Counseling Commons^™

A Guide To Infuse Trauma Informed Principles In Counselor Education, Amirah R. Nelson

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Trauma informed principles (TIPs) are minimal within counselor education and supervision literature. After reviewing TIPs that have been incorporated into other graduate programs, counselor educators (CEs) should consider integrating more trauma informed concepts. Through this conceptual article the author: a) defines TIPs, b) explores ways to combine TIPs into most curricula and the learning environment, c) infuses TIPs across the eight core areas of CACREP, and d) discuss future implications for having a robust and well-rounded curricular for future counselor educators.

Keywords: trauma informed principles, counselor educators, counselors in training, CACREP, counseling programs

Practical Interventions For Groupwork Leader Training In Master’S Counseling Programs, Madeleine Stevens, Shannon Strohl, Pat Mcgowan

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Groupwork in counseling has been utilized to promote client wellness, but little attention has been paid to the development and standardization of group leadership skills training in counselor education. This paper highlights this gap and offers practical, evidence-based solutions to help counselor educators train effective group leaders at the master’s level. The authors developed skill-building solutions using the core competencies for group leadership training in the Professional Standards for the Training of Group Workers (2000) by the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW).

Counselors’ Stigma Toward Addictions: Increasing Awareness And Decreasing Stigma, Natalie M. Ricciutti

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The purpose of this study was to explore licensed counselors’ level of stigma toward individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) and process/behavioral addictions (PBAs) and note any differences. A total of 138 licensed mental health counselors from one Midwestern state completed the SRTSS and the BRTSS to determine levels of stigma toward SUDs and PBAs, respectively. Participant scores from the SRTSS and BRTSS were normally distributed, and 15% to 32% of participants’ scores were reflective of stigma toward individuals with either SUDs or PBAs. A significant difference was not found between participants’ stigma toward individuals with SUDs or PBAs. Hypotheses …

From Exploration Of Classism To Anticlassist Counseling: Implications For Counselors And Counselor Educators, Lucy Parker-Barnes, Suzanne Degges-White, David A. Walker, Scott Wickman, Bellamy Linneman, Courtney Rowley, Robert Giansante, Noel Mckillip

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Classism is a recently studied, but historically present, form of oppression. Despite much attention to inclusion of underrepresented clients in counseling literature, there has been little focus on the presence of classism in academic settings. In an effort to close this gap, a study of 202 individuals, aged 18 to 38, was conducted to explore the relationships among perceived classism, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Only 4.5% of the participants had never experienced any incidents of classism. African American individuals were more likely to experience interpersonal classism and working class/poor individuals were more likely to experience interpersonal and systemic classism. Recommendations …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Using Experiential Groups To Train Future Group Counselors, Brittany L. Pollard-Kosidowski, Joel F. Diambra, Julia R. Bettge, Chris K. Burd

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

As counselors routinely provide both individual and group-based services, it is important to prepare trainees to effectively utilize both approaches. One popular method for engaging students in group work training requires them to participate in experiential small groups. Although this requirement meets CACREP’s (2015) standard that students engage in 10 hours of group membership, less specific focus is placed on engaging students in active group facilitation training. This study analyzes qualitative interviews with seven counseling graduates who participated in experiential small groups during their training. Five emergent themes provide insight for counselor educators and accreditors into students’ group training …

Introduction To The Interpersonal Discrimination Model Applied To Clinical Supervision: A Relational Approach For Novice Counselors, Rachel J. Brejcha

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This manuscript explores the theory development of a new clinical supervision model called the Interpersonal Discrimination Model (IPDM). The IPDM combines the structure of the Discrimination Model of supervision (Bernard, 1979) with Interpersonal Theory tenets developed by Harry Sullivan (1968) to create a holistic, integrated approach to clinical supervision. The IPDM’s foundation is based on the supervisory working alliance, which has been continuously found to contribute to supervisee satisfaction, an increase in counselor self-efficacy and a positive therapeutic working alliance (Park et al., 2019). The IPDM has three main applications-interpersonal process recall, the parallel process, countertransference-that are applied in clinical …

Supporting Intersex People: Effective Academic And Career Counseling, Jack D. Simons, Jose-Michael Gonzales, Melissa Ramdas

Psychology Faculty Publications

This phenomenological study explored the academic and career experiences of 10 intersex people. Researchers conducted the study to share knowledge with counselors and other helping professionals about the importance of validating intersex personhood during the school-age years and in work settings. Five findings were uncovered: (a) coping as intersex, (b) range of feelings, (c) gender identity development, (d) bullying at school and work, and (e) body problems. This article reports on specific needs and recommendations of this self-identified sample and includes implications for education and counseling practice, along with limitations and recommendations for future research.

Social Media Policy For Counselor Education Programs, Jared S. Rose, Robin Dufresne, Allison Arnekrans, Leslie Neyland

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

In light of the American Counseling Association’s ACA Code of Ethics (2014) addressing the use of social media in the counseling profession, counselor education programs must prepare to properly monitor their professional social media use. Social media is defined, followed by a review of types and uses of social media. The authors discuss a process for developing a social media policy for counselor education program including reviewing the relevant literature and ethical considerations. A suggested policy is included for counseling programs to consider. Keywords: counselor education, social media, ACA Code of Ethics

Parallel Process Of Professional Identity Development During Clinical Supervision, Nancy E. Thacker, Joel F. Diambra

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselors-in-training (CITs) and counselor educators-in-training (CEITs) have a similar need to develop professional identities that are genuine to self and congruent with the counseling and counselor education professions. As CITs and CEITs enter their respective professional roles, they experience a parallel process of professional identity development (PID). This parallel process can be used as a tool to promote PID during clinical supervision. The authors will explore the PID processes of CITs and CEITs, consider their mutual influence on each other’s growth in clinical supervision, and provide a case study application with suggestions for supervision practice that fosters mutual PID.

Counselor Educators' Teaching Practices In Contemporary Society, Don P. Trahan Jr, Jeanmarie Keim

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselor education programs aim to provide students with curricula that enables them to effectively engage culturally diverse populations. However, there are no universal standards for infusing multiculturalism into curricula. This qualitative study provides an in-depth understanding of how various counselor educators infused multiculturalism/diversity into their counseling curricula. Implications for practice and future research are offered.

Language & Online Learning: Inform, Inspire And Engage Virtual Learning Communities, Linda Foster, Anita Neuer Colburn, Cynthia Briggs

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Standards for technology-assisted teaching/learning have existed for nearly 20 years (ACES, 1999), and trends show that counselor education programs increasingly integrate technology into the delivery of instruction for students either through hybrid classes, fully online classes, or fully online programs. While many researchers have investigated various aspects of student engagement in online formats, counselor educators still lack consensus for best practices in the online classroom. Maximizing the effectiveness of online pedagogy will help improve overall learning, retention of students, and growth of online programs. We suggest the intentional use of appropriate, warm, inviting and supportive language to inform, inspire and …

Cognitive Complexity In Counseling And Counselor Education: A Systematic And Critical Review, Jaime H. Castillo

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Cognitive complexity has found a small yet established niche in the counseling and counselor education literature over the last 40 years. This body of research has highlighted how individuals with high cognitive complexity have greater consistency in empathy, show more varied responses to clients, demonstrate greater toleration of ambiguity, and show higher frequencies of unbiased clinical judgements towards clients. This article provides a systematic and critical review of the cognitive complexity literature and discusses future implications of cultivating cognitive complexity in emerging and professional counselors and supervisors.

Using Fidelity Measures To Support The Training Of Graduate Students Working In School Settings, Nadia L. Ward, Lakeesha N. Woods, Patricia Simon, Jennifer Greif Green, Michael J. Strambler

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This paper presents a case example of a school-based social development program supported by counselors, yet implemented by graduate student facilitators in a mid-sized urban public school in New England. The authors describe a process for developing and validating fidelity instruments and the use of these assessments to train lay facilitators or graduate students enrolled in counseling or counselor education programs. Guidelines are presented for school counselors interested in using customized fidelity instruments to formatively assess training needs of graduate students.

Voices From The Desks: Exploring Student Experiences In Counselor Education, Louisa L. Foss-Kelly, Jake J. Protivnak

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The purpose of the qualitative study was to explore the themes that counselor education master’s students perceived as impacting their experience within a counseling program. Counselor education master’s students provided their perceptions of what they attributed to helping or hindering their progress. Themes identified as impacting their experiences were academic environment, finances, job preparation, self-care, life role balance, support, mentoring and advising, and personal growth. Recommendations are provided for counselor educators to consider when structuring programs and interacting with master’s students.

Teaching Online Group Counseling Skills In An On-Campus Group Counseling Course, Kelly Anne Kozlowski, Courtney M. Holmes

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselors are increasingly incorporating digital modalities into their practices. As such, counseling students must be trained to provide such types of counseling within their degree programs. This article outlines an example curriculum for an on-campus group counseling class wherein students receive training and participate in an online, videoconferencing process group.

A Survey Of Students’ Knowledge About Child Sexual Abuse And Perceived Readiness To Provide Counseling Services, Jennifer Marie Foster

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Master's level students in counselor education and counseling psychology (N = 304) were surveyed to explore their knowledge about child sexual abuse (CSA) and perceived readiness to provide related counseling services. While students demonstrated general knowledge about sexual abuse, preparedness to counsel was rated much lower with 69% of students indicating low levels of competency. Data was analyzed to explore demographic characteristics that led to increased readiness scores. Indicators of statistically significant higher readiness scores included: prior work or volunteer experience with victims of sexual abuse, participation in CSA trainings, and supervised field experience. Implications for student training and recommendations …