Question: Part of your work with students or clients includes regular evaluation about the effectiveness of the work you are doing together and the progress the students or clients are making toward meeting their goals. You may assume that just because a client or student shows up for each session, that the work is effective. But is this always true? It is also easy to assume that just because a student or client continuously returns for voluntary counseling that things are moving forward effectively. However, clients or students have different motivations for being in counseling; they may enjoy the contact with someone who is so focused on them; they may be appeasing someone in their family who wants them to see a counselor; they might appreciate avoiding other obligations, such as class exams; or they might be meeting outside requirements, such as a court order. So, it is important that both you and the client set some clear goals for the work you are doing together and also have ways the two of you are able to evaluate progress.

Consider the types of information and data a counselor might use to ensure that clients are effectively using the counseling sessions.

This might be information the client provides, data gathered from self-report instruments or other assessments, information from third parties, or the counselor's own observations.

For your initial post to this discussion, consider the clients you have worked with during your fieldwork experience.

List three factors that kept some voluntary clients returning to counseling, even though they were not making progress on their goals.

Be specific and use examples to illustrate your ideas. Then, list three methods you have used with clients to evaluate the progress they have been making. Include at least three references from books or professional articles in the current counseling literature to support your ideas. Then post needs to be at least 250 words.