ERIC Number: EJ699209
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Sep-1
Pages: 13
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0011-0035
EISSN: N/A
Solutions for Overconfidence: Evaluation of an Instructional Module for Counselor Trainees
Smith, J. David; Agate, Jeffrey
Counselor Education and Supervision, v44 n1 p31-43 Sep 2004
Overconfidence in clinical judgment is a common problem among counselors that undermines the validity of the counselors' assessments and, by implication, the quality of client services. The authors evaluated an instructional module designed to reduce overconfidence among counselor trainees who completed an assessment task that exposed them to some of the complexities and pitfalls of clinical judgment. Although all counselor trainees were generally overconfident at both pretest and posttest, the module led to reductions in overconfidence only for the trainees who were exposed to it. It is suggested that counseling programs need to teach trainees to reflect critically on their inferential processes to improve the quality of their assessments.
Descriptors: Counselors, Mental Health Workers, Counselor Training, Pretests Posttests, Task Analysis, Clinical Diagnosis, Counselor Performance
American Counseling Association, 5999 Stevenson Ave., Alexandria, VA 22304. Web site: http://www.counseling.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Counselors
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A