Questions for Personal Reflection and Class Discussion
1. How would you define a “competent counselor” or “competent psychotherapist”?
What life experiences and/or readings have shaped this definition?
2. How do you believe counseling theories are used by mental health professionals in
their work?
3. Provide one specific example in which cultural competence would be critical in a
counseling situation.
4. What personal strengths do you bring to the counseling encounter? In what ways
might you need to grow yourself (the-person-of-the-counselor) to be more effective?
How might you pursue such growth?
5. Do you find yourself more drawn to a common factors model or evidence-based
treatment model? Where do you think this preference comes from?
6. Which of the common factors was most surprising to you? Why?
7. How do you imagine that research will inform your practice?
8. What are your thoughts about choosing a counseling theory from which to work?
9. What are your thoughts on integrative approaches?
