Abstract

The literature finds that mental health counseling internship programs face two challenges. One challenge is the lack of systematic learning instruments in internship settings. The second challenge is that there is continuous pressure by professional accrediting associations to have counseling programs submit verifiable evidence of student learning outcomes in all academic programs. In response to these two challenges, a performance-based manual was designed by two instructors at Touro College in New York City. This manual replaces one which is content-based to comply with the recently created performance-based standards of the Council for Accrediting Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This manual is a systematic learning instrument containing program designed performance goals, performance activities related to these goals, and rubrics to determine whether CACREP standards are met. As interns strive to meet these standards, their accomplishments produce the evidence of the knowledge and skills learned to professional accrediting association which determine the effectiveness of the college’s counseling program. Furthermore, the evidence of learning outcomes is provided to federal and state agencies to meet their accountability requirements. Finally, there are two surveys designed to enable interns and the college supervisor to evaluate the effectiveness of the performance-based manual.