Priority is given to timely student feedback. During the spring semester of their last year in the program, students sit for a two-part comprehensive examination. The first part is a nationally administered examination, the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination, which covers the eight core areas of counseling theory and practice listed above. Examination results provide students with feedback regarding their relative strengths and weaknesses as compared with other graduate students across the nation and serves to prepare them for state administered licensing examinations and the National Certified Counselor Examination. The second part of the comprehensive examination is a case presentation and oral examination over their clinical work administered by the program faculty.
Students develop a clinical case study drawn from their internship placement.
The case study includes all supporting documentation, a video or audio tape of a session, and a formal paper describing their conceptualization of the case and relevant clinical issues. After reviewing the material, a committee of three faculty orally examine the student over their clinical skills. The intent of the comprehensive examinations is to provide a structured review in which didactic and clinical learning are integrated. Additionally, the student demonstrates the ability to interact in a professional evaluative forum. Demonstration of the ability to engage in successful counseling and psychotherapy is only one facet of clinical skill development.