Counselor Education 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 …

A Trial Of Resilience: From A Work Of Art To A Work Of Heart, Elizabeth Marie Sundquist

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

In A Trial of Resilience: From A Work of Art to a Work of Heart, I will be exploring my growth as both an ever evolving human and as a school counselor. During my time in graduate school I have had many opportunities to reflect on my own journey through my learning through literature and my hands-on working experience with my students who I lovingly refer to as my kids. Through hope, determination, resilience, and a splash of creativity I reflect on my life journey to the present day. I chose the title to reflect on my own mental health …

A Trial Of Resilience: From A Work Of Art To A Work Of Heart, Elizabeth Marie Sundquist

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

In A Trial of Resilience: From A Work of Art to a Work of Heart, I will be exploring my growth as both an ever evolving human and as a school counselor. During my time in graduate school I have had many opportunities to reflect on my own journey through my learning through literature and my hands-on working experience with my students who I lovingly refer to as my kids. Through hope, determination, resilience, and a splash of creativity I reflect on my life journey to the present day. I chose the title to reflect on my own mental health …

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.

Training School Counselors In Anti-Racist Practices, Yenitza Z. Guzman, Tj Schoonover, Christy Tran

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This study examines the lived experiences of school counselors-in-training and their development as anti-racist school counselors. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, we conducted in-depth interviews with 17 school counselors-in-training with a focus on their development and training as anti-racist practitioners. The findings of the study included four themes: (a) education, (b) experiential learning, (c) suggestions for improvement, and (d) cultural competency. This article indicates implications for school counselor educators and school counselors-in-training.

Training Experiences Of School Counselors-In-Training To Address Child Maltreatment: A Phenomenological Study, Zachary Pietrantoni, Szu-Yu Chen, Caroline Vollaro, Margiolis Lopez, Justin Santos

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This study explores the experiences of six school counselors-in-training (SCIT) in addressing child maltreatment through a hypothetical vignette, providing an in-depth understanding of their experiences. Four main themes and five sub-themes emerged, providing insight into their preparedness and challenges faced. These findings highlight critical areas for improvement in training programs to better equip SCIT for addressing child maltreatment in schools.

Development And Implementation Of A Counseling Professional Identity Development Exercise, Alexander M. Fields, Ashley F. Waddington, Rachel Gilreath, Madeline Castle, Kara M. Schneider, Lucas M. Perez

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The professional identity of counselors is critical for distinguishing the counseling profession from related helping professionals. This paper presents the development and implementation of a novel counseling professional identity (CPI) development exercise, Weekly CPI Statements. The intervention was integrated into a 5-week CACREP introduction to counseling course to facilitate counselor trainees' (CTs) understanding and articulation of the CPI. Through thematic analysis, we examined themes of 29 CTs (school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and marriage, couples, and family therapy graduate students) experiences after completing the Weekly CPI Statements. The final themes were (a) Encouraged Critical Thinking, (b) Supported Professional Development …

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 …

High School Counselor Perceptions Of Trauma-Informed Professional Development And Implementation Of Trauma-Informed Practices In Schools, Kimberly Faulkner-Camacho

Theses and Dissertations

This non-experimental phenomenological study aimed to delve into school counselors’ perspectives on what motivates them to participate in trauma-informed professional development, the necessary supports for implementing trauma-informed practices in schools (TIPS), and the barriers that impede implementation. Drawing on situated learning theory and adult learning theory, this study sought to enhance the understanding of school counselors’ views on trauma-informed professional development and implementation. These frameworks offered valuable insights into how to support counselors and shed light on existing barriers. The study involved 10 traditional public high school counselors from non-charter schools in Los Angeles County, selected through snowball and purposive …

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 …

Child Sex Trafficking And Professional School Counselor Preparedness In Texas, Devon E. Romero, Claudia G. Interiano-Shiverdecker, Katherine E. Mcvay, Brenda Jones

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Professional school counselors in Texas responded to a questionnaire about training received and their needs concerning preparedness to identify and work with youth exposed to child sex trafficking (CST). The study utilized a convergent parallel mixed methods design. Quantitative results indicated many participants did not find that their graduate degree program prepared them to work with CST and less than half felt their school and/or district provided adequate training opportunities. In addition, thematic analysis revealed two themes characterizing Texas school counselors’ needs to identify and work with CST: (a) concerning preparedness: “so much going on” and (b) “specific training”: a …

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 …

Embedding Grief And Loss Training Across Cacrep-Core Areas In School Counseling Programs, Katherine M. Wood, C.Missy Moore, Jolie Ziomek-Daigle

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Each year, millions of school-aged children and teens experience grief and loss (Judi’s, 2023). This conceptual article describes the impact of grief and loss on school-aged children and the need to integrate grief and loss training into CACREP-accredited programs through the eight-core CACREP areas. Using Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, the authors will highlight how counselor educators can infuse content to address grief and loss with preservice school counselors holistically across the various systems surrounding the student in each CACREP core area.

The Needs Assessment As Authentic Learning For School Counselors In Training, Dr. Dianne Vargas, Dr. Steven Drouin, Dr. Karen Zandarski

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Although school counselor educators are tasked with preparing effective school counselors, they are continually presented with the challenge of creating authentic learning experiences that enhance the development of counselors in training. This descriptive-interpretive qualitative study describes the knowledge gained by counselors in training while creating, implementing, and analyzing an authentic learning experience within a master’s counselor education course. Data for this study included needs assessments completed by participants, and findings were summarized in four major themes. The themes included participants' awareness of the relevance of needs assessments, sources of knowledge utilized in survey design, school sites as stress and validation, …

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.

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 …

Counselor Trainees’ Development Of Self-Efficacy In An Online Skills Course, Kristin Vincenzes, Ashley Pechek, Matt Sprong

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

COVID-19 significantly changed the parameters and imaginations of those in higher education. Face-to-face courses swiftly transitioned to completely remote learning; though, that came with many anxieties in relation to students’ competency levels in practicing counseling skills. The results of this study found that students’ self-efficacy significantly increased after participating in an online skills course. A total of 39 graduate-level clinical mental health counseling students completed both the pre and post-test questionnaires, and findings showed that completing the online skills-based course was important in improving self-perception of increasing one’s skills, t(38) = -5.088, p < .000.

District-Level Supervisors: Leaders And Advocates For School Counseling, Thomas M. Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

All school counselors are expected to serve as leaders and advocates in their school communities. However, many are underprepared for the work after they complete graduate-level training. The present study explored the experiences of district- level school counseling supervisors in facilitating leadership development with professional school counselors. District-level supervisors are ideally placed to support school counselors in their leadership development and advocacy work. Through a semi- structured interview process, eight district-level school counseling supervisors provided information about their leadership development experiences. Data analysis yielded four themes in this descriptive phenomenological study involving social justice, role advocacy, barriers to effective leadership, …

School Counseling Site Supervision: Training Recommendations To Benefit School Counselor Interns And Site Supervisors, Chris R. Wilder, Atiya R. Smith, Jennifer Money-Brady, Denise B. Ebersole, Abraham Cazares-Cervantes, Teshaunda L. Hannor-Walker, Judith Justice

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The importance of supervision is supported in the research literature. Site supervision in school counseling does not require formal training. The absence of formal training has potential implications for the novice school counselor, the P-12 students they serve, and future school counseling supervisees. The authors compare current training models and explore best practices to improve site supervision for school counseling interns. accreditation, ethics, and current needs in school counseling for the school counselor intern and the site supervisor. Finally, the authors review supervision training and models, accreditation, ethics, and current needs for the school counselor intern and the site supervisor, …

Supervision In Schools: A Developmental Approach, Jessica Miserentino, Michael D. Hannon

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

School counselor supervision has been identified as both integral to effective school counseling practice and significantly underrepresented in counseling research. We provide a critical review of school counseling supervision literature and provide a rationale for using the Integrated Developmental Model for supervising school counselors through a case study. We conclude with recommendations for counselor preparation programs to integrate sustainable practices to help advocate for more frequent supervision support for school counselors.

Evaluation Of A Three-Hour Cross Disciplinary Internship Site Supervisor Training Session, Leigh Ann Tipton Fisler, Emily Jo Hernandez, Elina Saeki, Deborah Ribera, Roxanna N. Pebdani

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Given the importance of supervision in the counseling fields for facilitating trainee growth, the frequency, type, and delivery of supervision varies widely and can be limited or nonexistent (Pearson, 2004). Thus, a supervisor in any counseling profession must have strong supervisory skills that match the needs of the trainee, even if their professional skills and background differ (Davies et al., 2004). This study examined the effectiveness of a professional development training for school counseling, rehabilitation counseling and school psychology site supervisors. Results demonstrated significant improvements in participant confidence in Managing Supervision as well as general improvements in self-reported self-efficacy. Future …

Using An Experiential Group To Promote Engagement In A Career Counseling Course, Chad Luke, Zach Budesa, Joel Diambra

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Abstract

Career development and graduate counseling courses provide an opportunity to engage counselors-in-training in their own career development in order to evoke a parallel experience in their future clients. One approach to engaging students in these courses is through experiential education. The authors describe a pilot project using an experiential group technique embedded in a graduate-level career development and counseling course. The first author implemented a six-session group experience using peer facilitators to explore students’ own career-related attitudes and behaviors and then transfer that experience to work with future clients. The inclusion of an experiential group in a career development …

Expanding The Role Of Social Class In Multicultural Counselor Education Curricula, Derrick Shepard, Laura S. Wheat, Casey A. Barrio Minton

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Although professional counselors are called to develop Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC; Ratts et al., 2016), and social and cultural diversity are highly researched (e.g., Barrio Minton et al., 2014), social class as a multicultural construct has received less attention and is often reduced to being defined as socioeconomic status (SES). Therefore, this article provides a brief historical context of social class, explores the current state of social class research in counseling and counselor education, and suggests methods for increasing inclusion of social class in counselor educators’ multicultural pedagogy.

Facilitating Role Understanding And Collaboration Between Aspiring School Counselors And Principals: A Pilot Convergent Mixed Methods Design, Shelby Kaitlin Gonzales

Theses and Dissertations

Using a piloted convergent mixed-methods design, I investigated role understanding and collaboration between school counselors and principals. Specifically, this intervention situated aspiring school counselors and principals in a curriculum implementation on the role of their counterpart and then brought the two professions together in a collaborative powerful learning experience (PLE). Neither the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP), American School Counseling Association (ASCA) or National Policy Board for Education Administration (NPBEA) currently require graduate students to learn about the role of their opposite counterpart or collaboration between the two professions before they graduate from their respective …

Trauma-Informed Child Client Advocacy (Ticca) Plan: Conceptualization And Case Study, Aubrey D. Daniels

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC; Ratts et al., 2016) and the American Counseling Association (ACA) Advocacy Competencies (Lewis et al., 2003; Ratts et al., 2010; Toporek & Daniels, 2018) formalized the advocacy process for counselors. Nevertheless, the literature focused on the advocacy competencies does not provide child client advocacy examples or a concise plan for advocacy efforts for clinical mental health counselors to follow with children. To bridge this gap, this article is in place to describe a new advocacy plan, Trauma-Informed Child Client Advocacy (TICCA), followed by a case study providing context for how this plan …

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.

Antiracist School Counselor Preparation: Expanding On The Five Tenets Of The Transforming School Counseling Initiative, Erin Mason, Adrianne Robertson, Jan Gay, Nkenji Clarke, Cheryl Holcomb-Mccoy

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

As a profession, school counseling must serve as an active force against systemic racism, and school counselor preparation must equip future professionals as antiracist agents of change. This article expands the original Transforming School Counseling Initiative (TSCI) tenets that sought to re-envision school counselor preparation in the late 1990s with language that explicitly supports antiracism. The authors offer a definition of antiracist school counseling and sample assignments and experiences that align with the revised tenets.