Professional Competence

1. Professional Competence

2. The “Competent” Worker • What characteristics would you look for in identifying a “competent” human service worker or chemical dependency counselor?”

3. Counselor Competence • Focuses on two aspects of professional practice: * Quality of services provided * Boundary or scope of professional activity • Is the professional trained, experienced, and licensed appropriately to treat?

4. Counselor Competence • Capable of performing minimum quality of service • Quality of service provided is clearly within the limits of her or his training,experience, and practice as defined in professional standards or regulatory statutes (Cottone; Tarvydas).

5. Being a Competent Counselor • Knowing one’s limitations • Licensing and certification • Continuing education • Self-monitoring * Values conflict * Countertransference * Counselor impairment

6. Being a Competent Counselor • Knowing when to refer • Getting proper supervision • Consultation and collaboration • Formal peer review • Counselor training • The incompetent counselor

7. When to make a referral: • Competency issues • Personal or counter transference issues • Values conflicts • As part of ongoing care for client (aftercare) • Formal versus informal

8. How to make a referral: • Is it necessary? Why are you making the referral? Are there other options? What’s in the best interest of the client? • Consultation with supervisor • Be well versed with agency policy and procedure regarding referral • Be well versed with community resources • Communicate necessity with client-validate his or her feelings regarding the referral

9. How to make a referral: • With formal referrals there is the need for signed consent of release of information (protection of client confidentiality) • Contacting the new referral source • Possible need for a session or two with the new worker/counselor and referring counselor