Counselor Education Commons^™

The Under-Representation Of Jewish Americans In Multicultural Counseling Literature, Rebecca M. Goldberg, Andrea L. Dixon

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Despite the ongoing presence of Jewish Americans in the field of counseling, a large gap exists in the literature regarding Jews as a multicultural group of people. This article is designed to bring attention to the lack of inclusion of Jewish Americans in multicultural counseling literature and curricula. Recommendations for counselor education training and counseling practices are provided.

A Study Of The Overlap Of School Counselor Identity And Duties, Melinda Gibbons, Derick Williams

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Professional school counselors (N=92) across grade levels completed the Professional Identity of School Counselors survey (PISC) online to provide their views of professional identity and the concepts of leadership, collaboration, advocacy, multiculturalism, and the general delivery (e.g., counseling, consulting, individual planning, and guidance curriculum), management (i.e., how school counselors organize their time in meeting student needs), and accountability (e.g., collecting, using, and reporting the results of data) tasks of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model. Participants identified advocacy, delivery services, and collaboration as most important to the professional identity of school counselors. None of the top activities were …

Refugee Students In Public Schools: Guidelines For Developing Inclusive School Counseling Programs, Bengu Erguner-Tekinalp, Vessela Ilieva, Katheryn K. Williams

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

This paper identifies key experiences of refugee students and reviews how these children integrate into the formal schooling system in America. Refugee children face specific challenges, and counseling services are critical for the students’ success. Guidelines on counseling refugee students are limited. The purpose of this article is to provide guiding suggestions for school counselors to effectively help refugee students by identifying roles, responsibilities, and functions of school counselors using the ASCA National Model.

Secondary Student Schedule Changes: Accountability Issues In School Counseling Program Management, Tarrell Awe, Agahe Portman, Susannah Wood, Anna Vivianni

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Descriptive data collected on student schedule changes have been missing in the literature. School counselors agree the task of changing schedules is overwhelming, but there is no measure indicating the extent of time and attention devoted to schedule changes. The purpose of this article is to present data gathered during the crucial schedule change period just prior to the beginning of a new academic term. The findings may provide an incentive for school counselors to begin collecting data related to scheduling and establish concrete measures for providing information for dissemination to school district decision makers.

Preferred Qualities In High School Counselors, Kirk Zinck, April Hughes, Rachel Oney

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Utilizing focus groups with middle, high school, and university students, this phenomenological study developed a three-faceted perspective on student preferences for the personal and professional qualities of high school counselors. Findings revealed that students value the accessibility of counselors. Informants identified elements of accessibility that include authentic concern, trustworthiness, an interactive presence, unconditional acceptance, and attuned empathy as the primary qualities they prefer in a high school counselor. The findings have implications for the professional development of high school counselors and for those who train, hire, and supervise them.

Pre-Practicum Students And Cognitive Complexity, Shawn L. Spurgeon, Marianne Woodside, Tricia Mcclam, Eric Heidel, Michael Catalana

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Eighteen students enrolled in a professional orientation and ethics course as part of a counseling training program participated in a study designed to assess the cognitive complexity of first semester master’s counseling students. We used the one-minute question and analyzed the results based on Bloom’s taxonomy for the cognitive domain. Results suggest a relationship between course content and level of cognitive development. Implications for counselor training and development are discussed.

The Next Step In The Public Recognition/Acceptance Of Professional Counselors, Don Locke

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Public perception and acceptance of professional counselor has increased significantly with each additional level of creditability that professional counselors have obtained. As professional counselors have developed their skills through supervised clinical practice their ability to serve clients has also increased. Mississippi could well be served even more efficiently in the future by individuals who have acquired additional advanced clinical skills. These skills could be achieved through the completion of a clinical doctorate.

Text Messaging Between School Counselors And Students: An Exploratory Study, Nicholas R. Gilly

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory case study examines the impact of text messaging on mentoring relationships when used as an outreach between school counselors and high school students, where established relationships are lacking. An SMS gateway was used to mediate communication between school counselors (N=2) and students (N=5) over a three-month timeframe. The SMS gateway converted email, sent from counselors, to text messages, which were received on mobile devices of students and allowed students to respond back to counselors. Findings indicate that the use of text messaging may ease scheduling of face-to-face meetings between counselors and students, but evidence does not support any …

Exploring Authenticity, Prosocial Lying, And Power In Addiction Recovery Groups: A Conceptual Model, Mahmoud Yacoub

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Previous literature suggests a connection between dispositional power and authenticity, where those with high dispositional power reported higher levels of authenticity than participants who had lower dispositional power (Kifer, Heller, Perunovic, & Galinsky, 2013). There is little research about the intersectionality of prosocial lying, authenticity, and dispositional power, as well as their utility in group work. This session will introduce a conceptual model that explores the intersection prosocial lying, authenticity, and dispositional power in addiction recovery groups under the framework of narrative and existential theory. Narrative theory posits that people suffer from living under a dominant narrative that often ignores …

Engaging Professional Advocacy Through Community-Based Participatory Research And Community Engagement, Anastasha Homa-Earl

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Community engagement (CE) and service learning are trending in institutions of higher education, with instructors including community-based coursework to encourage applied, experiential learning (Henderson, 2017; Johnson, 2013). Counselors are called to advocate both for their clients and for the counseling profession overall, in addition to their role as change-makers in regards to the accessibility of services (ACA, 2014; ACA 2018). Some research suggests that interprofessional collaboration can be beneficial for addressing social advocacy efforts, and that advocacy and experiential learning can help to develop professional identity (e.g. Mellin, Hunt, & Nichols, 2010; Luke & Goodrich, 2010; Myers, Sweeney, & White, …

Effects Of The Supervisory Relationship On Counselors Development Of Self-Efficacy, Carolyn A. Russo

Education Dissertations

Abstract

The growing need and use of mental health services illustrates how critical the development of competent counselors is to the nation’s health. Level of counselor self-efficacy is suggested to strongly influence counselor development and competency in practice. Several supervisory factors have been identified in the literature as significantly influencing counselors’ level of self-efficacy. However, the effect of the supervisory relationship and its impact on post-graduate counselor-in-training self-efficacy is unknown. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the construct of counselor self-efficacy in relation to the supervisory relationship and the development of counseling skills in a post-graduate sample. …

Confidentiality In Counselor Experiential Training Groups: An Exploratory Study, Poonam V. Doshi, Rostyslaw W. Robak, Paul W. Grffin, Alfred W. Ward

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

This study investigated whether maintaining confidentiality influenced members’ self- disclosure and perceptions of benefitting from group experience in the context of an instructor- led experiential graduate-level training group. Participants were 31 counselors-in-training in a 60-credit master’s degree program in mental health counseling enrolled in an experiential group dynamics class. The findings indicate that maintaining confidentiality is positively associated with increased self-disclosure among group members as well as perceived benefit from the group. The implications of these findings for educators as well as practicing counselors and researchers are discussed.

Cultivating Multicultural Competency In Supervision Using An Identity Style Framework, Erin K. Popejoy, Kendra Shoge, Cameron Houin

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Multicultural competency is a necessary component of counselor supervision. However, when ingrained and unquestioned biases tied to personal identity arise, it may feel impossible to have important conversations in a professional and safe way. The authors propose a conceptual framework that provides a navigational toolkit for these difficult conversations. A brief case example highlights a possible scenario and path to resolution.

Counselor Education Graduate Students’ Experiences With Multiple Roles And Relationships, Kristen N. Dickens, Richard E. Cleveland, Lauren Amason

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Counselor Education graduate students participate in multiple roles and relationships during their programs (Dickens, Ebrahim, & Herilhy, 2016). The purpose of this quantitative investigation was to explore counselor education graduate students’ awareness of and experiences with multiple roles and relationships through the development of a self-report scale. Building on previous qualitative studies, the authors constructed a 41-item survey – the Multiple Roles, Relationships, and Responsibilities (M3R). Exploratory factor analysis was applied to data from a sampling of counseling students (n = 140) yielding an 8-factor solution accounting for approximately 63% of the variance. Implications for faculty are discussed and programmatic …

Full Issue, Mississippi Counseling Association

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Volume 4, Number 1 (2019)

Acknowledgements, Mississippi Counseling Association

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

No abstract provided.

Cookie Friendships: School Counselors Use Of Genograms As An Assessment Tool In The Digital Age, Jennifer Barrow, Susan Z. Wasik, Peggy P. Whiting

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Professional school counselors play a vital role in addressing the needs of diverse populations experiencing varying degrees of crises. This article suggests best practices for utilizing genograms in the digital age to identify cookie friendships and to address varying degrees of crisis experiences of school-aged children. The use of genograms in the school counseling setting can be an easily adoptable approach and technique for use with a wide variety of students that can be implemented in various situations.

A Pilot Survey Of The Integration Of Technology Into Counseling Practice, Courtney Holmes, Kelly A. Kozlowksi, Dorcille M. Jernigan

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

A random sample of 218 American Counseling Association members responded to a survey related to the integration of technology into the field of counseling pertaining to perceptions of possible barriers and benefits to providing online counseling. Results indicate that 11% of respondents currently provide some type of online counseling and that less than 20% of respondents would consider providing online counseling. Respondents identified both potential barriers and benefits of online counseling indicating that while counselors can recognize benefits to online counseling, they are still wary of potential challenges. Implications for the counseling field and future research directions are discussed.

The Perceived Stressors And Coping Skills Of Graduate Students: A Developmental And Validation Study, Alyse M. Anekstein, Pamela C. Wells, Richard E. Cleveland, Nicole R. Hill, Alexandria Kerwin, Holly H. Wagner

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

This article outlines the development and validation of two instruments evaluating common stressors and coping skills as perceived by graduate counseling students. The review of the literature illustrated a need for the development of measures to provide empirical support in regard to the stressors and coping skills of graduate students in counseling programs. Exploratory factor analyses were applied to the two respective scales to evaluate the constructs. Recommendations and limitations are offered to further the development of psychometric properties within the scales.

Predictors Of Supervisee Self-Disclosure Within The Supervisory Relationship, Chelsey Hess-Holden

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

The present study investigates how the supervisory working alliance, supervisor’s style, and the supervisee’s level of self-efficacy are able to predict the supervisee’s level of self-disclosure to the supervisor. Forty-two supervisees completed the Working Alliance Inventory – Trainee (Bahrick, 1990), Trainee Disclosure Scale (Walker, Ladany, & Pate-Carolan, 2007), Supervisory Style Inventory (Friedlander & Ward, 1984), and Counseling Activity Self-Efficacy Scales (Lent, Hill, & Hoffman, 2003). The supervisee’s level of self-disclosure was statistically significantly predicted by the supervisory working alliance, supervisor’s style, and the supervisee’s counseling self-efficacy. Counseling self-efficacy was found to be a statistically significant predictor of supervisee self-disclosure.

Counseling Theories Role Play As A Teaching Tool, Sarah Stewart-Spencer, Rob Eubanks, Jamison Law, Dale V. Wyman, Annette Pullen, Donna James

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Transitioning from knowledge and understanding to practical application can be a challenging step for counseling students (Authors, 2016). Although the professional field accepts integration as a working model, the ability to effectively integrate theories is a more advanced skill. Research strongly advocates the importance of graduate students connecting with a specific counseling model or theory as a foundation into the profession (Halbur & Halbur, 2015). Beginning counselors may see this as overwhelming as they do not fully understand each theory well enough to integrate. Firsthand experience, such as seeing a theory in action, not only provides a sense of connection …

Full Issue, Mississippi Counseling Association

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Volume 3, Number 1 (Fall and Spring 2018)

A Narrative Approach To Helping Families And Their Children Who Identify As Transgender Or Gender Nonconforming, Samantha Klassen-Bolding, Karisse A. Callender

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Counselors can help families of transgender or gender nonconforming youth adjust after a child or adolescent expresses differences in gender identity. We propose a community based narrative group therapy which may increase family cohesion and acceptance within the changing family dynamic. The program is psychoeducational and experiential, lasting eight sessions, and begins with psychoeducation about transgender individuals and heteronormative societies. It culminates in re-authoring and witnessing the family’s story in a manner which honors the youth’s gender identity. We propose this program as a strategy for helping practitioners connect diverse LGBTQ+ families with other families experiencing similar transitions.

Natural Disasters: Implications For Counselors And Counselor Educators, Michael Bobbitt

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Natural disasters often strike with little to no warning and have devastating effects. The impact of natural disasters can include loss of property, loss of a job, or impairment of psychological functioning for survivors of natural disasters. Counselors are called to understand natural disasters, the impact of natural disasters, and interventions for working with natural disaster survivors. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of natural disasters on clients, counseling practices for working with survivors of natural disaster, and the impact of natural disasters on counselors. Additionally, implications for counselors and counselor education are discussed.

The Effect Of Child-Centered Play Therapy On Academic Achievement With Normal Functioning School Children, Pedro Blanco, Ryan Holliman, Janelle Farnam, Alexandria Pena

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

This examination of normal functioning second grade students investigated the effect of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) on academic achievement. The treatment group was provided with biweekly play therapy sessions consisted of 30 minutes for a period of eight weeks. The results demonstrated the second graders who participated within the study (n=27) exhibited a statistically significant increase on the Woodcock Johnson III Total Brief Achievement Score (Mather & Woodcock, 2001) in comparison to the children within the waitlist control group (n=23). Findings advocate the usage of CCPT as an intervention for academic achievement.

Guiding The Socio-Emotional Learning Of African American Middle School Girls Through The Perspective Of School Counselors, Towana Hunter

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the perspective of school counselors and how they support African American middle school girls through their SEL challenges. School counselors play a key role in the development of socio-emotional learning (SEL) for all students. SEL supports academic achievement, behaviors, and positive relationship development. Despite success with SEL, socio-emotional gaps remain in the areas of age, gender, and race. In response to addressing these gaps, this study focused on SEL challenges that impact African American middle school girls and how school counselors support them through these challenges. Data for this study was collected through individual interviews …

Daniel Gomez

Barrio Writers

No abstract provided.

Intersex Experiences, Activists’ Perspectives, And Counseling Implications, Cynthia J. Mulit

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Intersex people are born with sex development differences; for example, atypical genitals. The intersex community is the only sexual minority population subjected to medical treatments in infancy designed to make their bodies conform to cultural expectations for male and female bodies. Intersex activism to stop the medicalized treatments began in the late 1990s. No other qualitative study has focused on the experiences of intersex activists. Four leading activists were interviewed in depth regarding their personal, activist, and counseling experiences. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. A 3-stage intersex identity development model was formulated …

Development And Validation Of The Students With Learning Disabilities School Counselor Self- Efficacy Scale: A Psychometric Study, Rawn Alfredo Boulden, Jr.

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

School Counselors play an important role in the success of all students. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and the Council for The Accreditation of Counseling And Related Educational Programs (CACREP) emphasizing the importance of school counselors in supporting the diverse needs of all students. Despite the efforts of the aforementioned association and accrediting body, the verdict is mixed regarding school counselors’ self-efficacy to counsel and support students with learning disabilities. This quantitative study aimed to develop and validate the Students with Learning Disabilities School Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale, an instrument that assesses school counselors’ belief in their ability to counsel …

Best Practices In Clinical Supervision: What Must Supervisees Do?, Johana Rocha

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Clinical supervision is critical for training competent counselors who provide ethical and professional services aimed at protecting the welfare of the populations they serve. Despite clearly outlining the roles and responsibilities of supervisors in supervision literature (Borders et al., 2014), scholars have not offered guidelines to inform supervisees with their responsibilities to make the most out of their supervision experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to attend to the gap in the literature by understanding what supervisees perceive as their responsibilities in clinical supervision. Such an effort may inform further studies and provide an empirical basis to establish …