Why Is It Important To Have Tests In Counseling

Tests and assessment are powerful tools in the counseling process. This is due to the sense of standardization a test or assessment brings with its results. Such a sense is brought about by the fact tests/assessment are completely unbiased in their evaluation of the client and their responses. Consequently, it would be easy to understand why a client or a counselor would put weight on the results of a test/assessment. Tests/assessments can do a great deal of good when used appropriately; however, they can also do a great deal of harm if handled incorrectly and/or unethically. Accordingly, it is important for a counselor to pay attention to not only how they handle tests/assessments, but the test/assessment’s cross-cultural sensitivity and the

As mentioned earlier, assessments and tests have the potential to make a significant impact on the client. Whether that impact is beneficial or detrimental is directly related to the appropriateness of the assessment chosen and how it is administered. If the incorrect assessment is chosen it would seem to have a slew of negative ramifications: first, the client could feel discouraged because the assessment added no value to the counseling process. Second, whether it’s due to the assessment’s lack of sensitivity or reliability, the test or assessment could reveal highly negative results which could reinforce or create new negative self-talk for the client. Finally, the test or assessment could make therapeutic process more difficult because it does not pick up on the issues the client is really struggling with. All three of these seem to be a few of the many reasons why ethical guidelines are necessary for tests and assessments. A final thought on the importance of ethical guidelines in administering tests and measurements: these appear to be in place to protect the therapist, too. Ethical principles implore the therapist to seek out tests or assessments which meet certain criteria. All of these criteria are focused on the statistical reliability and quality research done to prove the worthiness of the test/assessment being considered. Going

At the heart of the Bible is a God who leverages his power to serve. This attitude should be at the heart of the ethical guidelines counselors follow. A therapist steps into a powerful position when a client comes through their door and sits in their chair. This is no different from the power a group of researchers has when they wrap up and send off an assessment or test. Both roles hold great influence, and it is the Biblical thing to leverage this power to serve others. Paul said it best when he wrote in Philippians 2:6-8, “who (Jesus), though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (English Standard Version,