Final answer:
Counselors need to perform thorough data review and establish stakeholder trust before deciding on an EDM strategy, as shown in the cases where successful preventive interventions were carried out when these steps were followed.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before deciding on an Evidence-based Decision Making (EDM) strategy, counselors should engage in a comprehensive review and analysis of relevant data, considering factors such as service agency contact and intervention effectiveness. This would be critical in determining whether emergency department (ED) visits could have been prevented. For instance, in the case study where the County Commissioner worked with graduate students to review ED intake records, the successful analysis led to preventive interventions, reducing children's ED visits. However, it's important to note the necessity of securing trust from stakeholders. As seen in the second case study, the manager's dismissive attitude towards employee feedback resulted in a subpar data collection process, underscoring the need for trustworthiness and collaboration.
Consequently, counselors must prioritize establishing a clear purpose for the evaluation, ensuring data privacy and stakeholder trust, and systematically reviewing records or conducting interviews to ensure that the chosen EDM approach is firmly rooted in reliable, analytically sound practices.