Counseling Commons^™

Conceptualizing Professional Identity Development In Art Therapy Supervision With Post-Graduate Art Therapists Who Are Pre-Licensed, Christine S. Atkinson

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study explored how art therapy supervisors conceptualize professional identity development (PID) in supervision with postgraduate art therapists who were pre-licensed. There was limited empirical research on how art therapy supervisors understood and support PID within art therapy supervision, particularly during the transitional period between graduate training and professional licensure. This study addressed the research question: How do art therapy supervisors conceptualize PID in supervision with postgraduate art therapists who are pre-licensed?

Fourteen art therapy supervisors participated in the study (86% female; 14% non-binary), ranging in age from 25 to over 65 years old. All participants identified their race or …

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 …

Competencies And Preparation For Addressing Poverty In Counselor Education: A Q Methodological Study, Seneka Rachel Gainer

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This study explored the competencies needed to prepare counselors to address the systemic and relational impacts of poverty within counselor education. Using Q methodology, expert participants identified critical knowledge, skills, and awareness factors required for effective practice. Two distinct factors emerged: (1) the centrality of relational competencies such as empathy, cultural humility, and trust-building, and (2) the necessity for curriculum-wide integration of poverty-specific training and systemic advocacy. Findings highlight the need for counselor education programs to embed poverty-related competencies across curricula, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and develop experiential and advocacy-based training models. Implications for counselor education, accreditation standards, and professional development …

Counselors’ Experiences Of The Alliance In Videoconference Supervision: The Role Of Nonverbals, John E. Trenery, Azra Karajic Siwiec, Randall L. Astramovich

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The role of nonverbal immediacy and intimacy in shaping the supervisory alliance during videoconference-based clinical supervision is understudied. Using a generic qualitative research design, data were collected from 15 practicing counselors through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis identified six primary themes, highlighting both the perceived barriers and the essential role of nonverbal cues, as well as the need for amplified behaviors in video-based interactions. The findings point to significant gaps in telesupervision training and introduce a novel framework to strengthen telepresence in videoconference supervision. This study offers actionable insight for educational institutions and governing bodies, emphasizing the importance of targeted curricula …

Dismantling Racism In The Classroom: Recommendations For White Male Counselor Educators, Jason L. Vannest, Rebecca J. Vannest, Lorise D. Grey

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

In response to the historical tradition of Eurocentrism and Whiteness in counseling programs in the United States, the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) have challenged their members to confront implicit bias, become allies with Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), and commit to challenging racism and implicit bias. Despite these robust calls to disrupt racism and implicit bias, counselor educators - specifically White male counselor educators (WMCEs) - may wonder how to effectively take action due to their own racial identity. Several factors may contribute to WMCEs' reticence to deconstruct racism and …

The Feminist Impostor Phenomenon Approach (Fipa): A Feminist Approach To Addressing Impostor Phenomenon In Novice Counselors, Isabel Springer, Kelly Emelianchik-Key

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Impostor Phenomenon (IP) is known to affect new professionals in health professions, yet there is little to no academic literature available on how it affects early career counselors and how it can be addressed. Novice counselors (NC) frequently experience extreme anxiety and feelings of fraudulence around their professional performance. Feminist mentorship and interventions can help alleviate IP and foster self-efficacy and confidence in new counseling professionals. The Feminist Impostor Phenomenon Approach (FIPA) consists of a three-hour workshop educating participants through a feminist lens about IP and relevant coping strategies, and subsequent weekly consciousness-raising groups where coping strategies are reinforced, and …

The Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of The Job Search Experiences Of International Counseling Doctoral Students In The U.S., Yi-Ju Cheng, Juleen Buser, Terry Pertuit

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

International counseling doctoral students (ICDSs) bring valuable cultural diversity to the counseling profession in the U.S. However, their transition to professional roles is complicated by cultural identity factors, limited support for career guidance, and employment barriers tied to language, immigration status, and unfamiliarity with U.S. licensing and employment resources. There is limited understanding of their job search experiences. This qualitative study, through interpretive phenomenological analysis, examines 12 ICDSs’ job search experiences in the U.S. Nine themes were identified. The findings highlight a discrepancy between the counseling profession’s stated commitment to diversity and the actual support to international students, and the …

Mental Health Professionals’ Non-Clinical Roles As Informed By Attachment: A Systematic Review Of Research, Jennifer L. Tipton, Casey A. Barrio Minton, Brittney N. R. Irion

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

While attachment informs the quality of the therapeutic relationship, which is the basis of all therapeutic work for professional counselors and related mental health professionals (MHPs), less attention has been given to the role of attachment in MHPs’ non-therapeutic roles such as engagement in professional development, teaching, and supervision. This systematic review analyzed 33 research studies that investigated MHPs’ attachment in the context of non-therapeutic roles, including professional development, supervision, and teaching. Findings are discussed in the context of four emergent themes: Professional Functioning and Well-being, Supervisory Relationships, Self-awareness, and Empathy. There is considerable evidence that MHP attachment style is …

Evaluating Competencies In Counseling Students: Comparing Adjunct And Core Faculty Ratings, Mark D. Newmeyer, Kaitlyn C. Stafford, Peter J. Buckingham, Karen E. Fischer, Meredith D. Mcdaniel, Rhys P. Wilson

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This study examines the differences in how adjunct and core faculty evaluate counseling students using a brief version of the Counselor Competencies Scale-Revised (CCS-R). Data from 647 evaluations of 433 students were analyzed. The results show that adjunct faculty, particularly those with master's degrees, tend to rate students significantly higher on professional counseling dispositions than core faculty, raising concerns about the consistency of gatekeeping in counselor training programs. These findings suggest a need for the standardization of counseling disposition evaluation practices to maintain high training standards. Implications for student-to-faculty ratio requirements are discussed.

Reverberations Of 2020: The Role Of The U.S. Racial Reckoning On Multicultural Engagement In Counseling, Dr. Donya D. Wallace, Dr. Teceta Tormala, Dr. Shreya Vaishnav, Wen Guo

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The racial reckoning of 2020 and 2021 had profound effects on people. This study uses a retrospective design to examine differences in critical consciousness prior to 2020 and contemporarily among counseling students and professionals and whether critical consciousness predicts multicultural competence. Participants reported their current level of multicultural competence, and pre-2020 (retrospective) and current (contemporary) levels of critical reflection, critical motivation, critical action, and race-based critical consciousness. Participants reported higher levels on the contemporary critical consciousness measures than their retrospective assessments, suggesting that the high-impact events of 2020 raised their critical consciousness. There was no relationship between the critical consciousness …

Integrating Artificial Intelligence In A University Counseling Clinic, Donna S. Sheperis, Shiri Sharvit

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in mental health care, yet counseling students receive little training in digital tool integration. This program evaluation describes the use of an ambient AI platform in a university telemental health clinic to support clinical training. The AI system tracked interventions, themes, talk ratios, and symptom changes across 175 sessions by 13 trainees with 93 clients. Most frequent interventions included validation (97.6%), CBT skills (52.1%), and action planning (63.1%). Counselor talk time averaged 43% of the session, with themes such as relationships and school being predominant in client talk time.. By session 7, clients showed …

Utilizing Artificial Intelligence Therapeutic Adjuncts To Support Autistic Adults Between Counseling Sessions, Carlos J. Castaneda Jr, Nicole Noble, Afroze N. Shaikh

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into mental health care presents innovative opportunities for therapeutic interventions. This pilot study examined the use of a customized Artificial Intelligence Therapeutic Adjunct (AITA) as a supplementary counseling tool for adults with level one autism spectrum disorder who attended weekly counseling sessions. Using a Single Subject Design to review trends in mental health symptoms and perceptions of the AITA, participants engaged with the AITA over four weeks, completed weekly anxiety and depression assessments, and post-intervention and satisfaction surveys. Thematic Analysis identified common counseling concerns and the AITA’s use of counseling techniques. Although findings suggest …

Recommendations For Telesupervision: Promoting Ethical, Legal, And Effective University And Clinical Supervision Using Technology, Madeleine M. Stevens, Yegan Pillay, Edisa Music, Elena Shahen

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The expansion of the use of technology in counseling has implicated counseling professionals in considering how to legally and ethically incorporate it into all facets of practice, including university and clinical supervision settings. In this article, we provide scholarship-backed recommendations for doing so as well as provide suggestions for incorporating psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral (CBT) supervision models into telesupervision.

Applying Supervision To Animal Assisted Therapy: Using The Integrative Development Model, Rachel W. Rachlinski, Kelli A. Mcfarland

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

A study conducted by Hartwig and Smelser (2018) reported 91.7% of clinicians being aware of animal assisted therapy (AAT) who agree it is a legitimate treatment model. However, 57% of respondents expressed interest in receiving AAT training. Although published standards and competencies published by ACA and IAHAIO indicate the requirement for clinical supervision when implementing AAT, research does not address supervision protocols for AAT. This manuscript suggests a protocol for supervising the implementation of AAT. The consequence of untrained supervisors is the potential harm to the well-being of the client as well as the clinician and the animal. As such, …

Duty And Inequality: A Thematic Analysis Of Muslim Sexual Trauma Counselors, Mitchell Waters, Waleed Sami

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

In this qualitative study, the experiences of four practicing Muslim counselors who specialize in the treatment of sexual trauma were examined. By collecting data with semi-structured interviews, three distinct themes emerged: a) embodied inequality, b) theodicy and ambivalence, and c) Islamic integration and the therapeutic relationship. The findings of this study highlight the inequalities many Muslim counselors embody while balancing engagement in traditional counseling work. Implications for counselor educators and supervisors that enhance multicultural competence and improve counseling outcomes are provided.

How Professional Counselors Experience Being Intake Counselors In The Inpatient Psychiatric Setting, Nineka K. Dyson, Deborah J. Rubel, Arien Muzacz

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Abstract

Intake counselors (ICs) are essential members of an interdisciplinary team who assess potential clients for admission to inpatient psychiatric facilities. This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) explored the experiences of professional counselors working as ICs in inpatient psychiatric settings (n = 8). Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using IPA procedures. Four themes emerged that dealt with participants’ experiences: (1) coping with the lack of specific training, (2) balancing professional identity and system requirements, (3) coping with the emotional stressors of the inpatient environment, and (4) depending on scarce connection and support for sustainability. The findings of …

Preventing Burnout In Mental Health Counseling Students: A Shared Responsibility, Andrea Devooght, Anita A. Neuer Colburn

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Burnout is an ongoing concern for counseling professionals across the career span. Master’s students studying to enter the field are vulnerable to burnout due to multiple factors, including the numerous challenges associated with graduate school and the dearth of experience coping with the pressures of clinical work. The onus of self-care is often placed solely on students, yet the training process allows opportunity for shared responsibility among leaders who encounter counselors in training. Considering the roles of counselor educators, faculty, and administrators; counselor supervisors and workplace leaders; and master’s-level students themselves, the authors apply the 5 P Communitarian Model for …

Trauma History And Trauma-Informed Practice Relate To Counseling Student’S Satisfaction With Supervision And Rapport With Supervisor, Nikki Hurless

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The effects of traumatic stressors and adversity have implications for relationship outcomes in various professional settings, including clinical supervision. The high prevalence of traumatic experiences among counselors and counselors in training (CIT) suggests a need to explore how CITs experience the supervision relationship in the context of having experienced traumatic and/or adverse events. In recent years, researchers and practitioners have increased attention to trauma-informed practice and principles in clinical supervision, and many have suggested that applying these practices to supervision may improve the supervision relationship and related outcomes. This study explored factors related to CIT satisfaction with supervision and rapport …

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 …

Using Fink’S Taxonomy In Counseling Practicum And Internship Courses, Kailey Bradley, Emily Horton Phd

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Fink’s Learning Taxonomy expanded upon Bloom’s Learning Taxonomy to provide concrete suggestions on development of significant learning experiences. Limited research exists on implementation of Fink’s learning Taxonomy in counselor education curriculum. As such, this conceptual article illuminates how the integration of Fink’s Learning Taxonomy could be used by educators to develop significant learning experiences within counseling internship and practicum courses.

S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Self-Care For Counselors, Nicole Marie Arcuri Sanders, Jenny Kim

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Practicing self-care activities is essential to helping professions stave off and combat burnout and vicarious trauma. Mental health counselors and counselor educators and supervisors (CESs) need specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely (S. M. A. R. T.) self-care activities to best meet the demands of this highly relational field. This article will assist CESs in supporting the personal development of S. M. A. R. T. self-care goals for their students and supervisees’ evolving professional identity with the addition to evaluate (E) and review (R) identified self-care efforts. CESs are supported with gatekeeping relevance and examining student and supervisee self-care plans …

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.

Clinical Supervisors Competency And Readiness To Supervise Telehealth Practices, Myriam Buitrago

Dissertations

The growing effectiveness of telehealth as an alternative practice is gaining acceptance not only by professionals in the healthcare field but also by people who have benefited from this approach. New training and supervision practices are required to meet the new telehealth approach. Clinical supervision is a new profession identifying the competencies that define their best practices. However, telehealth is forcing us to evaluate and redefine them to meet the new telehealth requirements. This study used two assessments, the Supervisor competence self assessment and the supervisor evaluation and the Supervisor Competence Scale, to measure supervisors' self-evaluation of their performance as …

Supporting Counselors-In-Training: A Toolbox For Doctoral Student Supervisors, Jeffrey M. Warren, Mark Schwarze, Helen S. Lupton-Smith

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselor education doctoral students are often required to supervise master-level counselors-in-training as part of their supervision internship. While practical, this arrangement places doctoral students and their supervisees in potentially compromised situations, given their lack of experience in these respective roles. This article offers a toolbox of strategies doctoral student supervisors can use to facilitate their work with counselors-in-training. These strategies address focus areas identified through prior research. Doctoral student supervisors are encouraged to use this toolbox in conjunction with the support and guidance of their faculty supervisor as they navigate clinical supervision.

Emotional Intelligence And Self-Perceptions Of Counseling Competency In Counselors In Training, Ariel K. Hernandez, Walter Frazier, Rebecca Cowan

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and counseling competency. Results indicated that CIT status was positively correlated with counseling skills and therapeutic conditions. Results further showed that CITs with higher EI had a higher self-perception of all components of counseling competency.

Shared And Unique Competencies In Interprofessional Behavioral Health: Implications For Counselor Education, Julie Berrett-Abebe, Jocelyn K. Novella, Dilani M. Perera

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Behavioral health reform in the U.S. recommends interprofessional education and practice grounded in clinical training in competencies relevant to practice. In tandem, counselor education requires training to learn roles and responsibilities as members of interdisciplinary teams. This pilot explored participants’ (N=19) understanding of professional identities and competencies among clinical mental health counseling (CMHC), marriage & family therapy (MFT), psychiatric mental health nursing (PMHNP) and social work (MSW) students in an interprofessional education (IPE) program. Participants identified unique profiles of each of the four behavioral health disciplines that align with professions’ histories and theoretical orientations as well as a common profile …

The Proctor Model Of Clinical Supervision: An Introduction For Professional Counselors, Gideon Litherland, Gretchen Schulthes, Charlotte Cowles, Edward Ewe

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counseling supervisors require an increasingly diverse set of tools, theories, and interventions to address the myriad concerns that arise in clinical supervision. The ability to support, provide feedback, and systematically address supervisee issues are critical to effective supervision. Deliberate practice remains a key indicator of clinical effectiveness, with supervision skills requiring the same attention and practice. As consumers of supervision or providers of supervision services, professional counselors require useful models of how to engage in supervision. The Proctor Model is an internationally recognized and implemented model of supervision that has great utility for professional counselors.

Multicultural Counseling Course Instructors’ Cultural Background And Diversity Teaching Approaches, Cameka Hazel

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Abstract

The success of any multicultural counseling course hinges upon the cultural competence of the course instructor. Research indicates that cultural competence is developed through personal experiences with diversity; however, little is known about how these experiences are translated into teaching practice. In this qualitative study, the researcher used a phenomenological inquiry to explore how instructors’ experiences with diversity influence how they teach multicultural counseling. The main thematic finding indicates that the cultural diversity background of the counselor educators shapes the way they teach. The two subthemes also reveal that some instructors teach diversity topics from a place of familiarity …

Utilizing The Safe-T Model And Anti-Racist Counseling Principles For Suicide Assessment And Teaching Counselors In Training, Aubrey D. Daniels, Kristen Nadermann, Christy Beck, Yusen Zhai

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Training on suicide assessment and intervention in college counseling centers is crucial. The SAFE-T model is effective when teaching counselors in training (CITs) in training clinics on college campuses as students learn how to assess clients’ suicide risk level. We share how the SAFE-T model, in tandem with anti-racist counselor education practices, can enhance training in programs with training clinics based on our clinic at The Pennsylvania State University, followed by a case study to exemplify how to synthesize both practices for robust clinical outcomes.

Experiences Of The Supervisory Alliance And Self-Compassion In Counseling And Psychotherapy Students, Alexandre Brien, Patricia Dionne, Réginald Savard, Cynthia Bilodeau

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This qualitative research examined the relationship between supervisory working alliance, self-compassion and reflexive self-awareness with students enrolled in a graduate-level counseling or counseling and psychotherapy program (n = 48). A thematic analysis using a Critical Incident Questionnaire was performed. The themes identified in this study indicate that both supervision alliance and self-compassion seemingly contribute positively to student supervisee learning experiences and to the development of their reflexive self-awareness. Moreover, the perceived learning achieved, and the development of reflexive self-awareness, reciprocally strengthened the supervisory alliance. Furthermore, the degree of supervisees’ self-compassion as well as their perceived supervisory alliances had an …