Impact of a Counseling Ethics Course on Graduate Students’ Learning and Development

Data from graduate counseling students (N = 28) enrolled in an ethical and legal issues in professional school counseling course at a research university were used to investigate the impact of the course on students’ levels of ethical and legal knowledge (Lambie, Hagedorn, & Ieva, 2010) and ego development (Loevinger, 1976, 1998). Students’ ethical and legal knowledge scores increased significantly and pre-course ego maturity correlated with post-course ethical and legal knowledge. Implications for the scholarship of teaching and learning are discussed

School Counseling in Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs

Disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEP) service many students; however, limited literature is published for school counselors working in these schools. Therefore, this manuscript provides a conceptual foundation for counselors working with students attending DAEPs. Specifically, the manuscript (a) reviews the types of alternative education schools in the United States; (b) introduces the individual, academic, and family factors of students in DAEPs; and (c) presents implications for counselors in DAEPs to support service delivery

Graduate Counseling Students\u27 Learning, Development, and Retention of Knowledge

The present study investigated 52 graduate counseling students’ levels of ethical and legal knowledge (Lambie, Hagedorn, & Ieva, 2010) and social cognitive development (Hy & Loevinger, 1996) at three points: (a) prior to a counseling ethics course, (b) at the completion of the course, and (c) four months later. Students’ ethical and legal knowledge scores increased and they retained their learning; however, their social-cognitive development did not change. Implications for the scholarship of teaching and learning are discussed

The Research Self-Efficacy, Interest in Research, and Research Mentoring Experiences of Doctoral Students in Counselor Education

Doctoral programs in counselor education are believed to be developing effective researchers, yet there are few studies that examine the research constructs within counselor educator programs. The purpose of this study is to investigate a national sample of doctoral counselor education students’ research quality by measuring three constructs: 1) research self-efficacy, 2) interest in research and 3) research mentoring. A cross-sectional, correlational research design was used to test if doctoral students programs could predict these constructs. Also, the study investigated whether students’ research practices, (e.g., publishing refereed journal articles, et al.) correlated with their response levels. Keywords: counselor education and development, interest in research interest, research self-efficacy, research mentorin

Wellness in the Helping Professions: Historical Overview, Wellness Models, and Current Trends

Introduction Wellness and the concept of holism have rich histories throughout the helping professions. However, Westernized medical models often promote the concept of treatment rather than prevention, limiting the helper’s ability to focus on wellness when working with clients/patients. Therefore, in order to support a re-integration to holistic wellness and the prevention of illness, and re-focus on a wellness ideology, we conducted a thorough theoretical overview of wellness in the helping professions to: (a) provide a historical overview of wellness in helping professions, (b) discuss prominent wellness models, (c) review wellness assessments, (d) present wellness supervision models, and (e) offer implications for helping professionals, helping educators, and helping-professionals-in-training (HPITs) who would like to implement or re-integrate wellness techniques across occupational and personal realms. Discussion The history of healthcare is rich with wellness undertones and holistic foundations for practice. However, the helping professions have been shifting away from traditional wellness ideologies with the emphasis on current healthcare trends and the philosophical struggle of balancing both wellness tenets and a popular medical model for practice. Following a thorough discussion of historical implications of wellness, wellness models, wellness assessments, and wellness supervision, implications for a re-integration of a wellness ideology are highlighted for (a) helping professionals, (b) healthcare educators, and (c) HPITs. In regard to practicing healthcare providers, helping professionals are only as helpful as they are well. We suggest that helping professionals refocus their practice to include wellness and integrate such practices into their daily routine to combat compassion fatigue and/or burnout (which are common occurrences among helpers). Wellness practices may include meditation; breathing exercises; reflection; journaling; and other avenues to reflect, respond, and re-center throughout the day to remain within their own window of tolerance, reducing potential for burnout. Helping professional educators, on the other hand, are tasked with training the next wave of helpers. As such, they are responsible for assessing personal levels of wellness in order to ensure they are modeling wellness-behaviors for their HPITs. Regarding healthcare training programs and curriculums, administrators may introduce wellness courses or infuse wellness throughout the life of the program/training experience so HPITs are learning about wellness education and how to implement it across diverse situations. Furthermore, consistent wellness infusion in curricula could promote wellness behaviors and practices beyond the training experience. Finally, HPITs (similar to practicing professionals and healthcare educators) are not insulated from the effects of unwellness. As such, HPITs are encouraged during their clinical experiences to assess their own wellness and partake in activities to increase their wellness awareness. HPITs can formally (see the section on wellness assessments) or informally assess (refer to the wellness models section) their current levels of functioning and learn of potential wellness discrepancies early on in their careers, which in turn can help mitigate negative effects of being a helper in the future. Conclusion With the influence of Westernized viewpoints and a medical model symptom-reduction focus, a re-orientation to wellness could benefit helpers. Furthermore, as helpers continue to face heavy caseloads, high stress environments, and increased propensity for burnout and related issues, increasing wellness and wellness awareness can serve as a protective factor against the deleterious effects of helping for both helpers and the individuals they serve. By reviewing the literature on wellness (e.g., models, assessments, supervision) in the helping professions and applying wellness perspectives in personal and professional endeavors, helping can once again be at the fore-front of wellness-based treatment, training, and living

Development of Counseling Students\u27 Self-Efficacy During Preparation and Training

Counselor preparation is multifaceted and involves developing trainees’ clinical knowledge, skills and competence. Furthermore, counselor self-efficacy is a relevant developmental consideration in the counseling field. Therefore, the purpose of this longitudinal investigation was to examine the effects of a counselor preparation program on students’ development of counseling self-efficacy. The Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale was administered to 179 master’s-level counselors-in-training at three points in their counselor training and coursework, including new student orientation, clinical practicum orientation and final internship group supervision meeting. Findings indicated that students’ experience in their preparation program resulted in higher levels of self-efficacy

Social Media and Professional School Counselors: Ethical and Legal Considerations

The use of social media continues to expand in prevalence and is a medium of communication for individuals of all ages. Schools are using social media to engage their stakeholders at increasing rates. Therefore, school counselors require the knowledge and appreciation of ethical and legal issues regarding the use of such technology. The purpose of this manuscript is to: (a) introduce the development and prevalence of social media; (b) review legal and ethical issues related to social media use in schools; and (c) present strategies in which school counselors can engage in ethical interactions via social media

Who Took “Counseling” out of the Role of Professional School Counselors in the United States?

The rates of mental health concerns among school-aged youth are increasing and the growing rates of students considering or planning for suicide is alarming. Although school counselors are often the only professionals with the training to support students’ mental health needs in schools, they are often inaccessible to students to receive long-term mental health counseling services. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) advocates for school counselors to focus on prevention, short-term intervention, and crisis work rather than long-term counseling given their primary role in other activities such as student planning and systems support (ASCA, 2019). However, the role of school counselors advocated by ASCA is insufficient to meet students’ growing mental health concerns. This article (a) reviews the increasing mental health needs of youth in the United States and (b) presents an appropriate role for school counselors in addressing students’ mental health needs with implications for policy and practice in the United States and abroad

Graduate counseling students’ learning, development, and retention of knowledge

The present study investigated 52 graduate counseling students’ levels of ethical and legal knowledge (Lambie, Hagedorn, & Ieva, 2010) and social-cognitive development (Hy & Loevinger, 1996) at three points: (a) prior to a counseling ethics course, (b) at the completion of the course, and (c) four months later. Students’ ethical and legal knowledge scores increased and they retained their learning; however, their social-cognitive development did not change. Implications for the scholarship of teaching and learning are discussed