CURING THE FEAR OF ASSESSMENT

If you want an example of a single word that, for many people, is semantically loaded, take the term “assessment.” And if you put it in the phrase, “sit for assessment,” then you have a phrase that can trigger hesitation, fear, dread, and even trauma. This came to light this past weekend when we had a full day here in Mexico City for people to sit for assessment for the Meta- Counseling Certification. How did it come to light? Several people raised their hand to be the client and presented sitting for assessment as their problem. I didn’t expect that.

Now in this assessment, all that a person had to do is “run a pattern.” You would think (well, I would think) that running a pattern would not be that big of a deal. And especially it wouldn’t be much of a problem if you can take the manual, turn to the page of the manual, and use the manual as you engage a client.