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Full Issue, Mississippi Counseling Association

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

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Author Information And Table Of Contents, Mississippi Counseling Association

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Author information, Table of Contents

An Attachment Model For Assessing Suicidal Risk, Keely J. Hope, Sondra Smith-Adcock

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

A model for addressing suicidal risk utilizing attachment theory is addressed. Risk factors for suicide have generally been conceptualized at the level of individual characteristics rather than relational dynamics. Combining Shneidman’s common characteristics of a suicidal person with Bowlby’s attachment theory provides for a more relational view of suicide-related behaviors and communications. Considering high rates of suicide, especially among some population groups, it is important to have a more comprehensive framework for suicidal risk from which to treat suicidal clients.

Assessment Courses In Counselor Education, Donna M. Gibson, Leah J. Mccallum

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Pre- and post-surveys of an assessment class within the counselor education curricula were used to assess the thoughts, feelings, and concerns of counselors-in-training enrolled in the class. A mixed-methods study was con-ducted to assess themes in responses and examine comfort and competence with the concept of assessment. Results provide counselor educators insight into possible factors that affect and alter the perspective of counselors-in-training before and after taking an assessment class. Recommendations and implications for future re-search are discussed.

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.

Emotional Regulation & Therapeutic Rapport With Adolescents: Exploring The Effectiveness Of The Expressive Therapies Continuum, Kasey Larsen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Art therapy is a beneficial service for adolescents who face obstacles connecting emotionally, behaviorally, and academically. Creative techniques and therapeutic rapport can facilitate connection with the self, focus, and emotional regulation. Teens, especially struggling with mental health, often have difficulty functioning in the average public-school setting. Research supports a positive correlation to art therapy services and effectiveness in a school setting. The intention of this capstone was to test the effectiveness of the expressive therapies continuum (ETC) in supporting emotional regulation with two high school girls in a therapeutic day school. The method of research includes a pre-, post-, and …

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 …

391— Mental Health Supports Readily Available For College Students, Heidi Granville

GREAT Day Posters

College students who struggle with mental illness need more resources and support services readily available to them while they are in school. This would help them succeed both as students and as maturing adults. Data collected from Penn State conclude that mental health issues are increasing as time goes on, more students are seeking counseling services, and more students have considered suicide. This data serves a purpose that the current public policy is not enough. Ultimately, when schools are ill-equipped to helping students who suffer from mental illnesses, those students cannot reach their maximum potential, and consequently, the suicide rate …

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 …