Examining the Psychometric Properties of the LGBT-Development of Clinical Skill Scale in a Sample of School Counselors

Objective The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Development of Clinical Skills Scale (LGBT-DOCSS; Bidell, Citation2017) was examined as a tool for assessing school counselors’ LGBTQ+ competence.Method School counselors (N = 310) completed a Qualtrics-based survey. Participants were 88% cisgender women, 11% cisgender men, and 3% transgender or nonbinary people. Participants identified as White (71%), Hispanic or Latina/Latino (13%) African American (12%) and Asian (4%). Participants identified as heterosexual (88%), bisexual (5%), lesbian or gay (5%) and pansexual (2%).Results The sub-scales of the LGBT-DOCSS, representing knowledge, attitudes, and clinical preparedness, demonstrated model fit using confirmatory factor analysis. Correlational and hierarchical multiple regression results identified relationships among study constructs that were similar to previous research.Conclusion Results support use of the LGBT-DOCSS to assess school counselors’ abilities to work with LGBT populations. Counselor educators and supervisors can use the LGBT-DOCSS to identify skill development for counselors’ work with LGBTQ+ students.