Counseling Preparation

All counselors have to start somewhere, so Chapter 3 opens by describing the broader ethical and legal considerations an effective school-based practitioner must understand before initiating cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Special attention is paid to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), in addition to the careful attention practitioners must pay to these laws when serving students with medical needs. Chapter 3 highlights important ethical principles that school psychologists often abide by, including confidentiality and mandated reporting. Next, Chapter 3 introduces basic counseling skills that all practitioners can benefit from. These micro skills, like how to build a strong therapeutic alliance and how to listen, observe, and ask questions, are essential to maximizing CBT’s effectiveness.