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Live Webinar

Integrating Clinical Reasoning into Mental Health Diagnosis

Ashley F. Waddington, PhD, LPCS , LPC
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Description

While clinical reasoning has long been established in nursing and medical disciplines to guide diagnostic precision, its integration into mental health counseling remains underdeveloped. This presentation introduces a conceptual framework for integrating diagnostic decision-making into the mental health diagnostic process, focusing on three critical constructs: counselor self-efficacy, implicit and explicit biases, and uncertainty tolerance. Through an interdisciplinary lens, this presentation advocates for reform in counselor education and supervision to better prepare new professionals for the complex diagnostic demands of practice. Implementation strategies, including curriculum updates and experiential learning opportunities, are outlined.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this workshop is for participants to strengthen their diagnostic decision-making by integrating a structured clinical reasoning framework into mental health assessment and diagnosis. This program will enhance clinicians' ability to recognize factors that influence diagnostic accuracy and apply evidence-informed reasoning to improve clinical practice.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Describe the core components of a clinical reasoning framework for mental health diagnosis, including counselor self-efficacy, implicit and explicit biases, and uncertainty tolerance.

  • Analyze how counselor self-efficacy, cognitive biases, and uncertainty tolerance influence diagnostic decision-making and clinical judgment.

  • Apply the clinical reasoning framework to a diagnostic case scenario to support more accurate and intentional diagnostic decision-making.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Ashley F. Waddington, PhD, LPCS , LPC
Ashley F. Waddington, Ph.D., LPCS , LPC, is a graduate from the Counselor Education and Supervision PhD program at the University of South Carolina. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in South Carolina and currently owns a private practice. The clientele she specializes in includes trauma, high-functioning anxiety and perfectionism among adults. Ashley also provides supervision services and is an Adjunct Instructor at the University of South Carolina and Bellevue University. Her research interests include anti-racist pedagogies, assessment and diagnosis skill development in new counselors and fertility concerns among couples.

Financially Sponsored By

  • South Carolina Counseling Association