Exemplar #3: Critical Incident Manual

Standards Met- Standards 25, 27, and 29

Introduction
The third portfolio exemplar that I have chosen is the Critical Incident Manual completed
in my class on Counseling Interventions with Children and Adolescents. This project was
completed by a group of four students studying school counseling and school psychology,
including myself. For this comprehensive manual, we outlined several evidence-based
counseling interventions that addressed a critical incident theme. Our critical incident theme was
drug and substance abuse in high schools, and our manual included: an overview of current drug
abuse in schools, ASCA and NASCs statements on substance and drug abuse, qualities that
make programs effective at preventing and stopping drug abuse, four counseling interventions to
stop and prevent drug abuse in schools, and additional resources. The goal of this project was to
learn how to find and compile evidence-based interventions, become experts in our own topic,
and to share our manuals with classmates to create a library of curriculum on various critical
incidences that may occur in schools.
Standards Addressed
Standard 25: Individual Counseling
Substance and drug abuse is a serious problem impacting the personal life of a student.
The crisis interventions included in our manual were targeted specifically towards individual
students, and aimed to help them cope with this personal problem.
Our group critical incident manual incorporated knowledge on theories and stages of
counseling, as illustrated by the evidence-based interventions that we researched and
summarized. In order for us to properly evaluate individual counseling interventions, we had to

understand the elements of effective counseling to determine whether the intervention was
feasible and useful for students. One of the interventions we researched was D.A.R.E., which has
received many criticisms from studies testing its efficacy. Although we included D.A.R.E. in our
manual, we pointed out the issues in its curriculum so that readers would understand that a
prevention program being popular or widespread does not ensure that it is effective. Also
included in the manual was contact information for community-based mental health centers
dealing with substance and drug abuse, offering more resources for students experiencing this
issue. I believe that this exemplar prepared me to practice individual counseling because of the
knowledge I gained on what makes counseling techniques effective. By being able to evaluate
individual counseling interventions, I am more prepared to utilize programs that work for
students.
Standard 27: Collaboration, Coordination & Team Building
Completing this project illustrates my mastery of collaboration in the way that I gathered
outside resources and consulted with school counseling students. Several community-based
mental health centers specializing in substance and drug abuse were researched and included in
the manual. As a group, we found it important to include their contact information because
school counselors and psychologists are not equipped to deal with treatment for serious
addiction. We discussed how referrals to outside services can ensure that students get the help
that they require, even if school staff are not trained in the particular need. By including the
contact information for these resources, the critical incident manual demonstrated competence in
coordinating community and outside services to best serve our students.

Standard 29: Prevention, Education & Training

Although our manual was created for a class titled Counseling Interventions with
Children and Adolescents, we also studied the importance of prevention. By learning about the
Response to Intervention model, we studied how basic curriculum services to all students can
prevent problems in the future. As substance and alcohol abuse is a problem that poses a barrier
to learning and achievement, our manual included prevention curriculum that targets all students.
This tier one core instruction is an essential first step in ensuring that personal problems (such as
substance or drug abuse) do not evolve into a larger issue in the school community. Creating this
manual aided my understanding of why preventative education is important, and also what
preventative education looks like in comparison to interventions for behaviour that is already
considered a problem.
Conclusion
Creating this manual in a group mixed with school counselors and school psychologists
showed me the similarities and difference between our two professions. The school psychologists
brought up substance or drug abuse in special education populations, which is something that I
had not even considered. We were not able to find a program targeted to this population,
however, it was a strong reminder that being in special education and experiencing critical
incidences are not mutually exclusive. Regarding the similarities between our programs and two
professions, our whole group was united on implementing prevention for all students and
providing additional support for at-risk students. The ASCA and NASP statements on substance
and drug abuse in schools were different, but had the same underlying message of being there to
help students overcome such crises.

I am proud of the manual that our group created and grateful for the library of manuals on
various critical incidences that was put together by our class. The one thing I would change about
our manual would be to include more information on how to obtain a referral. Although it
contained a lot of valuable information, our manual did not include the specifics of referral
procedures. This is something that we may add in the future, as it could clarify the process of
how to receive the services that are out there.