Counselor Education Commons^™

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 …

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.

Student Mental Health Challenges Vs. The Role Of School Counselors: Addressing The Gap In Mental Health Treatment, Victoria Sic Ms, Cynthia Lizaola Ms

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examines the role of academic counselors in providing mental health support for K-12 students. Using a post-positivist approach, the research explores how counselors navigate their dual responsibilities of academic guidance and mental health intervention within school settings. A literature review highlights the evolving role of school counselors, the growing mental health needs of students, and the impact of external factors—such as the COVID-19 pandemic—on their work.

The study was conducted in two Southern California counties and involved 17 experienced, primarily bilingual academic counselors recruited through snowball sampling. Data collection included in-depth interviews to investigate counselors’ roles, training, and …

Inclusion Of Suicide Education And Prevention In Counselor Education, Karlesia T. Montague, Susan Furr

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Suicide is a frequent crisis that counselors encounter in the field. Despite this concern, several studies over the last two decades indicate inadequate preparation in training programs. This article includes a discussion on possible ways to integrate suicide education throughout the curriculum using the CACREP core areas.

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 …

Ideal Expectations And Realities At Hbcus: Examining Counselors' Lgbt Competence, Dae'quawn Landrum

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

There is a dearth of literature about counselor training at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This quantitative study used a multiple regression to examine how graduates of counseling programs at HBCUs report their competence in working with LGBT clients and to what extent LGBT training, years of experience, and religiosity affect counselors' competence. The study consisted of 93 participants that graduated from counseling program sat HBCUs. The results revealed that each variable significantly affected various aspects of competence (knowledge, clinical preparedness, and attitudes). More specifically, counselors’ years of experience were positively associated with knowledge, LGBT training in master’s programs were …

Integrating Psychosocial Oncology Into The Counseling Curriculum, Andrew Wood, Alexandra Mott, Jessica Gonzalez-Voller

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

With nearly two million new cancer diagnoses estimated in 2021 alone, counselors and counselors in training should have some knowledge of the mental health impact that cancer has on individuals and families. The authors of this manuscript present a review of established psychosocial oncology training in other fields and ways to infuse the topic of psychosocial oncology, including how it pertains to working within integrated care teams, into the counseling curriculum via one course or infusion into curriculum to better train counselors to provide their unique contributions to the care of individuals with cancer and their families.

Learning From The Standpoints Of Minoritized Students: An Exploration Of Multicultural And Social Justice Counseling Training, Julie A. Cohen, Anusha Kassan, Kaori Wada

The Qualitative Report

The results of a feminist research endeavour that explored multicultural (MC) counselling and social justice (SJ) training experiences from the standpoint of eight culturally non-dominant doctoral students are presented. Participants represented students within the five counselling psychology programs accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association. Specifically, the research aimed to address the following research question: How do counselling psychology doctoral students who self-identify with non-dominant cultural identities perceive their experiences of MC and SJ training? This research adopted a feminist standpoint theory epistemology to guide an interpretative phenomenological analysis to reflect the culturally rich, complex, and situated experiences of participants, while …

Counselor Educator, Supervisor, And Practitioner Perspectives On Distance Counseling And Telemental Health Training And Practice, Heather C. Robertson, Ryan Lowell

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

As distance counseling and telemental health practices continue to grow, it is unclear how counselor training programs are responding to the change or how frequently supervisors and practitioners utilize distance modalities. Counseling professionals (N =103) were surveyed to examine their perceptions of distance counseling training and practice. Respondents indicated multiple roles as Counselor Educators (CE, n = 74), Counseling Supervisors (CS, n = 61), and Counseling Practitioners (CP, n = 86). The majority of CE expressed dissatisfaction with amount of distance counseling content in their training program yet felt confident to teach distance counseling and TMH concepts. Personal experience with …

Aligning Cognitive Complexity Models: Bridging Development Across Educational And Supervisory Contexts, J. Scott Branson, Ashley N. Branson

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Cognitive complexity is a requisite skill for mental health professionals, as they routinely face complex, ambiguous tasks such as working within an evidence based practice framework in ways that bridge clients’ subjective experiences with relevant psychotherapeutic outcome research. Multiple models for conceptualizing and promoting cognitive complexity development in educational and supervisory settings have been articulated, and the similarities across these models is striking. The purpose of this article is to: 1) introduce readers to King and Kitchener’s (1994) Reflective Judgement model of educational development and 2) demonstrate the striking alignment between the Reflective Judgement model and prominent developmental models of …

Evaluating The Perceptions Of Preschool Teachers And Administrators On Mental Health Services In The School Setting, Celia Tavarez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health can impact a child’s success in many aspects, including in the school setting. School settings are very often the only place that provide an opportunity for families to be able to receive mental health services for their children. It is imperative that schools meet the mental health needs of the children who attend their schools. This research project examines data and information gathered from educators and school administrators to help us understand their experiences, successes, and/or displeasure about the services that are offered or not offered within the agency they work for. The literature review discusses the definition …

Integration Of Trauma Based Education In Counselor Education, Stevie Vanausdale, Jacqueline M. Swank

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

In recent years, there has been growing awareness of the widespread prevalence of trauma experiences. Knowledge of the prevalence and effect of trauma has led to a greater need for counselors to be competent and confident in working with clients’ trauma; therefore, a needs exist for counselor educators to prepare students for trauma work. Improving competency and self-efficacy among counselors-in training may lead to better client outcomes and prevent vicarious trauma. The authors provide a brief overview of the prevalence of trauma and the importance of trauma training. Then, they discuss ways counselor educators can infuse trauma education within five …

Training Issues Related To Touch In Counseling, Jonathan D. Wright

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Touch is considered by many to be the most important of the five senses for optimal human development and has been used in healing and medical practices throughout history. Touch also plays a key role in human communication but maintains a position detached from other forms of verbal and nonverbal communication within the field of counseling. Most counselors receive little training in the role of touch in counseling, and there are no ethics codes specific to the use of touch available to guide counselors. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of historical and current issues related …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Master’S Level Students Of Color In Counseling Programs, Melanie Varney, Catherine Y. Chang, Rafe Mccullough, Mary Huffstead, Jennifer Smith

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

This qualitative study investigated the training experiences of 12 students of color in CACREP-accredited master’s level counseling programs using semi-structured phenomenological interviews. The 12 participants identified as Asian American (n = 2), Japanese American (n = 1), Chinese (n = 1), Black (n = 1), African American (n = 1), Latino and/or Hispanic (n = 3), and multiracial (n = 3). We used interpretive phenomenological analysis and identified three main themes: cultural marginalization; biculturalism; and safe or counter-hegemonic relationships. Training implications for counselor education programs are provided.

Substance Use Helpers: An Exploration Into The Relationship Between Professional Quality Of Life And Posttraumatic Growth, Denise Haggerty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been limited research on the potential for substance use helpers to have positive experiences as a result of their therapeutic work, previous research on the field of substance use treatment and the impact of working with individuals whom struggle with substance use disorders has been explored. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between substance use helpers’ professional quality of life (compassion satisfaction, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout) with posttraumatic growth. In addition, this study also sought to determine if a relationship exists between personal and professional characteristics of substance use helpers and …

Do Booster Emails Improve Learning Transfer Among Parenting Professionals?, Benjamin C. Stout

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parenting professionals play a key role in helping parents have a positive influence on their children, which is why it is important to ensure that professionals have and use research-based information and materials. Using data from 96 parenting professionals from Utah and Missouri, who completed a 4-hour Strong Parents, Stable Children training, we examined the effects (at 2-months post training) of reflective reminder emails on parenting professionals’ utilization and learning transfer of training materials. Results from independent samples t tests show that participants who received “booster” emails at 1-week and 1-month post training shared some information and some materials with …

Exploring The Experiences Of Supervisors And Supervisees Who Engaged In Bilingual Supervision, Anna Lopez, Ivelisse Torres-Fernandez

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the experiences of clinical supervisors and supervisees who engaged in bilingual supervision. Five supervisors and five supervisees were recruited utilizing purposive and snowball sampling strategies and were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol. Findings of this study focused primarily on the challenges and benefits associated with engaging in bilingual supervision. Main findings included the lack of formal training in bilingual counseling and supervision. Implications for training programs highlighted the need for continuous support of bilingual training programs, in particular, the development of both multicultural and linguistic competencies.

Predictors Of Perceived Multicultural Competence Among Neuropsychological Trainees, Hannah K. Greenbaum

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Multicultural competence is necessary to provide psychological services to an increasingly diverse population (Sue, 2001). It is established that multicultural competence is important for training in psychology (Bodin et al., 2014; Diaz-Santos & Hill, 2016). Despite increased interest in recent years, multicultural competence in neuropsychology has not progressed in parallel with the focus of multiculturalism in psychology broadly (Rivera Mindt, Byrd, Saez, & Manly, 2010). Little is known about multicultural assessment, and it is not yet known what factors in training contribute to perceived multicultural competence in neuropsychological trainees (Elbulok-Charape, Rabin, Spadaccini, & Barr, 2014). The primary purpose of this …

"I Need Help" Recommendations For A Trauma Informed Care Training For Resource Parents, Jaspreet Kaur Bola

Master's Projects and Capstones

This report discusses the need for extensive trauma informed care training for resource parents (formerly known as foster care parents). A review of the literature and collection and analysis of data during group interviews with case managers and one-on-one interviews with resource parents was conducted. The review and data analysis found that resource parents are experiencing several challenging behaviors as a result of trauma from the foster child(ren) in their care and resource parents want more specific and detailed trauma informed care training that will help foster parents better address behavioral issues of the foster children in their care. Resource …

A Survey Of Students’ Knowledge About Child Sexual Abuse And Perceived Readiness To Provide Counseling Services, Jennifer Marie Foster

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Master's level students in counselor education and counseling psychology (N = 304) were surveyed to explore their knowledge about child sexual abuse (CSA) and perceived readiness to provide related counseling services. While students demonstrated general knowledge about sexual abuse, preparedness to counsel was rated much lower with 69% of students indicating low levels of competency. Data was analyzed to explore demographic characteristics that led to increased readiness scores. Indicators of statistically significant higher readiness scores included: prior work or volunteer experience with victims of sexual abuse, participation in CSA trainings, and supervised field experience. Implications for student training and recommendations …

Psychology, Counseling Psychology, And Professional Counseling: Shared Roots, Challenges, And Opportunities, Peggy Brady‐Amoon, Kathleen Keefe-Cooperman

Faculty of Counseling & Development Publications

Psychology, counseling psychology, and professional counseling are at a crossroad. The growing movement to establish professional counseling as a distinct profession, based on an increasingly narrow definition of professional identity, is particularly relevant to counseling psychologists and professional counselors and has implications for the broader field of psychology. A brief systematic historical analysis of these professional specialties in the U.S. provides the context to examine current challenges, including proposed restriction of master’s level training, licensure or other authorization to practice, and employment to graduates of programs accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). …

Sexual Attraction In The Therapy Room: An Exploration Of Licensed Marriage And Family Therapists’ Experiences And Training, Rafiah Prince

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The client-therapist relationship is an essential part of therapy and is central in helping clients achieve therapeutic goals as the joining process facilitates the change process. However, in an effort to create a space for change, there is a possibility that professional boundaries may become blurred wherein a client may express a sexual attraction toward their therapist. To explore this phenomenon, the researcher employed convergent parallel mixed method design to explore the experiences of Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) who have experienced sexual attraction from their clients. The study was conducted online through a secure forum. Implications for clients, …

Critical Self-Reflection Questions For Professsionals Who Work With Grandfamilies, Megan L. Dolbin-Macnab

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

One of the reasons that grandparents raising grandchildren may not receive needed services is because they perceive professionals as being judgmental or holding negative attitudes toward them. As such, it is important for human service professionals to critically examine their opinions and attitudes toward grandfamilies, within the context of larger social structures, for the purposes of identifying those views that might interfere with the delivery of high quality services. This practice brief provides an overview of critical self-reflection questions that can be used, in a variety of ways, for training purposes. By utilizing these critical self-reflection questions, professionals can discover …

Praxis: Gender Matters In Counselor Education And Training: Increasing Gender Awareness In Counselor Education And Training, Reiko Miyakuni

Counseling Faculty Research

Western society defines male and female sex from physiological attributes (e.g., genitals and chromosomes), this dichotomous view of gender is referred as gender binary.

Problems with Gender Binary

• Variations in sex and gender do not fit in the male/female, masculine/feminine dichotomy (Wiseman & Davidson, 2011).

• Diamond (2002) defined, “gender” is the social and cultural expectation of how females and males should identify themselves, how they think, behave (e.g., ‘typical’ female/male acts in a feminine/masculine ways) and feel (e.g., prefers heterosexual attraction). This gender binary socialization pressure restricts individuals’ potential.

• “Behavior does not have gender, but in today’s …

Resident Assistants' Self- Efficacy For Participation In Counseling Activities, Miranda Johnson Parries

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Based on the changes in mental health needs on college campuses, this study examines Resident Assistants' self-efficacy to participate in counseling activities with the residents whom they are assigned to assist. The literature review discusses recent efforts introduced by residence life departments to respond to the increase in mental health and behavioral issues that college students are now facing, the barriers that prevent Resident Assistants, who function as paraprofessionals within their on-campus communities, from taking action, and recommended training components and parameters. The increase of serious mental health issues calls for the reimagining of the training provided to Resident Assistants …

Interning As An Outpatient Therapist: Developing A Comprehensive Training Manual Grounded In The Professional Knowledge Base, Katie Stadheim

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this Capstone Project is to develop an intern orientation manual that is effective in training outpatient therapy interns. The manual needs to be supported by the literature in developing orientation training manuals and in the orientation needs of therapy interns. The manual needs to be easy to use and learn from, particularly when a supervisor is not available for training. A completed intern orientation manual will be presented to the stakeholders and directors of Counseling Services of Southern Minnesota to be used with future interns at their discretion.

Attitudes And Beliefs Of Counselor Educators Toward Gatekeeping, Joanna W. Campbell

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine attitudes and beliefs of counselor educators toward gatekeeping, which become overt in gatekeeping decisions in the context of stringent and less stringent decisions made at seven gates that counselors-in-training must pass though to graduate, and factors extraneous to counselor-in-training competence that may influence gatekeeping decisions. A total of 84 counselor educators participated in this study. Results showed that counselor educators are most stringent at the admissions gate; that less stringent gatekeeping decisions are made by counselor educators who have experience as a professional counselor prior to becoming a counselor educator at the …

The Relationship Between The Basic Skills Proficiency Of Counselor Education Master's Level Students And Client Outcome, Lorie Welsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A review of literature on the history of psychology and counseling revealed a limited amount of research on counselor education training programs, specifically basic skills versus client outcome. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between counselor educator student's basic skills and the effects these skills had on client outcome. By way of a multiple regression, two independent variables, the Global Scale for Rating Helper Responses (GSRR) and the Counselor Skills and Professional Behavior Scale (CSPBS) were analyzed in relation to the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2). Results indicated that there was no statistical significance between basic skills and …