Counseling Commons^™

A Qualitative Investigation Of Clinical Mental Health Counselors' Group Practicum Training Experiences, Brittany L. Pollard-Kosidowski, Monica E. Kaule, Heather Uphold, Chad Losinger, Adam F. Stephens

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The authors of this study used inductive content analysis to qualitatively explore the group practicum training experiences of clinical mental health counselors who graduated from one CACREP-accredited program. Fifteen participants shared about their firsthand experiences in a required group practicum course and described the ways in which the experience impacted their competence and self-efficacy as counseling professionals and group workers. Five resulting themes highlight the significance and value of practical training experiences dedicated solely to group facilitation. Implications for counselor educators and program accreditors are provided, along with recommendations for future research.

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

Challenges With Social Emotional Learning At A Rural School District, Jennifer Rogers, Kristopher M. Goodrich, Melissa Luke

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Social emotional learning (SEL) is a systemic approach that includes key competencies that can support school personnel to advance educational equity by focusing on all stakeholders within a system. The link between educator and student SEL has grown, as educators practice, model, and support the development of SEL in students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore six mental health personnel’s experiences of implementing SEL at one rural school district in a southwestern state. Analysis identified four roadblocks to SEL implementation: a lack of foundational knowledge of SEL, lack of structural supports, learned helplessness, and inadequate ongoing professional …

Building Competence: Trainee Counselors’ Supervision Journey With Self-Injury And Suicidality, Rachel Jacoby, Karen M. Roller, Latoya Smith, Shreya Vaishnav, Tasmeer Ali

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This grounded theory study examines the supervision needs of counselors-in-training (CITs) addressing clients with non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal ideations. The qualitative research question focused on counselor-in-training perception of their counseling program and practicum supervision preparation. Four key themes emerge: Supervision Facilitation, Secure Base Provision, Clinical Identity Development, and Sufficient Preparation. CITs express readiness concerns and a need for enhanced support in supervision for NSSI and SI. CITs also clarify logistical and emotional support that addresses their needs to serve NSSI and SI clients effectively.

A Qualitative Exploration Of Well-Being In Cancer Survivorship: Implications For Counselors, Hallie M. Sylvestro, Lindsey K. Umstead, Heather Delgado, Christopher Lawrence, Keith Mobley, Kelly L. Wester, Andrew Wood

Adultspan Journal

Adult cancer survivors represent an important–and growing–population that could benefit from counseling services. This study employed consensual qualitative research to examine the well-being experiences of eight cancer survivors. Findings suggest a broad range of changes to individual well-being following cancer diagnosis and treatment, and indicate counseling can provide an ideal setting for processing such changes. Recommendations for counseling practice and future research are provided.

Ethical Considerations Regarding Counselor-Client Discussions Of Political Views And Religion: From A Christian, Conservative, Counselor, Educator Perspective, Michelle Dobson

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

The 2014 ACA Code of Ethics informs counselors of the need to avoid imposing their personal values and beliefs on their clients. There is a general messaging through academics and mental health professional associations of the inherent oppressiveness in Christianity and the conservative political ideology. As a Christian, conservative, counselor, and educator, I have found a need to keep my personal life separate from these professional settings. During the 2020 presidential election cycle I began to question whether I could ethically be in this profession while maintaining my personal values and beliefs. I found clients struggling to have conversations with …

We Are Family: Queer And Transgender Family Building, Jennifer M. Gess, Nattalie Wolff-Tseng, Kaitlin J. Phelps, Madison Morley

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

LGBTQ+ people experience resiliency and discrimination when attempting to build families. There are massive systemic barriers and oppressive walls LGBTQ+ people face when forming either a blended family, trying at-home insemination, using assisted reproductive technology, working with a gestational carrier, or attempting to become a foster parent or adopt a child. Queer reproductive justice provides a foundation for counselors to support clients by using affirmative counseling, providing positive mandatory interactions clients are ordered to during family building, and advocating with and on behalf of their LGBTQ+ clients building families.

Faithful Integration: The Importance Of Worldview, Hermeneutics, And Theology For Christian Counseling, Nicole C. Biller

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

Efforts to integrate faith with psychological science and counseling have been present within Christian graduate programs for decades; however, questions remain about how to do this effectively. A brief review of integration efforts and a survey of the experience of graduate students within these programs reveal a desire to further model this practical integration within the classroom. Possible solutions emphasize a biblically informed worldview, intentionally crafted hermeneutics, and well developed theology, which can lead to faith-informed counseling practices.

Trauma Curriculum Integration In Counselor Education: A Delphi Study, Jaimee York, Adrienne Baggs, Laura Schmuldt, Nancy Sherman

Trauma Counseling and Resilience

Research has established the need for trauma education and training for safe and effective entry-level practice. However, studies have shown insufficient and inconsistent training in graduate counseling programs. Those studies reflected the opinions and experiences of practitioners and graduate students. To add to the extant literature, we used the Delphi method to gather information from counselor educators who have experience in trauma counseling and education. The Delphi technique is a group communication strategy designed to obtain expert consensus through a series of survey questionnaires, modified and adapted to reflect group opinion. We asked participants for their insight into the most …

Assessment Of Professional Counseling Dispositions: A Content Validity Analysis, Patrick R. Mullen, Jacob Joseph, Kaitlin Jones Hinchey, Morgan Walker, Jennifer Niles

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Counselor educators evaluate the professional counseling dispositions of trainees throughout their development within training programs. There have been few consistent articulations of professional dispositions as many programs and measures define them differently. In our study, we developed the Assessment of Professional Counseling Dispositions (APCD) and performed a content validity study of the measure. Our findings provide evidence for the content validity of the APCD. We discuss these findings, their implications, and future research using the measure.

Stress, Resiliency, And Burnout Among Counseling Leaders, Adriana Bovee

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Leaders in the counseling profession face many demands. The purpose of this quantitative regression analysis study was to determine if there was a predictive relationship between the independent variables of stress and resiliency and dependent variables of burnout, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment among leaders in the counseling profession. Transformational leadership theory and resilience theory were applied as the theoretical framework of this study, and the cross-sectional data collection method was used. Data were collected through anonymous online surveys from a purposive sample of 75 counseling leaders. Data analysis methods included descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions. Results indicated …