Comprehensive Exam 2021
Question: Based on a clinical case from your supervision for licensure as a professional
counselor, discuss four (4) elements of counseling competence: diagnosis and
assessment; theory; skills; and ethics. To do so, follow this outline as you develop your
narrative:
All six questions of your comprehension exam must be focused on the modality of
individual counseling with an adult client:
1. Introduce an individual counseling case study of an adult in outpatient care by
writing a synopsis of the presenting problem(s) of the case; and an outline of the
overall treatment plan; treatment objectives; and preferred modality (for your
case, the modality is individual counseling). Be sure to disguise particular
identifying elements of the case to ensure client confidentiality. (2 pages)
2. Do a thorough diagnosis of the individual identified in your counseling case,
identifying criteria (with any subtypes or specifiers); diagnostic features; typical
development and course of the diagnosed disorder; and any differential diagnoses
you have considered from the DSM-5. Then, select one standardized assessment
instrument you feel would help to advance your treatment objectives,
explaining what light that assessment instrument might shed on reaching your
treatment objectives (2 pages).
3. Identify and discuss a theoretical foundation for your counseling approach to the
case study; select seven (7) theoretical points from your preferred approach and
explain how your theoretical orientation is relevant to effective treatment. Also
explain why this theoretical foundation is appropriate for an individual who may
have sought treatment in outpatient care through the facility in which your
internship occurred. (2 pages)
4. Identify and discuss in some depth five (5) counseling skills and techniques to be
used in counseling your client. These should be those that you consider to be
essential to the successful delivery of counseling services in your case. These
skills and techniques should be compatible with your theoretical orientation (but
not a duplication of the seven (7) philosophical, strategic and tactical points you
make in sub-point 3 above). (2 pages)
5. Apply an ethical model from the counseling literature to your case study,
identifying four (4) key themes and explaining how those ethical premises apply
to your case. Ethical issues specific to working with adult outpatient care must be
explored. (2 pages).
6. Conclude your case study with a review of social justice issues based on
multicultural themes or diversity variables. (2 pages)
Basic Instructions for Paper Preparation
This section of the guidelines represents the basic instructions students will need for
preparation and writing of the three major sections that comprise the Internship
Application Paper to serve as the Comprehensive Examination. For the style and
formatting that will be used to support each of the sections, students should refer to the
American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, latest edition.
In 12 pages, students are asked to demonstrate the development, enhancement, and
application of core Human Relations competencies and principles. This total includes text
only, and does not include the cover page and reference page. All essays should be
double-spaced. Students using typewriters should use standard pica or elite type. Students
using computers should use 12-point size font. The following two typefaces are accepted:
Times New Roman and Courier New. Margins on all four sides (top, bottom, left and
right) should be one inch. Students should use printers that produce type that is dark,
clear, and readable.
It is expected that at least 10 different references will inform the development of the
paper, with at least three-quarters (6) of those reflecting articles in scholarly professional
journals, books, book chapters, and/or governmental reports. While it is acceptable to
“Google” the selected topic via the Internet, the references obtained in this manner are
not to substitute for the scholarly references mentioned above. Avoid using popular
magazines or non-academic Internet sites as sources for your examination. Do not use
Wikipedia or Dictionaries. You may use the same source more than once throughout the
paper. Failure to properly cite material that you are either directly quoting or
paraphrasing will result in a charge of academic misconduct.
Students must follow the American Psychological Association (APA) style for
writing papers. However, you do not need to include a running head or an abstract. You
are required to include page numbers. Main points should be stated clearly, documented
with references to the literature by citations in the text, and illustrated by specific
examples. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in failing the exam.
Quotations should be used sparingly and only to support your ideas. Quotations
should not be used to make your arguments for you. If you use too many quotes, we will
not be able to ascertain if you understand the concepts about which you are writing.
Therefore, even if your answer is appropriate, you will still fail the exam.
Exams will automatically be submitted to a plagiarism-detection database.
Important Points to Follow:
1. Write in full, complete sentences.
2. Tables, graphs, and figures should be included at the end of the paper, not within the
text.
3. The cover page, references page, tables, graphs, and figures do not count towards the
word requirement.
4. Do not use contractions in research or other formal writing (e.g., can’t should be
written as cannot; won’t should be written as will not, etc.).
5. It is all right to use an acronym in the text of your writing only when it has been
written out entirely the first time and the acronym shown in parenthesis following.
6. Save and submit work as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf).
7. All references must be in American Psychological Association (APA) format. 8.
Carefully read and follow the instructions provided. 9. You may use the first person (the
word “I”).