Counseling Commons^™

The Cultivation And Integration Of Cultural Humility And Cultural Competence In Lgbtiq+ Client Work: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Approach, Gon Ratanashevorn

Dissertations

Previous researchers have highlighted the lack of consistency and standards in LGBTIQ+ cultural competence trainings which may cause negative therapy experiences for LGBTIQ+ clients. This research empirically explored counselors’ (n = 12) process of the cultivation and integration of LGBTIQ+ cultural competence and cultural humility to inform training which leads to better services for LGBTIQ+ clients through constructivist grounded theory method. The theory of the life-long cultivation and integration of LGBTIQ+CC and cultural humility emerged with five categories: (1) motivation to do right by queer clients, (2) cultivating the right soil for queer folks, (3) walking the walk to …

Military Spouse Counselors: Exploring Mental Health, Resilience, Coping, And Burnout, Melinda Poteet Brinkley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military spouses (MLSPs) are an integral part of the military family and key mental health providers in military community. This study explores the mental health, resilience, coping, and burnout of MLSP counselors, counselor educators, and supervisors (CES). This study was grounded in resilience theory, investigating relationships between mental health and burnout, mediated by resilience, and conditioned by coping. An online survey was distributed through social media and email, open to MLSP counselors/CES of all branches and components of service (N = 68). This quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional correlational research designed utilized PROCESS Models 4, 58, and 59, which determined that resilience …

The Role Of Spirituality In The Lives Of Counselors: Reframing The Focus, Greg A. Meyer

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

The term spirituality is often hard to hear without prior, preconceived ideas and bias attached to it, and is often used interchangeably with other words, depending on one’s past and culture. The field of counselor education and supervision has also used the term in ambiguous ways, which has led to apprehension and a lack of clarity with which the term is taught and understood. This paper explains the historical focus of spirituality within the counselor education field, then redefines the focus towards the lives of counselors, but more specifically the lives of counseling students and the impact counselor educators might …

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

Educational Sciences and Organizations

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 …

The Dueling Ambitions Of High Achieving Women: A Family Development Pilot Case Study, Diane Smedley

Counseling Faculty Publications and Presentations

At some point prior to their children turning 18, roughly 70% of mothers will hold the position of breadwinner in their family. The increasing number of breadwinning mothers is reflective of the shifting roles of women in families. Although a family role shift is evident for mothers, the centrality of women in the development of families across the lifespan remains unchanged. The centrality of mothers to family development is obvious in the family life cycle. Embedded in the traditional family structure, the family life cycle is a commonly used assessment model for family lifespan development despite its incongruence with professional …

From Doctoral Student To Professor: The Professional Socialization And Career Development Of International Counselor Educators, Ayla Martine Ludwig

Dissertations

Becoming a counselor educator is a complex and rigorous process wherein students grow both personally and professionally (Dollarhide et al., 2013). Throughout this process, students develop in accordance with doctoral competency standards (CACREP, 2021) which help socialize them into the role of professor. For international learners, their education has historically included unique challenges such as language barriers (Behl et al., 2017; Hegarty, 2014; Jang et al., 2014; McDowell et al., 2012; Ng, 2012; Pollock et al., 2017; Sato & Hodge, 2015; Sherry et al., 2010), cultural adjustment (Jang et al., 2014; Kuo et al., 2018; Woo et al., 2015), and …

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 …

The Class Of 2019: Academic Employment Prospects For Counselor Education Doctoral Graduates, Christopher Lawrence, Gregory Hatchett

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

The purpose of this investigation was to estimate the percentage of counselor education doctoral (CED) program graduates who attained faculty positions within two years of graduation and to compare the number of these graduates to the number of advertised faculty positions during this same timeframe. To do so, we used archival, publicly available data for graduates of CACREP-accredited CED programs during the 2018-2019 academic cycle (N = 314). Approximately two-fifths of these graduates had faculty positions. Graduation from a public university increased the odds of having any faculty post, whereas graduation from a public university and the Carnegie Classification of …

Professional Identity Development Of Black Doctoral Students In Counselor Education: A Reflexive Model, Olivia T. Ngadjui Phd, Elizabeth A. Doughty Horn

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

This grounded theory study comprised the perspectives of how past and current Black doctoral students formalized their professional identity in counselor education. Findings included reflexivity as a central theme within the internal process of Black doctoral students navigating counselor education programs and a model of professional identity development.

Introduction To Trauma-Informed Counselor Education And Supervision (Tices) Framework, Isak Kim, Yoon Suh Moh, Charmayne R. Adams, Jaeyoung Kim

Office of Health Promotion Scholarship

Many counselors in training may be susceptible to traumatization and/or retraumatization during their training process due to the elevated prevalence of their past trauma experience and the nature of their professional work involving exposure to trauma narratives in coursework and during fieldwork. Recognizing the growing need for a trauma-informed approach in training future helping professionals, including counselors-in-training, we present an overview of a framework called the Trauma-Informed Counselor Education and Supervision (TI-CES). This framework draws on assumptions and principles from trauma-informed care (TIC). Also, we address the applications of four key assumptions (i.e., Realize, Recognize, Respond, and …

De-Colonizing And Enlivening Lifespan Development In Counselor Education With Experiential Exercises Across The Curriculum, Emily Horton, Diane Smedley, Karen M. Roller, Kelly Coker

Counseling Faculty Publications and Presentations

ACA and IAMFC codes of ethics center culturally-affirming lifespan development skills as professional identity responsibilities specific to counselors. Despite the critical importance of lifespan, the training of CITs in this area is inadequate and grounded in research based on homogeneous samples and discriminatory practices. Counselor education is deeply in need of a lifespan curriculum that reflects diverse populations. The updated lifespan curriculum must be inclusive and consider the impact of context and culture on lifespan development. In this conceptual article, we call on counseling faculty to infuse updated developmental science with clinical skills development across their plans of study.

Developing Self-Evaluation Skills In Interprofessional Simulation Educators: A Multilevel Mixed-Methods Study, Dana G. Trottier

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This multilevel mixed methods investigation examines the experiences of developing self-evaluation skills for simulation fellows in an interprofessional simulation fellowship program. Interprofessional fellows (N = 12) and faculty (N = 4) engaged in a three-phase study using video-assisted learning tools to explore the differences in self-evaluation (perceived performance) and faculty evaluation (actual performance) in developing debriefing skills. For the quantitative component, fellows and faculty completed the DASH© tool to evaluate the quality of debriefing to help close the gaps between fellow self-evaluation and faculty evaluation. For the qualitative component, video-stimulated think-aloud and video-assisted debriefing the debriefer were utilized to understand …

Examining Multicultural Leadership Development Practices In Counselor Education To Foster Future Leaders, Katie N. Schmitz

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how doctoral programs foster leadership development in Counselor Education and identify recommendations for incorporating leadership-related learning outcomes and multicultural leadership identities. Using a Delphi method, the study collected input from sixteen experts in the field of Counselor Education and leadership. Data was examined through the lenses of transformational learning and leadership theories. The research questions were: what are the best practices in teaching and/or fostering multicultural leadership development in Counselor Education, and what are the recommendations for integrating CACREP leadership-related learning objectives in the curriculum? Eight themes were …

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.

Incorporating Trauma-Informed Educational Practices In The Counselor Education Classroom, Yoon Suh Moh, Katharine Rose Sperandio, Glory Munthali, Amy Dugan

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This conceptual article provides a description of trauma-informed educational practices informed by a model of trauma-informed educational practice (TIEP) that was created for social work education. We subsequently will call for an integration of this model to counselor education. To demonstrate an application of the model into counselor education, we will provide a case study influenced by both the TIEP model and our experiences in working in a CACREP-accredited counselor education program that infuses trauma content throughout its program curriculum.

Integrated Behavioral Health Training In Counselor Education: A Call To Action, Nicholas Schmoyer, Lisa Corbin, Lauren Robins

The Journal of Integrated Primary Care

The American healthcare system is beginning to adopt an integrated behavioral health model as a way to meet the ever-changing and holistic needs of patients by creating opportunities for collaboration among medical and behavioral health professionals. Professional counselors play a vital role in integrative behavioral health through their meaningful participation on interdisciplinary healthcare teams. Professional counselors are key to any interdisciplinary team because they embrace a biopsychosocial wellness perspective and have undergone clinical and academic training. However, many counseling programs do not specifically educate or train counselors in how to work in integrated care settings. As such, counselor educators must …

Doctoral Students Balancing The Roles And Relationships Of Counselor Education, Isabel C. Farrell, Casey A. Barrio Minton, Amanda C. Dediego

The Qualitative Report

Aspiring counselor educators in Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited programs must learn to be counselors, teachers, supervisors, researchers, and leaders. These roles can overlap, creating multiple complex relationships during their programs. To examine these roles, we conducted a constructivist grounded theory investigation of how counselor education doctoral students (n = 9) balanced multiple roles and relationships and boundary crossings. We utilized chain referral sampling and continued until we reached theoretical saturation. We used semi-structured interviews conducted via videoconferencing (Zoom) for data collection and coded the interviews using two main phases: an initial phase and …

Antiracist School Counseling Pedagogy: A Quasi-Experimental Multiple Regression Analysis, Star L. Zetocha

Dissertations

America’s K-12 schools, which were initially created exclusively for White children, are racialized institutions (Spring, 2019). School counseling ethics now obligate school counselors to engage in antiracist praxis in schools, yet school counselors-in-training (SCITs) are not typically provided with explicit training in antiracism, which allows them to enter the field with colorblind racial attitudes that inhibit them from recognizing and confronting racism in schools (Gibson & Fripp, 2022). The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between colorblind racial attitudes and antiracist behaviors of school counselors in-training who had and had not taken an antiracist school counseling course. …

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 …

Students’ Perceptions Of Grades And Grade Inflation In Counselor Training, Daniel A. Decino, Phillip L. Waalkes, Steven Chesnut

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Previous scholars have suggested grade inflation has been in higher education for decades, may devalue high grade point averages, and blur important differences between qualified and unqualified job candidates. In counselor training programs, grade inflation may cause students to overestimate their abilities to handle challenging real-world situations, impede faculty evaluation practices, and promote unfavorable student learning environments. In this exploratory study, we surveyed 240 counseling students on their perceptions of their grades and their peers’ grades before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results suggest that students perceived their peers succeeded academically despite inappropriate and unethical behaviors, especially during the …

Mentorship In Counselor Education: A Scoping Review, Gideon Litherland, Gretchen Schulthes, Edward Ewe, Kaj Kayij-Wint, Kok-Mun Ng

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Mentorship has been widely lauded as meaningful for trainees in their professional development. To better understand the gaps in the scholarship of mentorship in counselor education, a scoping review was conducted to examine peer-reviewed research from 2005-2020. Results found eligible articles (n = 18) met the eligibility criteria. Implications from this study include improving conceptual rigor of mentorship outcomes in counselor education research, further investigating how underrepresented identities may benefit from mentorship, and tailoring mentorship interventions for the learning context and graduate level for counselor education students.

Infusing Anarchist Pedagogy Into Counselor Education, Andrew Wood

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Anarchist pedagogy has existed for well over 100 years, but little has been written on the subject within the counseling profession and the counselor education literature specifically. Anarchist pedagogy offers a direct relationship between education and social justice praxis that many counseling programs espouse, and thus the consideration of an explicitly political pedagogy may benefit the counselor education profession. This manuscript aims to provide a brief overview of anarchist pedagogy, how it fits into the work of counselor education, and how counselor educators can utilize anarchist pedagogy. Limitations for the infusion of anarchist pedagogy into counselor education and future areas …

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.

Preparing Counselors To Meet The Needs Of Transgender Clients, Kristy Carangi

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This exploratory quantitative study tests the effectiveness of a three-hour Transgender Training Intervention for increasing the gender identity competence of counselors and counselors-in-training. Participants (N = 4) were recruited online and completed the 20-item Counselor Competence Gender Identity Survey (CCGIS) before and after the virtual training intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that mean total CCGIS scores increased from 127.0 in the pretest to 138.75 in the posttest, a 9.25% increase. The largest gains were made on the Gaining Knowledge/Skills to Counsel Gender Diverse Individuals subscale (CCGIS-KS). Mean scores on the CCGIS-KS increased from 24.25 in the …

The Lived Experience Of Counseling Students In Natural Disaster, Amy M. Sirocky-Meck

Dissertations, 2020-current

After natural disaster, survivors may experience moderate to severe signs and symptoms of emotional distress which may subside or worsen as time passes (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2022). Adults pursuing higher education when natural disaster strikes experience an additional array of unique issues which may exacerbate symptoms of emotional distress (Wilkinson et al.,2013). To create and improve curricular and co-curricular structures that meet the needs of their students, educators in many health and mental health disciplines can draw from a variety of quantitative and qualitative studies, particularly those focused on how their disciplines’ students navigate the experience …

Training Counselors Using Virtual Reality, Courtney M. Holmes, Fatima Tariq, Karena Heyward, Denise Hall

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to expand experiential learning opportunities in counselor education. This article discusses how semi- and immersive VR can provide students a diverse range of experiences to increase both counseling skill and empathy development for clients with a myriad of identities, diagnoses, and presenting counseling issues. Suggestions and implications for counselor education are discussed.

Infusing Military Culture In Multicultural Counseling Frameworks: A Phenomenological Study, Katherine M. Atkins, Toni R. Tollerud, Tilottama Roy-White, Lauren E. Brdecka, Deanna Chrones

The Qualitative Report

This descriptive phenomenological study focused on counselor educators’ (CESs) experiences infusing military culture into counseling curriculum. Specifically, this study sought to learn what counseling programs can do to best prepare counselors-in-training to work with military families. The researchers used the McCracken (1988) method to interview ten participants who had terminal degrees in counselor education or a highly related field, experience providing services to military-connected clients, and were aware of military cultural facets (e.g., implicit and explicit expectations, rules, and ways of being). The findings support the need to redefine multiculturalism and intentional infusion of military culture in counseling curriculum to …

Mindfulness Misconceptions In Counselor Education And Supervision: Mitigating Vicarious Trauma Among Counselors-In-Training, Elise Angelos, Adrienne Baggs

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

As counselors-in-training (CITs) continue to address a larger client base with pandemic induced mental health stressors, they may experience increased levels of vicarious trauma (VT) that can jeopardize the quality of treatment, as well as their own well-being. Thus, VT among CITs should be recognized as a priority problem among counselor educators. Despite well-documented personal and professional benefits of mindfulness, most CITs will not receive mindfulness education or training. Recognizing the relatively low rate of integration of mindfulness within CES, it is necessary to address several misconceptions about mindfulness that may be hindering the effective inclusion of mindfulness resources and …

Effective Writing Strategies And Feedback In Counselor Education, Lindsay Corinne Webster, Tessa M. Hastings, Kelseigh Garrett

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Emerging counselors often are expected to demonstrate mastery of learning objectives through the written word. In this article, we address how counselor educators can implement simple and effective strategies for developing proficient, reflective, and self-regulated student writers. We propose three frameworks from academic literature to shape a pedagogical writing approach germaine to the principles of counselor education: growth mindset, sociocultural theory of cognitive development, and constructive feedback typology. In addition to highlighting strategies to design developmental writing assignments with intentionality, we illustrate how to harness counseling skills to provide writing feedback that promotes insight and personal growth beneficial for counseling …

Practice Makes Progress: Using The Lifespan Course As An Example For Role-Play Implementation, Emily Horton, Ed Jacobs

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This conceptual article addresses specific clinical and practical implications for the utilization of role-play in the human growth and development course. Specific approaches to integrating role-play into the human growth and development course, including what we coin as Structured Role-Play, Semi-Structured Role-Play, and Unstructured Role-Play implementation strategies, are discussed at length. Sample vignettes and experiential activities for each developmental stage are provided. Finally, we address ethical considerations regarding role-play implementation.