professional licenses. Depending on the state board of education, a counselor will have a specific number of hours in continued education to complete. This education is intended to provide the counselor with the latest counseling information and
practices. Additionally, by evaluating and reporting on programs, counselors are able to learn about
the success of specific programs as well as areas of improvement. By reporting on the outcomes,
counselors are educating the community about the school and its counseling programs. Giving
presentations at professional conferences allows the counselor the opportunity to share different
counseling practices and strategies with other professionals. The sharing of information promotes
professional development and is highly recommended in the counseling profession.
Mrs. Mason is a high school counselor who has been working with a 9th-grade student in
individual counseling for a month. During their first three sessions together, it becomes clear that the student has significant depression and has not experienced any improvement during the course of individual counseling thus far. Which of the following is the most
appropriate next step for Mrs. Mason?
a. Sign up for a webinar about depression to learn new strategies to help the student.
b. Call a local mental health facility for a crisis evaluation on the student.
c. Seek professional advice from another school counselor in the district.
d. Work with the student and their parent to refer the child to an outside mental health
provider.
d. Work with the student and their parent to refer the child to an outside mental health
provider.
In any circumstance where a student requires long-term individual counseling or has
significant mental health concerns beyond the scope of the school counselor’s training, working
with the parent (and student, if appropriate) to seek an outside mental health referral is appropriate. School counselors should not provide long-term mental health counseling in a school setting. Because nothing indicates a risk of crisis, an immediate crisis evaluation without parental permission would not be appropriate. While webinars for professional development and
consultation with fellow professionals could help the counselor support the student in school, ultimately an outside referral is most appropriate for this situation due to the suspected mental health concern and need for long-term counseling.
Which of the following topics or tasks would not be addressed in the group selection process for school-age children?
a. Informed consent
b. Voluntary participation
c. Parent permission
d. Allaying anxiety
d. Allaying anxiety
Each of the first three answer choices describes a topic or task that would be addressed in the group selection process. Informed consent, parent permission, and voluntary participation would all be established in the individual interview and invitation to the group. Allaying anxiety is typically addressed in the initial group meeting or “forming” stage of the group.
There is little parent involvement in many schools due to large numbers of working parents. What is one strategy to use to increase participation?
a. Offer incentives for participation
b. Focus on the unemployed parents to work with
c. Suggest holding meetings and events on the weekends
d. Offer opportunities at various times during the week
d. Offer opportunities at various times during the week
Oftentimes, schools get into the habit of holding meetings at the same times year after year. In the case of parent-teacher conferences, which are often held during the day, working parents may have to take off work to attend. Additionally, many school council and PTA meetings are held in the evening. While this may be more convenient for working parents, busy families often find it difficult to participate in these events. By offering various times and days of these meeting and events, a school can maximize the participation of the parents.
A student comes into your office with a referral from her English teacher. This is typically
a straight A student; however, her grades have been slipping lately. She states that she has been “stressed out” but that nothing serious is going on. What issues might you want to ask about in order to determine the reason for her lower grades?
a. Self-esteem issues
b. Problems with a friend or boyfriend
c. Difficulty level of her classes
d. Mental health history
b. Problems with a friend or boyfriend
There are a number of factors that can affect students, especially during middle and high school. In this case, it would be wise to discuss problems with friends or a boyfriend with this student. Social problems are often a cause of problems in school, including a marked drop in grades. If this student is having problems with a boyfriend, it may be important to determine the seriousness of the problems, as abusive relationships in schools do occur. Since this student
typically does well in school, the difficulty level of the classes would not be the major concern, unless she recently began new advanced courses. Additionally, there is nothing in this student’s history to indicate that she may have problems with self-esteem or mental health issues.
Grace is a high school student who asks her school counselor for support in choosing a career path. Using Frank Parsons’ career counseling approach, what would be the first step Grace’s counselor should take in beginning the career counseling process?
a. Having a conversation with Grace about her goals, interests, aspirations, and personality
b. Having Grace complete several tests in order to collect data about her personal traits
c. Having Grace research careers that interest her to identify possibilities
d. Having Grace complete the Self-Directed Search to determine her personality type
- B: Frank Parsons developed the trait-factor approach to career counseling. The trait-factor
approach utilizes data from tests to match an individual with one best career. Therefore, a strictly trait-factor approach would begin with testing to determine Grace’s traits. Trait-factor approaches do not rely on objective data from conversations. The Self-Directed Search from answer choice D refers to a tool used in John Holland’s personality theory of career counseling.
Cultural identity is:
a. Primarily influenced by race and ethnicity
b. Fully developed by early adulthood
c. Stable across changing contexts
d. Dynamic and constantly evolving
d. Dynamic and constantly evolving
Cultural identity is dynamic and constantly evolving. Cultural identity is multifaceted and is
impacted by race, ethnicity, gender, religion, spirituality, socioeconomic status, profession, and sexual orientation. One’s cultural identity is a social construct and continues to be formed through
social interactions and is impacted by historical and political contexts.
A school counselor is part of a school team tasked with developing an intervention plan
for a 7th-grade student with severe social/emotional deficits and behavioral concerns. The
team decides that, in order to understand the student’s behavior, they must conduct an evaluation of the student’s functioning in a variety of settings, including at school, at home with the immediate family, and in the community. The team’s approach to evaluation best
represents which of the following theories?
a. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory
b. Bowen’s family systems theory
c. Vygotsky’s social development theory
d. Piaget’s cognitive development theory
a. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory proposed that, as children grow, the various
environments (systems) in which they function interact to influence their development. Therefore, in order to understand a child’s development, all of the systems must be evaluated. Bronfenbrenner proposed the following five ecological systems ranging from the most intimate to the broadest: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, chronosystem.
Adam is a 4th-grade student whose grades have been low for several months. His teacher reports that he seems to have a hard time grasping the content being taught in class and has foundational gaps in content knowledge. The school’s intervention team convenes an initial meeting to discuss a plan of intervention for Adam. Which of the following would NOT be an appropriate stakeholder to invite to this meeting?
a. Adam’s parents
b. The classroom teacher
c. The school psychologist
d. The school counselor
c. The school psychologist
In most schools, the school psychologist is an appropriate member of a team when a child has
progressed through the initial stages of intervention and is being considered for a special education
evaluation. In the scenario described with Adam, the team is conducting an initial intervention meeting, so psychological or educational testing would not yet be appropriate and the school psychologist would not yet be involved.
Which of the following describes a classroom accommodation which is likely to be the most beneficial for a student who has difficulty seeing written content on the board?
a. Preferential seating
b. Extended time
c. Wearing glasses
d. Small group instruction
a. Preferential seating
Preferential seating is a classroom accommodation which allows for a child to be seated in an
area of the classroom which best addresses their needs; in this case, preferential seating may
include the child sitting near the board for the best chance at seeing what is written. Extended time
is a classroom accommodation, however, the connection between difficulty seeing what is written
on the board and providing extended time is not clear. Wearing glasses would probably help, but
this does not describe a classroom accommodation as glasses are not provided in the classroom.
Cues or reminders to wear prescription glasses may be a good strategy for the student described,
but only if forgetting to wear glasses is an issue. Finally, small group instruction describes an
intervention or instructional strategy, not a classroom accommodation. In addition, the link between not being able to see the board and small group instruction is not very clear.
A middle school counselor is planning classroom guidance lessons about career options.
Which of the following would be the best use of technology in order to increase student knowledge of various careers?
a. Using a survey platform to gather pre-lesson data about careers that interest students
b. Having students utilize a search engine to research a career of interest
c. Having students create a presentation about a career of interest
d. Using a career search such as O*NET to connect careers to skills and interests
d. Using a career search such as O*NET to connect careers to skills and interests
There are a variety of ways in which a school counselor can incorporate technology into classroom guidance lessons. When making choices about technology use in classroom guidance, it is important to consider the objective of the lesson and how technology supports the objective. In this scenario, the goal was to help students learn about various careers, so a career search engine such
as O*NET would provide a wide variety of information and help students discover careers they may not have previously known about. The other answer choices only help students in reference to the careers they already have knowledge of or interest in, so they do not support the objective of
“increasing student knowledge of various careers.”
A school counselor is working as part of a team to evaluate a student for possible learning disabilities. Which of the following methods of data collection would NOT be appropriate for gathering background information to support the team in selecting appropriate assessments and evaluating the student?
a. Collecting intervention data
b. Reviewing academic records
c. Collecting teacher surveys
d. Gathering a health history
c. Collecting teacher surveys
Evaluating a student for a learning disability requires a review of a variety of existing data
from a variety of sources. In addition, reviewing this data can be useful in selecting appropriate assessments for the student. For example, if a review of the child’s academic record indicates a consistent difficulty in mathematics, then there is a reason to assess the child for a learning
disability in mathematics. The review of existing data must be based on objective information and measurable objectives, so teacher surveys would not be appropriate.
Which of the following is true about brief solution-focused therapy?
a. In brief solution-focused therapy, the counselor must understand the client’s problem before beginning to work on solving it.
b. Brief solution-focused therapy is appropriate when the client is unable to articulate their
desired goal.
c. Brief solution-focused therapy requires the client to make major changes in their daily lives.
d. Brief solution-focused therapy does not require the client to have a mental health diagnosis
to begin counseling.
d. Brief solution-focused therapy does not require the client to have a mental health diagnosis
to begin counseling.
Brief solution-focused therapy is, as the name implies, focused on solutions to the client’s
problems. Therefore, the deep analysis and exploration of the client’s problems, past history, or
mental health diagnosis are not necessary to begin counseling. In brief solution-focused therapy,
the client is the expert, articulating their own goals and desired outcomes; the counselor is a guide
who helps the client notice changes and improvements toward the desired outcome. Changes do
not need to be major to be significant. The solution-focused counselor is an expert at noticing the
small changes that are making a difference in the client’s goal progress. There is a great deal of
research supporting brief solution-focused counseling in a variety of client scenarios. However, a
client who is unable to articulate their desired goal (such as one who has a severe intellectual disability or one who is experiencing extreme psychosis) would not be a good candidate for brief
solution-focused counseling.
Joshua is a 5th-grade student who is frequently disruptive and explosive in the
classroom. Schoolwide and classroom-wide interventions, such as positive recognition, class-based rewards, and modifying classroom procedures to reduce opportunities for inappropriate behavior have not resulted in an improvement in Joshua’s behavior. Joshua’s school counselor is working with the administrative team to develop a behavior plan for him. What would be the best method for collecting data to support the development of this plan?
a. Asking Joshua’s teacher to write a narrative about his behavior throughout the school year and the interventions put into place
b. Collecting all of the discipline incident reports generated when Joshua was suspended
throughout the year and looking for patterns
c. Asking Joshua’s parents to complete a behavior checklist, indicating the behaviors they are
most concerned about
d. Conducting a functional behavior assessment to determine the purpose of Joshua’s behavior
and factors contributing to it
d. Conducting a functional behavior assessment to determine the purpose of Joshua’s behavior
and factors contributing to it
In this scenario, the student has progressed through schoolwide and classroom-wide interventions, and targeted individual intervention is appropriate. A functional behavior
assessment (FBA) is a detailed method of collecting data about a student’s behavior in order to
develop an appropriate plan for changing inappropriate behaviors. While anecdotal evidence and
historical data can be helpful, the FBA will provide the most detailed information to create an
effective plan.
What is the benefit of continued assessments?
a. Student progress is monitored.
b. Areas of weakness are identified.
c. Learning styles and goals can be modified.
d. All of the above
d. All of the above
Continued monitoring and assessment of the learning environment can be beneficial in many ways. This process provides the counselor, teacher, student, and parents an ongoing progress
report. Additionally, regular assessments allow problems to be identified sooner rather than later.
This will ensure that the student is not falling behind his classmates or his intervention goals. Ongoing monitoring and assessment also allow the counselor to update and to modify goals and target dates. When considered a fluid process, assessments, goal monitoring, intervention modification, and encouragement will ensure that students are progressing at a comfortable and successful rate.
If a school counselor has a private practice, why would she refer a student in need of intensive counseling to someone else rather than seeing the client at her private practice?
a. She cannot see a client more than once a week.
b. She does not offer the counseling that this student needs.
c. She must have a full case load with her private practice.
d. She cannot use her position within the school to benefit her private practice.
d. She cannot use her position within the school to benefit her private practice.
It is considered an unethical professional practice for a counselor to use the school as a place
to gain private practice clients. While many issues can be resolved within the capacity of a school
counseling program, there may be times when a counselor feels a student needs additional therapy
or support. In these cases, the counselor should discuss these options with the student and the
parents while keeping in mind rules of confidentiality. Additionally, after a referral is made, the school counselor does not have a right to information that the new counselor and student share. In certain circumstances, the school counselor may be asked to consult on various issues. If this
occurs, the school counselor and the private practice professional must discuss the case only in
factual, objective ways.
A new school counselor is working with his administrator to finalize the comprehensive school counseling program for the upcoming school year. The administrator has asked him to identify the components of the counseling program in terms of tiered interventions. Which of the following activities would best fit tier I of a tiered intervention model?
a. Classroom guidance curriculum
b. Small group counseling
c. Individual counseling
d. Closing-the-gap action plan
- A: A tiered intervention model layers interventions from tier I (broad, whole-school or whole-
class interventions), to tier II (more intensive, small-group interventions) and tier III (highly individualized, intensive interventions). Tier I can also be thought of as high-quality instructional practices provided to all students, while tiers II and III are layered on top of tier I. Because the
classroom guidance curriculum is high-quality instruction provided to all students, it would be considered a tier I intervention. Small group counseling could be considered tier II and individual counseling could be considered tier III in terms of the levels of individual attention and intensity of interventions described by the tiered intervention model. A closing-the-gap action plan could
certainly be part of a school’s intervention planning, but it is not an intervention in and of itself; the
action plan would describe interventions to be implemented for at-risk groups of students.
On which of the components of a comprehensive counseling and guidance program should a counselor ideally spend the majority of their time?
a. Foundation
b. Management
c. Delivery
d. Accountability
- C: The Delivery component of the comprehensive counseling program includes all of the types of direct student services, which ideally make up 80% of a counselor’s time. The Delivery component includes the comprehensive guidance program, individual student planning, and responsive services; these services are delivered through individual counseling, small group, and classroom guidance formats.
Mrs. Harris, a school counselor, is approached by a teacher at her school who asks her if she has a moment to talk. The teacher then shares with Mrs. Harris that she is having conflict in her family and is struggling mentally and emotionally with her situation. She asks Mrs.
Harris if she can provide individual counseling to help her through this difficult time. What would be an appropriate next step for Mrs. Harris?
a. Mrs. Harris should listen empathetically but ultimately provide the teacher with a list of
referral resources to find a counselor outside of school.
b. Mrs. Harris should listen and set up regular times to meet with the teacher to talk because
the teacher’s mental health impacts students.
c. Mrs. Harris should steer the conversation away from the teacher’s personal problems and
should only discuss academic concerns with her.
d. Mrs. Harris should discuss the teacher’s situation with HR because they can provide
information about the school’s mental health insurance benefits.
a. Mrs. Harris should listen empathetically but ultimately provide the teacher with a list of
referral resources to find a counselor outside of school.
The ASCA Ethical Standards are clear when it comes to dual relationships. In this case, by
providing individual counseling to a teacher, Mrs. Harris puts herself in a situation where she is
creating a dual relationship that could negatively impact students. For example, if a student comes
in later to discuss the problems they are having in that teacher’s class, it would be difficult for Mrs.
Harris to remain neutral because she has been providing individual counseling regarding personal
concerns with the same teacher. The teacher’s mental health indeed impacts students, but providing mental health counseling to the teacher is beyond the scope of the school counselor’s role. Of course, Mrs. Harris should still maintain confidentiality regarding the teacher’s concerns and should not approach HR on behalf of the teacher.
A counselor has developed a comprehensive developmental counseling program in a
large school. This program consists of daily meetings and programs to address the various needs of students. In order to avoid burnout, how might the counselor effectively manage so many meetings and programs?
a. Schedule meetings a few hours after school ends so she or he can take a break
b. Recruit the help of teachers and peer mentors to assist with the programs
c. Try to combine groups so that there are not so many
d. Rely on consultants to run the programs that are scheduled for after school
b. Recruit the help of teachers and peer mentors to assist with the programs
Proper delegation of responsibilities will lead to more effective counseling programs. There
are many opportunities for teachers and students to participate in leading programs. For example,
developing a teacher advisor program increases participation from teachers and offers students a
larger support system. Peer mentoring programs allow mentors the ability to increase their
leadership skills and allow mentees the opportunity to widen their network of support systems.
Counselors who encourage the assistance of teachers and students with various programs will
foster a cohesive school that works together toward a common goal. This cohesiveness will provide
all students with the best possible learning environment.
Researchers examining teen dating and relationships consider peer influences, personal
beliefs, and environmental factors. This is known as:
a. The zone of proximal development
b. The pleasure principle
c. Reciprocal determinism
d. Psychological hedonism
Refer to the following for question
c. Reciprocal determinism
The influence of peer relationships, personal beliefs, and environmental factors is known as
reciprocal determinism. Reciprocal determinism is the foundational concept of Bandura’s social
learning theory, or social cognitive theory (SCT). SCT has been used along with attachment theory,
interpersonal theory, and feminist theory to study factors related to adolescent dating and
relationships. Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky used the term zone of proximal development to describe
the difference between what a child does independently and what they can do with help. This
concept is used to explore ways to teach reading, writing, and other language skills. Sigmund Freud
used the term pleasure principle when explaining the role of the id in personality development.
Psychological hedonism states that all human behavior is dictated by actions directed toward
attaining pleasure or avoiding pain.
You work in an inner-city school where students are subject to a number of risk factors. The
rate of violent incidences is above average, as are the numbers of drug offensives and teen pregnancies. The school currently has various in-house prevention and intervention
programs offered on a volunteer or referral basis to all students. However, even the most successful of these programs yield few positive results. As the counselor, you decide to restructure the programs in an attempt to increase their effectiveness by collaborating with
the community.
Question: It comes to your attention that some of the teachers in this school are treating students in drug intervention programs differently. As the school counselor, what should you do to stop this behavior?
a. Conduct training for the teachers on discrimination and diversity in the schools
b. Report these teachers to the proper superiors
c. Nothing, your job is to deal only with the students
d. Speak to each teacher individually about the effects of their negativity
a. Conduct training for the teachers on discrimination and diversity in the schools
Students in drug intervention programs may be experience a number of feelings and barriers
as they attempt to stop using drugs. Teachers must be aware of these issues, along with the
recovery process. It will be important for those students in intervention programs to receive
support from all staff members to ensure success. As a counselor, you may offer training for
teachers and other staff members. This training can include information about the specific intervention programs offered at your school, the recovery process, and sensitivity training specific to this population of students.
Self-control procedures include all of the following EXCEPT:
a. Self-monitoring
b. Self-punishment
c. Response control
d. Stimulus control
c. Response control
Self-control procedures do not include response control. Self-control procedures include self-
monitoring, self-punishment, stimulus control, and self-reinforcement. Counselors using self-
monitoring encourage clients to record information about the frequency and duration of specified
symptoms. Self-punishment and self-reinforcement help clients self-administer the consequences of
the targeted behavior, so that it can be modified. Stimulus control includes behavior that is
controlled by associated consequences. Stimulus control techniques include narrowing, cue
strengthening, and fading.
A school counselor would like to observe the social skills of a newly referred third grader. Prior to the intake, the counselor observes the student during physical education
and later during lunchtime. This type of observation is advantageous over a formal observation because:
a. There is a decreased likelihood for the Hawthorne effect.
b. There is a decreased likelihood for confirmation bias.
c. Interrater reliability values are higher.
d. Threats to internal validity are minimized.
a. There is a decreased likelihood for the Hawthorne effect.
This type of observation (i.e., an informal observation) is advantageous over a formal
observation because it decreases the likelihood of the Hawthorne effect. The Hawthorne effect
presumes that a subject is more likely to modify their behavior based on knowing that they are
being observed. Because the student was not a current client, the student lacked an awareness of
being observed. Confirmation bias occurs when a counselor seeks information to confirm an initial
hypothesis despite encountering information that may refute that hypothesis. Unstructured
observations are at greater risk for confirmation bias than formal observations. Interrater
reliability values are likely to be lower rather than higher. Likewise, threats to internal validity are
not minimized.
A student’s standardized score report for academic assessment indicates that their stanine score is 8. Which of the following is a correct interpretation of this information?
a. The student’s score is far below average.
b. The student’s score is below average.
c. The student’s score is average.
d. The student’s score is above average.
d. The student’s score is above average.
Stanine measurements divide a standard bell curve into nine equal groups, and a stanine
score places an individual score within one of those nine groups. A stanine score of 5 is the mean, or
average, with stanine 1 being far below average and stanine 9 being far above average. Stanine
scores allow an individual to interpret their score in relation to the rest of the group.
Mr. Dean, a school counseling student in a graduate program, is applying for internship positions for the upcoming school year and is required to carry professional liability insurance. What is the best method for Mr. Dean to acquire a complete professional liability
policy?
a. Contact his university field experiences office
b. Contact the local school district to be added to their district policy
c. Join the National Board for Certified Counselors
d. Join ASCA as a student member
d. Join ASCA as a student member
One major benefit of ASCA membership, even for school counseling students, is the
availability of professional liability insurance. University field experiences offices or local school
districts may add interns to their policies, however, this varies widely. ASCA is the best option for
Mr. Dean. The National Board for Certified Counselors is not an option for school counseling students who have not yet earned their degree.
A school counselor presents data about their school counseling program to their principal. Which of the following would the counselor be most likely to advocate for using
process data from the previous school year to support their requests?
a. An appropriate counselor-to-student ratio in accordance with ASCA recommendations
b. Additional professional development about working with students with anxiety
c. The reassignment of inappropriate duties to other professionals within the school
d. Time during the year to train teachers and other staff on student mental health
a. An appropriate counselor-to-student ratio in accordance with ASCA recommendations
Process data describes the school counseling program in terms of who was served and how. In other words, process data tells when and how often programming occurred and how many students participated. This type of data would be supportive for a counselor advocating for an
appropriate student-to-counselor ratio, especially if their process data demonstrates that they are unable to reach all of the students on their caseload equally or their caseload is much larger than the recommended 250:1. Outcome and perception data is more likely to be utilized to support a request for professional development for counselors or teachers. Other types of data, such as the use-of-time assessment or published research on the training and impact of school counselors,
could be used to advocate for reassignment of inappropriate duties.
Frank Parsons, “The Father of Guidance,” is best known for his contributions to the school counseling profession focusing on which counseling role?
a. Therapeutic counseling
b. Vocational counseling
c. Promoting systemic change
d. Advocating for the profession
b. Vocational counseling
Frank Parsons was the author Choosing a Vocation and the leader of the vocational
counseling movement. A focus on the role of the counselor in a therapeutic role did not occur until
later, with Carl Rogers’ contributions to the profession. Systemic change and advocacy roles came
much later with the introduction of ASCA.
A high school student experiences the death of their sibling a few days before they are
scheduled to take the SAT. If the student takes the test as scheduled, which of the following is true?
a. Their test score will not be affected since the SAT is a validated assessment.
b. Their test score may not be reliable due to their emotional state.
c. Their test score may not be valid due to their emotional state.
d. Their test score will not be affected since the SAT does not measure social-emotional skills.
b. Their test score may not be reliable due to their emotional state.
Test reliability indicates how consistent a test is. Test validity means that the assessment
measures what it is intended to measure. The SAT is a valid and reliable assessment, meaning that
it measures what it is intended to measure and individual test-takers should receive the same or
similar scores on repeated administrations. Individual circumstances, however, such as a recent death in the family, may mean that an individual’s test score is not reliable for that administration.
If that student were to repeat the test at a later date when their emotional state was not as heightened, they may perform differently.
Ms. White, a high school counselor, is planning a small group focused on improving study
skills. As part of the group, she plans to have students complete an electronic survey describing their independent use of various study skills in both the first and last meetings of the group. Which type of data is Ms. White collecting with this survey?
a. Process data
b. Perception data
c. Outcome data
d. Quantitative data
b. Perception data
Pre- and post-test data is a type of perception data that is used to measure gains in knowledge or changes in perspective. Perception data measures what people think they know, believe, or can do. Because of their subjective nature, surveys are commonly used to collect
perception data, but not process or outcome data. Process data measures what a school counselor
does and for whom, so subjective measures such as a survey are not applicable. Outcome data measures the impact of school counseling activities and is much more objective in nature, so this information is typically pulled from the SIS.
Which of the following is NOT true about most commonly-used intelligence tests, such as
the Stanford-Binet or Wechsler?
a. Intelligence test scores are measured based on a standard bell curve.
b. The average intelligence score is 100, based on the individual’s age group.
c. Intelligence tests are statistically valid and reliable.
d. Intelligence tests are valid across different cultures.
d. Intelligence tests are valid across different cultures.
Commonly used intelligence tests are frequently criticized for having cultural biases which impact an individual’s outcome; in addition, intelligence tests are known to measure a very limited type of intelligence. Even with these limitations, intelligence tests can be a helpful tool when utilized as a part of a broader assessment of an individual. For example, when evaluating students for special education services, a child’s score on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children may indicate relative strengths and weaknesses in different measurements of intelligence, which ca help pinpoint specific learning disabilities. It is important, however, to keep in mind the criticism of these tests for being culturally biased and understand that they may not measure intelligence in the same way across different cultures. Like most assessments, intelligence tests should not be used as a single data point for decision making.
Which stage of the group counseling process represents the majority of the group’s time?
a. Initial/forming
b. Transition/storming
c. Working/norming
d. Termination/adjourning
c. Working/norming
The working or “norming” stage of the group counseling process is where the majority of the group’s time is spent, usually about 50% of the time. This is where the majority of the group goals are addressed and the true “work” of group counseling is accomplished. The initial or “forming”
stage is when the group first comes together, goals and group rules are established, and the facilitator tries to alleviate members’ anxiety about the group counseling process. The transition or “storming” stage is when the group begins to transition to the actual work of the group counseling
process. This stage is characterized by conflict and group members challenging the facilitator. If
conflicts are not resolved in this stage, the result can be difficult for the remainder of the group
counseling session. Finally, termination or “adjourning” is the closing of the group, sometimes
characterized by the grief of group members, and is focused on transferring new skills or
experiences to the outside world.
What is one of the primary reasons why counselors have a difficult time getting support
from immigrant parents?
a. Immigrant parents do not challenge school authority.
b. Immigrant parents are oftentimes unfamiliar with American school systems.
c. Immigrant parents do not have time to talk with school counselors.
d. Immigrant parents have to work during the day.
b. Immigrant parents are oftentimes unfamiliar with American school systems.
Immigrant parents have many challenges when sending their children to school in America.
Oftentimes, the parents do not speak English and are unfamiliar with the American school system.
While language barriers often result in parents not participating in their children’s education, a counselor can easily offer translators and other educational opportunities to overcome these barriers. However, if parents continue to be unclear about the needs and expectations of the school system, immigrant parents will continue to be inactive. This can be overcome by providing a supportive environment for both the parents and the students. Counselors in school systems with a high immigrant population will need to serve as “school-home-community liaisons” in order to promote the needs of the students and their families.
A school counselor is conducting a small group focused on developing social skills. During a group session, a student begins discussing the misbehaviors of another classmate
who is not in the group, making many comments about the student’s lack of social skills. Which technique would be appropriate to use in response to these comments?
a. Clarification
b. Blocking
c. Linking
d. Active listening
b. Blocking
In this situation, the counselor’s goal should be to stop the inappropriate conversation. Gossiping about others who are not in the group is not helpful to the group or appropriate in the context of the group. Blocking is a strategy for stopping a hurtful behavior. Clarification, linking, and
active listening would all be inappropriate choices in this scenario because they would invite the
student to continue their line of discussion.
A state requires all of its students to take an assessment each year that measures mastery of grade-level content standards taught during the year. This type of assessment is best described as which of the following?
a. Achievement test
b. Aptitude test
c. Placement test
d. Norm-referenced test
a. Achievement test
Achievement tests measure how well the test-taker has mastered specific skills or objectives.
End-of-grade or end-of-course tests, as required by many states and school districts, are examples
of achievement tests because they measure a student’s mastery of the content objectives or skills
that are generally expected to be taught during that grade level or course. While some schools may
use data from these achievement tests to make placement decisions for future courses, that is not
what these types of tests are designed for. Aptitude tests are a different type of assessment that
attempts to predict the test-taker’s aptitude or future success in a specific area, while placement
tests measure the test-taker’s skill level in a specific content area in order to determine their current level for course placements. Norm-referenced tests measure the individual test-taker’s or group of test-takers’ results against another group of test-takers, while criterion-referenced tests measure the individual test-taker’s results against a specific set of standards. For example, a norm-referenced test may indicate that a student’s mathematics ability is more or less advanced than a group of their same-aged peers, while a criterion-referenced test would simply indicate that a student has mastered all of their current grade-level mathematics standards.
When dealing with middle school students, it is important for a counselor to understand
the developmental relationship between Industry and Inferiority. This is an example of a theory of development based on the work of what psychologist?
a. Freud
b. Piaget
c. Erikson
d. Bandura
c. Erikson
Erikson suggests that children begin to associate with either industry or inferiority in early
adolescence. Industry refers to a person’s ability to succeed and feel worthy. Typically, healthy children who receive the appropriate support and encouragement at home and at school will feel a sense of industry. This identification is important, as it can be the basis of future educational, social, and coping skills. For example, a child who has a strong sense of industry will be more likely to cope with a low grade on a test. He will understand that he may need to study harder for the next test or seek assistance. On the other hand, a child with a poor school, family, or peer support system may experience feelings of inferiority. In this case, he is likely to have insufficient coping mechanisms
and not perform well in school.
An elementary school has two school counselors. They each maintain their own caseload
for classroom guidance, individual counseling, and small groups. Each year, the two counselors plan and implement a schoolwide career day, sharing equally in the planning and
other tasks. Which of the following school counselor roles are the counselors demonstrating in the planning of career day?
a. Consulting
b. Collaborating
c. Evaluating
d. Counseling
b. Collaborating
This example describes collaboration and could also be considered an example of “leaderless” collaboration, where all parties in the collaborative effort have equal leadership status.
Co-counselors within the same school may also conduct each of the other roles listed independently
or together. For example, counselors may frequently consult with one another on particularly difficult cases, ethical dilemmas, or areas of individual expertise. Effective counselors will also likely conduct an evaluation of their programming together. Although likely less common in a school setting due to availability of time, counselors may also at times conduct counseling together, particularly in groups.
A school counselor conducts a needs assessment with students and staff. Using the data gathered from the needs assessment, the counselor could do all of the following EXCEPT:
a. Identify small-group counseling topics
b. Design classroom guidance curriculum
c. Identify individual student needs
d. Evaluate the previous year’s program
d. Evaluate the previous year’s program
A well-designed needs assessment can be a powerful tool for school counselors in identifying
areas of need, defining goals, and planning programming. Needs assessments can also identify areas
where there may be equity gaps, individual student concerns, or common student concerns that
may be addressed by small-group counseling. While it may be tempting to use a needs assessment to track changes in data from year to year as a form of program evaluation, this is not the purpose for which they are designed and are unlikely to be effective for program evaluation due to changes in student enrollment or staffing from year to year and a lack of specificity within the questions to
evaluate individual programs.
An educational trend that directly impacts the role of school counselors is the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework. Which of the following describes an appropriate role for school counselors in implementing MTSS?
a. Coordinating referrals for students into the intervention process as well as maintaining
appropriate data collection
b. Coordinating standardized testing programs in order to help identify appropriate interventions
c. Delivering standards-based academic, social/emotional, and career curriculum to all students
d. Providing individual counseling to all students identified as tier III students
c. Delivering standards-based academic, social/emotional, and career curriculum to all students
School counselors support the implementation of MTSS by providing a standards-based
curriculum to all students (the intervener role). It is not appropriate for school counselors to lead
the implementation of MTSS as a whole because MTSS is a team approach. Even within an MTSS
framework, it is still inappropriate for a school counselor to coordinate a testing program or to
provide standard individual counseling to all students in a certain tier of MTSS.
A school counselor is tracking graduation rates over the course of several years to determine if a program created to increase the four-year graduation rate is creating the desired result. In analyzing the data, the school counselor is specifically examining which of
the following?
a. Trend
b. Mean
c. Mode
d. Standard deviation
a. Trend
A statistical trend is a method of measuring a change over time. There are a variety of methods and tests which can be utilized to analyze statistical trends. If a statistically significant trend exists within a set of data (such as graduation rates over the course of multiple years), then
that trend could be understood as the overall direction of data. In the example described, there could be a trend toward increasing or decreasing graduation rates. It is also possible to have no trend within a data set. The mean is the average of the data, which is not helpful in analyzing changes over time in this example. The mode is the most common value within the data, and the standard deviation has to do with distribution along a bell curve, neither of which are helpful pieces
of information for the example given.
Elementary school counselors must have a strong understanding of what?
a. Child development
b. Continued education options
c. Relationship building
d. Adjustment and coping mechanisms
a. Child development
Elementary School is the time when children are learning the most and developing important
motor skills and mental functions. Counselors must be able to recognize developmental delays, as
well as advanced learners. School counselors will be major advocates for students who may experience developmental delays. While the other options may be important, these issues are more likely seen at the junior high and high school levels. Knowledge in continued education will be important for high school students who wish to pursue a college education; counselors with
students in these age groups will need to educate students and offer assistance in applying to colleges and obtaining financial aid and scholarships. Additionally, relationship building, adjustment, and coping mechanisms are issues most often seen in junior high school, as these years are a time of many changes physically, emotionally, and educationally.
A school counselor has several students with anxiety disorders. The counselor would like to provide support for those students in school and is considering small-group counseling.
Which of the following would NOT be a benefit to utilizing small group counseling for this purpose?
a. Meeting with more students at one time
b. Opportunities for peer modeling
c. Lower anxiety levels in a group setting
d. Opportunities for social exposure
c. Lower anxiety levels in a group setting
Small group counseling can be very beneficial for students with various anxiety disorders,
and there are multiple programs and curricula available for counselors to use for this purpose.
There are several benefits for both the students and the counselor in utilizing small group
counseling for this purpose. A busy school counselor with a large caseload can see more students at
one time in a small group setting, potentially increasing their effectiveness in reaching all students.
Students in a group also benefit from peer exposure, learning from others’ experiences, practicing
new skills together, and having a level of social exposure that can help build confidence in social situations. However, group members should be carefully considered because not all students with anxiety can immediately function in a small group setting. Some students with severe social anxiety may need preparatory individual counseling to be able to benefit from small group counseling.
Therefore, answer choice C is correct because not all students are less likely to be anxious in a group setting.
Which major component of a comprehensive school counseling program most directly allows a school counselor to demonstrate school-level leadership?
a. Counseling curriculum
b. Individual student planning
c. Responsive services
d. System support
d. System support
The system support component of the comprehensive school counseling program utilizes a counselor’s leadership skills to support the total school environment and promote systemic change. System support activities such as professional development, committee work, and program management all provide opportunities for school counselors to demonstrate leadership and
advocacy at the school level. While there could be some components of counseling curriculum, individual student planning, and responsive services that allow a counselor to demonstrate leadership, the system support or indirect services component is more strongly related to leadership roles.
The counseling theory focusing on feelings of inferiority vs. superiority and the birth order of the client is based on whose work?
a. Erik Erikson
b. Alfred Adler
c. Sigmund Freud
d. Erich Fromm
b. Alfred Adler
Alfred Adler’s theory of individual psychology focused on feelings of inferiority vs. superiority and Adlerian therapy investigates the effect of the client’s birth order on behavior. Adler
was once a colleague of Sigmund Freud, but he eventually separated from Freud’s circles.
Which of the following documents provides an outline of objectives that can be used in
planning a classroom guidance curriculum?
a. ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors
b. ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success
c. ASCA National Model
d. Recognized ASCA Model Program
b. ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success
The ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success outline skills and mindsets essential for
student success in college and beyond. Counselors planning a classroom guidance curriculum
should utilize the Mindsets & Behaviors to begin to outline learning objectives for their lessons.
Ms. Howell is a first-year counselor at an elementary school. In preparation for the upcoming school year, she works with her building principal to draft mission and vision statements for the counseling program. Writing a mission and vision statement most closely aligns with which component of the ASCA National Model?
a. Define
b. Manage
c. Deliver
d. Assess
b. Manage
Development of the mission and vision statements for the counseling program establish
program focus and define student outcomes, which are part of the Manage component of the ASCA
