Ethical Use of Assessment

YOU ARE GOING TO WRITE THE PAPER AS THE AREA OF MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS.

Select an assessment instrument likely to be used in your area of professional practice. Read the reviews for your chosen assessment tool in the Mental Measurements Yearbook available in the Library and other scholarly articles that establish the appropriate use of that tool and what it purports to measure.

In your paper,

Analyze the theoretical basis for the selected assessment tool in your area of professional practice. Please be aware that not all theoretical orientations in counseling approach assessment from the same perspective. You will want to anchor your selected assessment tool in theory.

Apply ethical considerations associated with administering the selected assessment. Some considerations include counselor competency, client rights, counselor responsibilities, and legal issues, such as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 or Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, just to name a few. Use examples or scenarios to show you understand how ethical considerations apply to the use of your selected assessment.

Evaluate the appropriateness of each assessment tool for use with diverse populations using the reviewer's evaluation of the assessment. How does this comparison inform making an ethical judgment of administering the selected tool with diverse groups of clients? Be certain to cite the relevant sections of the code of ethics for your profession (ACA, AAMFT, or ASCA).

Incorporate a minimum of five scholarly research studies applying the selected assessment tool in professional practice.

ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS

Written communication: Written communication must be free of errors such that the overall message is clear.

APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style.

Number of resources: Minimum of five scholarly resources (distinguished submissions will likely exceed that minimum).

Length of paper: six double-spaced, typed pages, excluding title and reference pages.

Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Abstract

The abstract appears on a page by itself and is in single paragraph using block format and is double spaced. The abstract is a summary of your paper which allows the reader to quickly review what will be covered. Limit the abstract to 150-250 words.

Unit and Assignment Title

Start writing your introduction here (1-2 paragraphs). An effective introduction prepares the reader by identifying the purpose of the paper and providing the organization of the paper. Please double-space and remember to indent all paragraphs throughout your paper. (Not block form!) Aim to keep your writing objective using third person (see handout in the discussion board).

Unless required for the specific assignment, please do not include a Table of Contents, as it is not APA style. Review paper guidelines on page requirements and number of sources required (if provided). Unless citing a classic work, aim to cite research articles and texts published within the past five years. Please use headings throughout your paper that are consistent with the paper's scoring guide (that way you ensure you are adequately addressing all required areas.)

When you finish writing your paper, re-read it to check for errors and make sure your ideas flow well. A helpful tip is to read your paper aloud to yourself. If it does not sound right to your ear - it is not working on paper!Also, remember as a Capella learner you have free access through iGuide to personal tutoring services with smarthinking.com.

Level 1 Heading: Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

Review the evaluation categories in the scoring guide to ensure you are addressing the ‘Distinguished' category for all sections of your paper.

Level 2 Heading (if needed): Flushed Left, Boldface, Upper and Lowercase Heading

For papers in this course, this will likely be all the heading levels you will need. You can review the APA Manual, 6th edition, section 3.03 for more guidance.

Conclusion

Please provide a conclusion that summarizes the main ideas of your paper.

References

Gladding, S. T., & Newsome, D. W. (2010). Clinical mental health counseling in community and agency settings (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

NOTE:

Consult your APA Manual for proper examples on citing and referencing APA style. The Capella Writing Center also has helpful tutorials. Below is a list of common errors; please pay particular attention to:

Indenting.

Use of upper and lower case.

Italics.

Use of double-spacing.

Comma/period placement.