Course overview

This presentation provides a practical, step‑by‑step overview of scale development tailored to counselor education and supervision. It reviews prominent models, outlines the general workflow from concept identification through item creation, expert review, and empirical evaluation, and highlights special topics such as measurement invariance, item response theory, translation/cross‑cultural adaptation, and data‑collection strategies. The presentation emphasizes actionable tools to help counselor educators design, test, and refine measures.

 Learning outcomes:

 Participants will be able to 

  1. Describe the core steps and models of scale development. 
  2. Design content‑validation and item‑writing practices for a new scale.
  3. Conceptualize a study and procedures for initial psychometric evidence.
  4. Identify resources for learning more about scale development practices.

Course curriculum

    1. Webinar Video: Scale Development in Counselor Education and Supervision

    2. Webinar Quiz

    3. Webinar Evaluation

About this course

  • Free
  • Certificate Available
  • NBCC 1.5 CE Hours

Patrick Mullen, Ph.D., NCC, NCSC, ACS, PPS

Dr. Patrick R. Mullen is a professor and chair in the Department of Counseling and Special Education. He teaches a variety of courses with a focus on counselor education and supervision and school counseling. Dr. Mullen draws inspiration for his work from his experiences as a school counselor, in alternative education programs, and as a faculty member. He holds a Pupil Personnel Services License in School Counseling from the Virginia Department of Education. Dr. Mullen is also a National Certified Counselor, a National Certified School Counselor, and an Approved Clinical Supervisor. He presents at state, regional, and national conferences in counseling and education, and publishes articles in scholarly journals. Furthermore, he serves on the editorial boards of Counselor Education and Supervision, Journal of Counseling and Development, and Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development. He is also an Associate Editor for Counseling and Values.

Megan N. Long, Ph.D., LPC-S, RPT-S, NCC

Dr. Megan Long is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LA), Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™, National Certified Counselor, and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She serves as a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and Director of CACREP Programs at Emporia State University. Dr. Long earned her Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Rehabilitation and Counseling from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Holy Cross.

Dr. Long has extensive clinical experience across inpatient psychiatric settings, state vocational rehabilitation systems, and private practice. She is the founder of a neurodiversity-affirming group play therapy practice in the greater New Orleans area, where she specializes in supporting neurodivergent children and their families through play-based, nervous system-informed approaches.

Her scholarship focuses on ethical and legal issues in play therapy, clinical supervision, counselor burnout and self-efficacy, and improving vocational rehabilitation outcomes for Autistic clients. She has presented and published at state, national, and international levels and is committed to bridging research and practice in ways that are developmentally responsive, relationally grounded, and clinically rigorous.

Emily Kitching, M.ED.

Emily Kitching is a Counselor Education & Supervision doctoral candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. She served seven years as an elementary school counselor and her research interests include school counseling; the training, induction, and mentoring of new school counselors; and protective and promotive factors that foster youth wellbeing. She is a licensed school counselor in Virginia, and a National Certified Counselor, Approved Clinical Supervisor, and National Certified School Counselor. She earned a post-Master’s certificate in Educational Leadership and M.Ed. in Counselor Education from Virginia Commonwealth University and a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia.