Counseling Commons^™

Counselor Educators’ Internal Experiences Of Gatekeeping, Victor Chang, Deborah Rubel

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselor educators practice gatekeeping to graduate only students who are ethical and competent, yet students with problems of professional competence (PPC) continue to graduate. Gatekeeping challenges include personal, pedagogical, administrative, ethical, and legal concerns, and gatekeeping has been characterized as a taxing emotional and social process. Specific knowledge about counselor educators’ internal experiences during gatekeeping is limited. Researchers asked how do counselor educators experience their internal reactions during gatekeeping processes for PPC? Researchers interviewed counselor educators about their gatekeeping experiences and analyzed data using grounded theory methods. The authors propose a grounded theory of striving to be an effective gatekeeper …

Leadership And Gender: School Counselors’ Experiences Of Girls’ Leadership In Secondary Schools, Jennifer H. Greene, Cheryl L. Fulton, Maria Haiyasoso, Sarah M. Blalock

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

There has been a proliferation of girls’ leadership programs to stymie the leaking pipeline of women’s leadership and resulting gender leadership gap. School counselors are advocates and change agents in the schools and play a key role in student development and leadership programming. School counselors’ training in their counseling programs may impact their support and assessment of girls’ leadership programming. This phenomenological research utilized the open-ended questions of an online survey to understand school counselors’ experiences of girls’ leadership. The themes, (a) Formal Approach to Girls’ Leadership, (b) Informal Approach to Girls’ Leadership, (c) No Girls’ Leadership, and (d) Non-Gender …

The Validation Of The Multicultural Supervision Scale, Varunee Faii Sangganjanavanich, Yue Dang, Xin Liang

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

The Multicultural Supervision Scale (MSS) is a self-reported instrument aimed at measuring supervisors’ multicultural supervision competencies. A total of 308 individuals completed the present study for the purpose of validating the MSS with the consideration of the influence of social desirability. Results from a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the three-factor structure of the MSS including Supervisory Skills, Supervisors’ Attitudes and Beliefs, and Stereotypes Toward Diverse Populations. Statistical evidence suggested that the MSS, which consists of 21 self-reported items, demonstrated a moderate level of internal consistency and validity of its construct. Directions for future research and implications to clinical supervision and …

Preparing 21st Century Counselors And Healthcare Professionals: Examining Technology Competency And Interprofessional Education Comfort, Kaprea F. Johnson

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Healthcare professionals are expected to work in interprofessional teams while also communicating distantly with these team members through telehealth platforms to improve patient care. This study sought to understand how comfort with technology, interprofessional education, and collaboration was perceived by graduate students in counseling, dental hygiene, nursing, and physical therapy. A quantitative investigation with N=111 students resulted in comfort with technology among all groups but there were significant differences among the allied health professions regarding positive professional identity and willingness to engage in teamwork and collaboration. The data revealed that both preparation, rationale for interprofessional work, and placement of interprofessional …

Counselor Educators’ Experiences Of Gatekeeping In Online Counselor Education Programs, Amy Gilbert, Anita A. Neuer Colburn, Sherry Todd, Kathie Erwin

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselor educators serve as gatekeepers by ensuring that only those students who meet standards of competence enter the counseling field. This qualitative study explored the gatekeeping experiences of seven counselor educators in online Master’s-level counseling programs. The resulting themes offer implications for counselor education, administration, and research.

The Relationship Between Empathy And Theoretical Orientation Of Counselors-In-Training, Elizabeth Manzano Boulton, Eric Davis

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This study examined the relationship between theoretical orientation and empathy levels of a group of 166 counselors-in-training. Participants’ responses to the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) and the Theoretical Evaluation Self-Test (TEST) were collected and analyzed. Only individual items from the TEQ were found to have a relationship with the theoretical orientation inclination responses on the TEST. However, a trend between humanistic theories and counselors-in-training theoretical orientation inclination seems to exist. The study concluded that counselors-in-training might need to develop self-awareness before selecting a theoretical orientation that fit. Incongruences were found between theoretical orientation selected in the demographic questionnaire and the …

Increasing The Use Of Evidence-Based Practices In Counseling: Cbt As A Supervision Modality In Private Practice Mental Health, Jerome Fischer, Diana M. Mendez

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This paper demonstrates how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) supervision can be applied in a private practice mental health setting. The CBT model of supervision is a good fit for a private practice mental health setting because of its action orientation and empirical grounding. The CBT modality meets the challenges of a private practice mental health setting since it is appropriate for the types of issues presented by clients in counseling. While CBT is an effective therapy to use for supervision and counseling in a private practice mental health setting, it is recommended that mental health practitioners expand their professional identity …

Economic Stress Of International Students: What Counselors Should Know, Yuh-Jen Guo, Shu-Ching Wang, Angela P. Wong, George A. Loftis, Jada M. Mathison, Megan K. Ashpole

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

College students encounter high levels of stress due to intensive demands from developmental and academic tasks. In addition to the stress induced by developmental and academic tasks, economic stress adds substantial distress to college students. Economic contraction is known to bring up mental health concerns in society. Financial stress and diminished optimism are affected by distressful economic conditions. This study examined the different perceptions of economic stress between American students and international students of one English for Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) program. International students in this study sustained equally high economic stress but were more sensitive to the economic …

Fostering Group Counseling And Social Justice Competence Through Community-Based Programs, Alicia J. Harlow, Aikaterini Psarropoulou, Sharon L. Bowman

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This qualitative study explored the reactions of 12 counselor trainees to community-based group counseling work. The impact of community outreach on counselor conceptualizations of client problems, and the development of social justice competence were of particular interest. Analysis of results using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methodology revealed an emphasis on the following domain areas: Increased awareness of client and self, a shift in social justice attitudes and interest, and an increased awareness of systemic problems and injustices. Core ideas associated with each of these domains, as well as suggestions for future research, are discussed.

Experiences Of Spanish Speaking Counseling Students: Implications For The Profession, Melissa Alvarado, Eunice Lerma, Javier Cavazos Vela, Autumn Wright

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Due to the rise of predominate Spanish-speaking individuals in the United States, there is an increased need to provide bilingual counseling services. Understanding the experiences of bilingual counseling students is imperative for the training of bilingual counselors and overall service delivery. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the experiences of students who provide counseling services in Spanish yet trained in an English-language counselor education program. This study attempted to expand and specify the unique challenges and needs of this student counselor population. Analyses revealed that there are some unique challenges in bilingual counseling service delivery. Four overarching …

Collaborative Information Literacy Practices To Connect Theory To Practice In Rehabilitation Counseling Students, Donna Witek, Rebecca Spirito Dalgin

Collaborative Librarianship

The authors offer this case study of collaborating to scaffold information literacy learning into a semester-long research assignment within an undergraduate rehabilitation services course. The goal of the partnership was to teach students to research a rehabilitation theory/intervention in the professional literature and connect the evidence to rehabilitation services available locally for individuals with disabilities. Specific collaborative practices are identified as essential to the success of this pedagogical project, specifically the giving of time, the scaffolding of learning, and the continual return to reflection in the teaching and learning process, which are all enabled by the sharing of expertise …

Supervisory Working Alliance As A Predictor For Counselor Burnout: The Potential Mediating Role Of Supervisee Nondisclosure, Amanda Bohnenstiehl

Dissertations

Clinical supervision sometimes lacks the elements necessary for a rigorous, helpful, and meaningful experience for the supervisee. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the supervisory working alliance, supervisee nondisclosure (i.e., when a supervisee does not communicate information that would otherwise be shared with the supervisor), and counselor burnout, specifically in a sample of counselors, social workers, and psychologists pursuing their original state licenses. Nondisclosure was examined to determine if it was a mediator of the relationship between the supervisory working alliance and burnout. Participants (n = 288) completed a demographic questionnaire, the supervisee form …

Using Surrogate Partner Therapy In Counseling: Treatment Considerations, Kelly Emelianchik-Key, Kimberleigh Stickney

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

When working with clients on issues of sexuality, clinicians often avoid the treatment approach of surrogate partner therapy due to lack of information and understanding. Surrogate partner therapy is a grey area within legal and ethical boundaries of various mental health professional associations. This article offers an intensive exploration of surrogate partner therapy, including its history, ethical considerations, benefits, and challenges. Best practices and treatment considerations when working with a surrogate partner therapist are discussed. Although there is a lack of research and evidence-based practice information, the available literature demonstrates that surrogate partner therapy is an effective intervention that can …

Sexual Wellness And Rare Disease Considerations: A Behavioral Case Conceptualization And Approach To Counseling Treatment, Jessica Z. Taylor, Chrystal L. Lewis, Leslie E. Davis

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

Sexual wellness is infrequently addressed with individuals with a rare disease. Counselors must be competent in working with sexual wellness issues, especially those related to medical conditions, since clients may not share those concerns with healthcare providers. This article presents a case scenario involving a client living with a rare disease called Hereditary Angioedema, the symptoms of which present challenges to her intimate and sexual relationship with her partner due to unpredictable and painful swelling. A behavioral theoretical lens is used to conceptualize the case scenario and inform treatment. Implications for counselor competency, interdisciplinary collaboration, and client empowerment toward advocacy …

Clinical Implications In Vaginal Orgasm Response, Lindsey M. Brown Mccormick, Sherry Todd, Laura Schmuldt, Kathryn Russ, Cristen Wathen

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

Previous research has shown that counselors feel uncomfortable addressing clients’ sexual concerns due to a lack of education on topics related to human sexuality. Various studies have attempted to identify the characteristics of vaginal orgasm, including whether women and other people with vaginas (PWV) can achieve different kinds of orgasms. The current study examines responses to participants surveyed across the United States on their orgasm response and compares responses of participants who achieved orgasm through masturbation and those who achieved orgasm through sex with a partner to determine whether PWV experience one kind of orgasm during masturbation and experience a …

The Use Of Technology In Sexual Exploration Among A Rape Culture Youth, Kelley R. Holladay, W. Bryce Hagedorn

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

The present investigation sought to address the gap of research surrounding rape myth acceptance attitudes and cyber-sexual assault (CBSA). Researchers examined data collected from a college sample of 94 undergraduate psychology students. The purpose of this investigation was to explore whether this sample of college students reported any potential stereotypes pertaining to cyber-sexual assault victims and whether the college students utilized technology for sexual exploration (e.g., creation, distribution, and receiving of sexually explicit material). In addition to identifying cyber-sexual victims, this study explored the correlation of gender with those responses. Results are reported, and suggestions for counselors are offered. The …

Finding Your Way Through: Vicarious Trauma And The Qualitative Researcher, Laura Tejada, Michele Kane

Faculty Research and Creative Activities Symposium

Vicarious trauma, also known as compassion fatigue or secondary trauma, is more than a topic of study for qualitative researchers. It is a risk we run because we connect deeply with our participants and their stories while conducting qualitative research. The qualitative researchers’ connection to participant stories doesn’t end when the interview is over. We must remain intimately engaged with these stories throughout the data preparation and analysis phases of research, often over a number of years. As we are exposed again and again to the narratives of our participants, even when data is de-identified and aggregated into different themes, …

Particular Resonances: A Review Of Jonathan Wyatt’S Therapy, Stand-Up, And The Gesture Of Writing: Towards Creative-Relational Inquiry, David A. G. Clarke Phd

The Qualitative Report

I want to start with talking a little about resonances.

To resonate means to meet. To vibrate with something in some way. Jonathan’s book is full of resonances. It is crafted of them. Resonances between disciplines; therapy, stand-up, writing. Resonances between characters in these worlds. Resonances between knowing, ethics, and the real. Resonances between affective states of personing– which isn’t quite the same as being human. And resonances between the author and the reader; Jonathan’s stories touch us with their humour, their caring for the process of inquiry, and their openness. He confesses things that I’m sure we can …

Building A Positive Culture Around Mental Health, Kevin Kusy

Staff Publications & Research

Creating a safe and open environment for students and staff to talk about mental health and wellness is a key to developing healthy, productive students. This session will discuss how to effectively develop and sustain mental health interventions within an educational setting.

2019-11-08 Pca Executive Council Meeting Minutes, August 17, 2019, Pennsylvania Counseling Association

PCA Board of Directors Meetings

No abstract provided.