“Being Able to Think Outside the Box”: Exploring Counselors' Competency Development Working with Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Families

Abstract

Professional counselors can play a critical role in treating symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children and working alongside their families. While ethical mandates and best practices for treatment center on holding clinical competencies and working within one's scope, the exploration of counselors in the field who specialize in the treatment of children diagnosed with ASD has not been previously explored in counseling research. Through a focus group format, we utilized interpretative phenomenological inquiry to investigate how six professional counselors who specialize in treating ASD diagnosis made sense in building clinical expertise. Implications for professional counselors were presented to better serve this ever-increasing client population.

Keywords

autism spectrum disorder clinical competence client advocacy counselor disposition family-based approach

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