Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons^™

Racial Trauma And Posttraumatic Growth: Implications For Counselors, Margaret M. Poandl, Nowoola Awopetu, Paul C. Harris Dr.

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Racial trauma is ubiquitous among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and people who belong to other marginalized groups. It is likely that counselors will work with individuals who have experienced racial trauma. Aligned with the counseling profession’s values, counselors can take a strengths-based approach that incorporates facilitation of a historical trauma posttraumatic growth (HT-PTG) framework. This paper presents evidence-informed practices that can foster growth on individual and collective levels. A case example is provided that integrates individual- and collective-level interventions bidirectionally, along with implications for counselor training pedagogically, through supervision, and continuing education. Counselors can identify, encourage, and …

Analyzing Outcome Research In Aca Counseling Journals: A Content Analysis, Lisa Rickman, Marangelie Velez, Serene Hasan, Elizabeth Lugo, Sejal Barden

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

To assess the current state of evidence-based practices within counseling and counselor education, researchers conducted a comprehensive content analysis of outcome research published in counseling journals. Using quantitative methods to examine publication trends and frequency, the study reviewed 5,266 articles across 21 journals over a ten-year span (2013–2023), identifying 405 outcome studies for inclusion. Findings revealed a substantial gap in outcome research within professional counseling, particularly with respect to methodological diversity and representation of diverse populations. The authors emphasize the need for counselor educators and practitioners to prioritize outcome research to enhance clinical effectiveness and strengthen the profession. Furthermore, the …

Negotiating Professional Identity Development Across Contexts: A Collaborative Autoethnography, Clark D. Ausloos, Rebecca J. Vannest, Hayley Ostlund

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This collaborative autoethnography (CAE) explores how two counselor educators and one doctoral student navigate professional identity formation across three intersecting contexts: school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and counselor education. Through critical reflection and collaborative analysis of focus-group data and individual reflections, we identify four themes: Career Flexibility & Adaptability, Identity Formation in Supportive and Restrictive Systems, Role Strain & Stigma, and Values-Driven Practices. Implications call for counselor education programs and higher education systems to embrace multiplicity, non-linear careers, redefine mentorship structures for doctoral students and faculty, and revise promotion criteria to value relationality, and creative, student- and community-engaged …

Rural School Counselors Supporting Queer Students In The Southeastern United States, Harley Devon Locklear, Damaris Bates

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

This article aims to explore the storied experiences of school counselors who actively, overtly and covertly resist the oppression of queer students within rural schools throughout the Southeastern United States. Narrative Inquiry was the research methodology utilized to collect, interpret, and reconstruct these stories, culminating in the synthesization of six overarching themes capturing the factors contributing to and limiting the advocacy efforts of rural school counselors: View of Role, Counselor Self-Efficacy, Stakeholder Push-back, Services Offered, Advocacy Efforts, and Training and University Support. Implications for school counselors, counselor education program, and school administers are also discussed in relation to improving …

Assessment Perception: Delivery Matters, Nicole Marie Arcuri Sanders, Chelsey Simmons

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Perception shapes how individuals experience the world and guides their actions toward personal goals. In counseling, clients’ accurate understanding of assessment results is essential for informed decision-making and effective treatment engagement. Mental health clinicians have an ethical responsibility to communicate findings in ways that safeguard client welfare and empower both clients and stakeholders to collaborate in care. This conceptual manuscript introduces the BRIEF (Brief, Relevant, Interpretive, Empathetic, and Factual) Feedback Integration Framework, a structured model for delivering assessment feedback ethically and accessibly. Integrating cognitive, developmental, and cultural considerations. BRIEF provides counselors, supervisors, and educators with a practical strategy for improving …

Teaching Multicultural Counseling: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Counselor Educators’ Voices, Cameka Hazel, Paul Leheste, Raymond Blanchard

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This study explored the perceptions of counselor educators who taught the graduate level multicultural counseling course. Six participants shared experiences, leading to four themes: personal and professional rewards, who is fit to teach? dealing with resistance and difficult conversations and limited time and class size. Implications for counselor education are discussed.

Reframing Narratives, Reclaiming Futures: Antiracist School Counseling And Black And Brown Girls In Stem, Renae D. Mayes, Lia D. Falco, Shontell Zenon, Dequindre Hughes, Yijia Chen, Lydia Ross, Medha Dalal

Journal of College Access

Black and Brown girls often have educational experiences that stifle their career aspirations, especially in STEM fields. These experiences can be exacerbated by educators who misunderstand and refuse to recognize their STEM potential, thus limiting their opportunity to build STEM identities. School counselors can disrupt these experiences through antiracist practices that cultivate homeplace and joy for Black and Brown girls to heal and grow while working to address harmful policies and practices. In this paper, authors discuss how school counselors can specifically use antiracist school counseling practices to support Black and Brown girls in STEM as a part of multi-tiered …

Lived Experiences Of School Counselors’ Facilitation Of Small Group Counseling In Public High Schools, Joshua D. Hurley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of school counselors’ facilitation of small group counseling in public high schools. Prior research has shown that high school counselors utilize small group counseling at a lower rate than their elementary school counterparts. Researchers have identified two primary barriers that school counselors face in the implementation of small group counseling in schools to include time and internal fear and anxiety. This study investigated the lived experiences of 11 school counselors in their facilitation of small group counseling in the public high school setting. Through data analysis, three …

The Argument For Clinical Supervision For Early Career School Counselors, Sarah Evans Zalewski, Maiko Xiong, Robert Gilbert

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Early career school counselors need support to navigate their professional development as novice counselors, manage programmatic duties, high caseloads, and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health needs of children and youth. Given that school settings are often the first point of entry for mental health services for children and youth, clinical supervision is necessary. Clinical supervision promotes ethical practice, supports the professional growth of early career school counselors, and guards against burnout. This article (a) describes the development needs of early career school counselors and (b) provides recommendations for establishing clinical supervision for early career school …

Becoming Me, Teddy., Theodore Murray

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This paper presents a comprehensive self-guided inquiry into the factors influencing personal development and professional aspirations, with a focus on the journey towards becoming a school counselor. Through reflective analysis, including examination of familial influences, cultural identity, and personality assessments such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the author reflects on the formative impact of significant individuals in their life. Furthermore, the study delves into the interplay of mental and physical health within the familial lineage and investigates coping mechanisms passed down through generations. In addition to self-assessment, data were gathered through an eleven-question questionnaire administered to past professors, current and …

A Delphi Study To Determine The Organizational Supports Necessary For Middle School Counselors To Be Successful And Positively Influence Student Outcomes, Debbie Monroe

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study is to identify, from the perspective of expert counselors, the roles that middle school counselors perform during their workday, to rate the importance of the roles identified, and to identify organizational supports necessary for middle school counselors to successfully perform each of the six most important roles identified. Additionally, this study seeks to gain feedback from expert middle school counselors on how to best align the necessary organizational supports with the identified most important roles.

Methodology: The Delphi method was utilized for this study through an electronic survey that asks participants a combination …

Preparing Future School Counselors To Work With English Language Learners, Jennifer S. Watkinson, Qi Shi, Hope Slezak, Rachel Litvin

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

English Language Learners (ELLs) are one of the fastest growing student groups in the United States, yet school counselors often feel unprepared to address their unique needs. To better prepare school counselors to work with ELLs, counselor educators can integrate experiential learning activities that are grounded practice. Yet, little is known about the types of work experiences school counselors encounter when working with ELL students. This phenomenological study described the experiences of eight, first year school counselors who work with ELLs. Findings inform the types of training scenarios counselor educators can use to prepare school counselors-in-training (SCIT) to work with …

An Examination Of Reducing Chronic Absenteeism And Truancy Rates Of Secondary Students, Rebekkah L. Bartle

Masters Projects

Considerable numbers of US secondary students are considered “chronically absent” each year. These students face many obstacles and barriers in which making it to school challenging. Additionally, adverse effects both academically and social/emotionally are observed in those chronically absent as well as their fellow classmates. As a result, there is a great need for education and awareness among parents, guardians, administration, and school staff (teachers, counselors) This project will closely examine literature on chronic absenteeism both in and out of the American Public school setting as well as provide targeted intervention in the form of small group counseling plans as …

Burnout, Self-Care, And Supervision In Middle School Counselors, Sarah L. Evans Zalewski

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This study examines middle school counselor supervision types in relation to burnout and self-care scores. The impact of supervision via technology on self-care and burnout scores was considered. This study found that school counselors who received both administrative and clinical supervision fared better on the incompetence domain of burnout, that self-care was inversely proportional to burnout, and that receiving supervision via technological means had no impact on either burnout or self-care.

A Social Justice Recruitment And Retention Model For Diversifying School Counselor Education, Caroline Lopez-Perry, Malti Tuttle, Jung H. Hyun, Shanel Robinson

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

A social justice recruitment and retention model for BIPOC school counselors into counselor education doctoral programs is described. This article represents a call to action for counselor educators to examine their practices and policies for recruiting and retaining BIPOC school counselors in doctoral programs and the field of counselor education.

What Are School Counselors From Exemplary Alternative Schools Doing To Support Social And Emotional Learning With Students?, Sandra Shaw

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe the best practices school counselors from exemplary alternative education schools in San Bernardino County use to support social emotional learning (SEL) using the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) core competencies (self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making). An additional purpose of the study was to describe the CASEL SEL core competencies that were perceived as most important by school counselors from exemplary alternative education schools in San Bernardino County.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study identified and described the best practices school counselors from …

Evaluating School Counseling Site Supervisors’ Level Of Preparedness To Supervise, Amanda G. Stuckey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate school counseling site supervisors’ level of preparedness to provide adequate supervision to school counselors in training and determine if any variables could predict the level of preparedness. Professional School Counselors in the United States (N=86) were asked to complete a survey about how prepared they believed themselves to assist a supervisee in developing each ASCA (2019c) School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies, as well as their training and experience with the supervisory process and supervision models.Results from this study indicate a clear need for continued training, as well as specialized training relevant …

The Alignment Of Student Support Services In Minnesota Pre-K-12 Public Schools, Jacqueline Trzynka

Doctorate in Education

A significant amount of literature exists on student achievement, social emotional learning, student mental health, and related student developmental needs. There are recommendations and research about best practices and research around successful programs schools can utilize to address and support student needs. However, the author found in her research that there is very little, if any, research about how school districts organize and implement comprehensive systems to support these needs and even less about why they should. The research questions explore student support services structures, policies, processes and roles as they relate to supporting equitable student outcomes. The qualitative study …

Are We Prepared?: A Quantitative Study Of Elementary School Counselors' Knowledge, Skills, And Dispositions To Working With Lgbtq Youth, Kristina D. Weiss

Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated that there are over three million lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in the United States. Based on their perceived or real sexual orientation and gender identity, these youth face multiple accounts of bias and discrimination in schools. As a source of solace, many LGBTQ students seek out adult supports in school, namely the school counselor. While extensive research exists about the interactions and capabilities of secondary school counselors to work with LGBTQ youth, there is a limited research surrounding elementary school counselor's competencies with this population. The purpose of this quantitative research was to …

Elementary College And Career Readiness Curriculum: A School Counselor Intervention, Alexandra Evans

Masters Projects

Labor market projections indicate that across all industries, jobs will require increased post-secondary education, credentials, and training requirements. The U.S. will not have the workers that meet these requirements, resulting in a worker shortage. Knowing this predicted shift, our current education system is charged with the responsibility of educating and preparing students for these positions and to fill the needs of our society. Career development is a lifelong process beginning in childhood, and school counselors are responsible for supporting this healthy development. Despite this call to action, there is a of lack content, resources, or evidence-based programs available for elementary …

An International Comparative Study: Exploring Students’ College And Career Readiness Needs, Olcay Yavuz, Sabri Dogan, Omer Faruk Kabakci

Journal of Research Initiatives

This international quantitative study was designed to investigate the college and career readiness needs of students in the U.S. and Turkey. Results indicated that there are various factors including gender, country type, academic achievement, parent education and parent socio-economic status influence the students’ perception of college and career readiness. The significant findings and discussions provide school leaders, policy makers and counselors with valuable information to improve student achievement and school effectiveness through identifying and prioritizing the specific attitudes, knowledge and skills students should be able to demonstrate for their college and career readiness.

School Counselors-In-Training Career Counseling Preparation Assignment, Carleton H. Brown

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Career counseling is an important skill to attain in training to become a school counselor; however, research has shown that school counselors-in-training need more preparation in terms of career counseling. The author describes an optional career counseling assignment added to a 300-hour school-counseling practicum course provided to 14 students in a southern region university school counseling program. Ten students chose to participate in the assignment and provided pre and post feedback of their experience. Student feedback and practical implications are discussed.

Evaluation Of A Program Designed To Increase Retention In Counselor Education: Reaching Year Two, James D. Jensen, Aida Midgett, Diana M. Doumas

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Student retention is a key issue in maintaining academic programs’ viability. This study evaluated a program designed to increase retention for first year Masters in Counseling students (N = 44). The program consisted of a series of activities developed to increase social integration with both students and faculty. Results of this study indicated that students in the cohort who participated in the program reported higher retention rates than students in the control cohort. Findings suggest that implementing a program designed to increase social integration may be a promising approach to retaining first year students in Counselor Education (CE) programs.

Exploring School Counselors’ Narratives Of Cacrep Accredited Online Education Programs, Rebecca Van Der Hagen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Online education is a growing part of academia. The number of online school-counseling programs is also increasing and beginning to include face-to-face and online programs. Little research describes online education and even less discusses online school-counseling programs. The purpose of this study was to examine and interpret participants’ experiences of being trained and graduating from a CACREP online school-counseling master’s program, as well as how their training prepared them for their current role as a school counselor. A qualitative inquiry was conducted to understand online school-counseling programs and reported how six professional school counselors perceived their online program with a …

School Counselors As Leaders In School Turnaround, Renae D. Mayes, Colette T. Dollahide, Anita Young

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This study examined the role of professional school counselors in the school turnaround process. Themes from a qualitative case study analysis suggest that school counselors used leadership to develop data-driven programs and activities congruent with the ASCA National Model. Additionally, school counselors sought greater collaboration, partnership, and relationships with teachers, students, families, and the community at larger. Finally, the role of school counselors was heavily shaped by the expectations of school principals. Implications are explored for school counseling practice.

Using Supervision Mapping To Enrich School Counseling Fieldwork Supervision, Megan M. Krell, Peg Donohue

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Supervision mapping is a creative, visual approach to supervision wherein trainees identify concerns, strengths, goals, and ethical questions. While the supervision map has been identified as a potential tool for school counselors-in-training, no research has focused on its effectiveness. Therefore, this study sought to explore trainees’ experiences using the supervision map with faculty supervisors throughout their fieldwork experiences. The supervision map was used with school counseling trainees in two graduate practicum seminars in the Northeast (n=31). After using the supervision map for the duration of the seminar class, an electronic survey of their experience was administered, to which 23 trainees …

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.

Predictors Of Student Referrals To School Counselors By School Teachers, Kristina Donovan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A large percent of high school students in New Jersey aged 12 -17 can benefit from seeing their school counselor. The problem is that without teacher referrals, many students with unidentified mental health disorders may not receive the needed early intervention services. Limited research exists as to which factors may influence a teacher to refer a student to a school counselor. Framed with cognitive behavioral theoretical foundation, a cross sectional survey design study investigated how teachers' perception of school counselors influence teachers' willingness to refer to a school counselor, as measured by the Counselor Rating Form - Short Edition. Using …

Conceptualizing Parent Involvement In Child Therapy: A Framework Roles Using Bernard's Discrimination Model, Mi-Hee Jeon

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This paper introduces a theoretical map conceptualizing parent involvement in the child counseling process by applying the roles from Bernard’s Discrimination Model (DM). Semi-structured interviews with experts in child counseling and copyrighted DVDs were collected as data. A framework approach through the DM is utilized to analyze data to offer the conceptual structure of parent involvement. As a result, the three different roles—counselor, teacher, and consultant—and tasks for each role when engaging parents for child counseling are identified. Discussions about the meaning and limitations of this study are included.

Personal Counseling In Academic Programs With Counselor Trainees, Meredith Drew, Mark D. Stauffer, William Barkley

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counseling programs are responsible for harm caused by their counselor trainees. This study examined the effect of participating in personal counseling on basic clinical skills using the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory. This article discusses this study’s inconclusive results and implications for the development of counselors and counseling programs.