EVALUATION COUNSELING : AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF PRACTITIONER PERSPECTIVES IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This study explored the issue of how to evaluate counseling by looking at practicing counselors' reports of their evaluative practices through interview sessions scheduled with ten practicing counselors trained in Social Work. The study found that the counselors evaluated counseling from a practice orientation with concerns that are different from those of the empirical methods of evaluation. While the empirical methods of evaluation are based upon principles of validity and reliability, the practice oriented approach taken by the practitioners, often compromise these principles for more flexibility, adaptability, immediacy and convenience. The study suggests that there are two levels of evaluation apparent from what is being proposed in evaluation texts and what counselors in the field are practicing. The first level consists of the formal empirical evaluations that are based upon research principles. These evaluations seek more for generalisability and for applications across different counseling situations. The second level consists of the practice oriented approaches that the counselors adopt in order to help them make decisions about immediate issues in particular situations or counseling that the counselors face in their daily work. The study proposes that more attention be given to explore the applicability of the two approaches to aspects of social work and counseling so that their legitimate spheres of application can be determined.