Process Competence and Expert Knowledge: Educational and Psychological Counseling Service vis-a-vis kindergartens and schools

Liv Heidi Mjelve

doi:10.15845/ntvp.v2i1.870

Abstract

This study aims to develop knowledge of essential counseling competencies in the Educational Psychological Counseling Service (EPCS). Through semi-structured interviews with six counselors, the essential competencies of those who counsel teachers and parents are identified and discussed. Five main categories of competencies are proposed in response to the research question: What counseling competencies are considered essential during the counseling process? The results emphasize the importance of the counseling alliance, the counselor’s awareness, the counselor’s competencies in challenging and confronting the client, the counselor’s subject knowledge and enhancement of the client’s ownership of the proposed solution. Three of the categories (the counseling alliance, awareness and challenging/confronting) constitute counselors’ process competence. The two remaining categories (subject knowledge and ownership) constitute counselors’ expert knowledge. Conclusions: Process competence is heavily emphasized as essential for EPCS counselors and process competence and expert knowledge might be seen as two sides of the same coin.

Highlights

Children and youth with special needs in kindergarten and school are a diverse group with different assistance and facilitation needs; the need for counseling appears to be common
What counseling competencies are considered essential during the counseling process? Serving to answer to this research question, the following five main categories emerged in the analysis: (a) alliance, (b) awareness, (c) challenging and confronting, (d) proposals for educational action and (e) ownership of solutions
Alliance The results show that the participants emphasized parts of the alliance as a central pre-condition in establishing a counseling relationship, and three sub-themes were stressed: trust, self-confidence and acknowledgement and praise

Summary

Introduction

Children and youth with special needs in kindergarten and school are a diverse group with different assistance and facilitation needs; the need for counseling appears to be common. EPCS is a legally required Service in each municipality in Norway and this Service has two main tasks: to support kindergarten and schools in developing relevant competencies and to ensure that expert assessments are prepared, as required by law (Act of Education, 1998). The results of an extensive survey revealed the EPCS possesses very strong expertise in multiple themes/subjects but that the staff must develop competencies with respect to closer interaction with teachers, preventative work and early intervention (ibid.). Counseling teachers is one central/main way to interact closer with teachers and is suitable as preventative work and early intervention. The latter includes parents as a target group for counseling. This paper examines the important role of EPCS staff as counselors and their skills in conducting the counseling process

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion