Clinical training · Supervisee resource
The professional commitments, values, and behaviors Orchard looks for in every supervisee, and how they show up in day-to-day work.
What dispositions are
Dispositions are the commitments, characteristics, values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape a counselor’s growth and how they treat clients and colleagues. Knowledge and skills can be taught in a classroom. Dispositions show up in how a person actually works: on time or late, open to feedback or defensive, honest or guarded.
Counseling programs accredited by CACREP are required to assess students’ professional dispositions, not only their knowledge and skills (CACREP, 2024). The ten dispositions on this page were developed by Walden University’s School of Counseling, which grounded them in the ACA Code of Ethics and CACREP standards (Walden University, 2026). Orchard uses them as a shared language in supervision and evaluation.
The ten at a glance
Ten dispositions in four groups.
- Engagement
- Accountability
- Relationships
- Sensitivity
- Impartiality
- Discipline
- Awareness
- Growth
- Communication
- Congruence
Responsibility
1. Engagement
Showing up on time, prepared, and present, contributing actively, and helping peers learn.
- Logging into telehealth sessions and supervision a few minutes early
- Coming to supervision with cases, questions, and recordings ready
- Speaking up in group supervision and trainings
- Sharing resources and encouragement with fellow interns
Client welfare comes first (ACA, 2014, A.1.a). Reliability is part of how clients come to trust that care is consistent.
2. Accountability
Owning your part in gaps in knowledge, skill, or professional conduct, and taking active steps to improve.
- Saying “I missed that” rather than explaining it away
- Completing notes on time, and telling your supervisor when you are behind
- Following through on supervision feedback by the next session
- Making a plan to close a skill gap, and checking back on it
Counselors monitor their own effectiveness and take steps to improve when needed (ACA, 2014, C.2.d).
Fitness
3. Relationships
Interacting professionally with clients, colleagues, and supervisors, and handling interpersonal differences constructively.
- Keeping a professional tone in every email, text, and message
- Raising disagreements with peers or supervisors directly and respectfully
- Keeping boundaries with clients clear, including on social media
Counselors develop positive working relationships with colleagues and respect differing approaches (ACA, 2014, D.1.a, D.1.b).
4. Sensitivity
Attending to other people’s feelings, experiences, and perceptions, and consistently honoring their autonomy.
- Reflecting a client’s experience before offering an idea
- Asking rather than assuming what a client wants from care
- Respecting a client’s choice, including the choice to end services
Autonomy is one of the counseling profession’s core principles, and informed consent is an ongoing process rather than a signature (ACA, 2014, Preamble; A.2.a).
5. Impartiality
Showing contextual and cultural competence by valuing the rights, dignity, and worth of every person, across every aspect of identity and circumstance.
- Learning about a client’s culture, faith, and context from the client
- Noticing your own assumptions and bringing them to supervision
- Never letting your personal values override a client’s goals
Counselors do not discriminate, and they do not impose their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors on clients (ACA, 2014, A.4.b; C.5).
Maturity
6. Discipline
Managing personal stress, self-disclosure, and strong emotional reactions so they don’t interfere with professional work.
- Using your own regulation practices before and after hard sessions
- Self-disclosing only when it serves the client, and discussing it in supervision
- Noticing a strong reaction to a client and taking it to supervision rather than acting on it
Counselors watch for signs of their own impairment and refrain from offering services when it is likely to harm a client (ACA, 2014, C.2.g).
7. Awareness
Being alert to how your beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors affect other people, and using sound judgment in assessing situations.
- Asking yourself, “What is mine here, and what is the client’s?”
- Noticing how your tone and presence land on screen
- Pausing to consult before acting in an unclear situation
Counselors are aware of their own values and avoid imposing them (ACA, 2014, A.4.b).
8. Growth
Being willing to examine yourself, question your assumptions, and integrate feedback until you reach competence.
- Welcoming feedback, especially on what is hardest to hear
- Reviewing your own session recordings, when authorized
- Pursuing training beyond the minimum
Counselors practice within their competence and keep developing it through ongoing education (ACA, 2014, C.2.a; C.2.f).
Integrity
9. Communication
Using a respectful tone and making open, honest, and accurate statements in every interaction.
- Telling clients accurately that you are a student or intern and who your supervisor is
- Documenting what happened, not what should have happened
- Saying “I don’t know, I’ll find out” when that is true
Veracity, being truthful, and fidelity, keeping commitments, are among the profession’s core principles (ACA, 2014, Preamble).
10. Congruence
Learning ethical codes, accreditation standards, and policies, and bringing them into your professional behavior in every setting.
- Following Orchard policy when no one is watching
- Behaving the same in session, in supervision, and online
- Knowing which rules govern a situation, or asking before acting
Counselors are expected to know and understand the ethics code, and lack of knowledge is not a defense against a charge of unethical conduct (ACA, 2014, I.1.a).
Using the dispositions in supervision
- At the start of placement, rate yourself on each disposition and choose one or two to grow.
- At midterm and final evaluations, your supervisor rates them too, alongside your clinical skills.
- When a concern comes up, your supervisor names the disposition involved and agrees on a concrete plan with you. Most concerns resolve with this kind of early, specific feedback.
- If a concern persists, it can lead to a written growth plan coordinated with your university, as your supervision agreement describes.
Self-reflection
Rate yourself from 1 (still developing) to 4 (consistent strength), and note one example.
| Disposition | Rating | An example from my work |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Engagement | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 | |
| 2. Accountability | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 | |
| 3. Relationships | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 | |
| 4. Sensitivity | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 | |
| 5. Impartiality | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 | |
| 6. Discipline | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 | |
| 7. Awareness | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 | |
| 8. Growth | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 | |
| 9. Communication | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 | |
| 10. Congruence | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 |
For a structured, validated measure of counseling skills and dispositions, see the Counseling Competencies Scale–Revised (Lambie et al., 2018).
References
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics.
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2024). 2024 CACREP standards.
Lambie, G. W., Mullen, P. R., Swank, J. M., & Blount, A. (2018). The Counseling Competencies Scale: Validation and refinement. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 51(1), 1–15.
Walden University. (2026). Appendix B: Professional dispositions. In SOC-OFE doctoral students field experience manual. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/fieldexperience/soc/doctoralFEM/appendices/b
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© 2026 The Orchard Human Services, Inc. · Training material for supervisees. Reviewed October 2026.