Psychology
Counselors also have the responsibility of determining the success of the programs they are conducting or
involved in. Program evaluations must be conducted to determine whether a specific intervention or
treatment strategy is truly benefiting the clients being served (Elwy et al., 2020). These assessments
involve collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data to quantify the efficiency and
effectiveness of a program. In the Week 5 assignment assessing a program, I critiqued an agency that
labored specifically to mentor and academically support at risk youth. The analysis concluded that the
agency was significantly effective in its work, both by quantitative improvement in student achievement
and anecdotal accounts from clients and staff. Formal evaluations were done semester-wise and involved
distributing reports to students and their parents, interviewing program personnel, and analyzing
academic records and attendance reports. These activities provided a general perspective of the program's
impact as well as areas where intervention was needed. These findings were used to generate reports,
which were further used to revise and refine the program before starting with the next cycle. In my
opinion, program evaluation is the most important role of a counselor's job because it provides absolute
evidence of what is working and what is not. Without evaluation, it would be difficult to either continue
or extend a program or even make smart modifications. Evaluation prevents counselors from operating in
the dark, but rather employee evidence based practice that leads to better client outcomes. It also keeps
programs accountable and on their feet regarding credibility and funding by demonstrating quantifiable
success.
Counselors also have the responsibility of determining the success of the programs they are conducting or
involved in. Program evaluations must be conducted to determine whether a specific intervention or
treatment strategy is truly benefiting the clients being served (Elwy et al., 2020). These assessments
involve collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data to quantify the efficiency and
effectiveness of a program. In the Week 5 assignment assessing a program, I critiqued an agency that
labored specifically to mentor and academically support at risk youth. The analysis concluded that the
agency was significantly effective in its work, both by quantitative improvement in student achievement
and anecdotal accounts from clients and staff. Formal evaluations were done semester-wise and involved
distributing reports to students and their parents, interviewing program personnel, and analyzing
academic records and attendance reports. These activities provided a general perspective of the program's
impact as well as areas where intervention was needed. These findings were used to generate reports,
which were further used to revise and refine the program before starting with the next cycle. In my
opinion, program evaluation is the most important role of a counselor's job because it provides absolute
evidence of what is working and what is not. Without evaluation, it would be difficult to either continue
or extend a program or even make smart modifications. Evaluation prevents counselors from operating in
the dark, but rather employee evidence based practice that leads to better client outcomes. It also keeps
programs accountable and on their feet regarding credibility and funding by demonstrating quantifiable
success.
