An Alternate Way to “Feel Good”: Interventions to Promote Self-Compassionate Students and Classrooms

While well intentioned, conflation of self-esteem and wellbeing within the classroom has contributed to inflated grades, overreliance on accolades, and frustrated efforts to promote “feeling good” over building competence. The current paper suggests self-compassion is a viable alternative to the construct of self-esteem that shares significant overlap, but also transcends inherent shortcomings a focus on self-esteem creates. Classroom interventions to promote self-compassion, such as the blessings exercise, relaxation techniques, gratitude visits, and savoring, are outlined, as well as important cultural and developmental considerations

Student Counselors \u27 Moral, Intellectual, and Professional Ethical Identity Development

Professional identity is characterized by the integration of individuals\u27 professional and personal selves. The authors used a multiple regression design to examine counselor professional ethical identity development, with specific attention to moral and intellectual development. Student counselors (N = 59) completed the Modified Subject-Object Interview (Monson & Hamilton, 2010), Defining Issues Test-2 (Rest, Narvaez, Bebeau, & Thoma, ), and Learning Environment Preferences scale (Moore, 1987). Moral development was the most significant predictor of professional ethical identity development. Preparatory and research strategies to enhance professional ethical identity formation are discussed

Bridging the Gap: Implementing Peer-Mentoring Programs for Counselors-In-Training

Counselors-in-training encumber a myriad of professional tasks. High prevalence of burnout in the helping professions (Testa & Sangganjanavanich, 2016) combined with overtasked novice counselors presents a conflict for the counseling profession, specifically at the counselor education stratification. Novice counselors may be unaware of the challenges they could face when entering the counseling profession. Peer-mentoring, as opposed to traditional, hierarchical mentoring, is explored as an option for increasing professional resilience. Wellness is explored as a construct conducive to peer-mentoring relationships in counselor education. Increasing resilience among novice counselors through peer-mentoring may serve to decrease burnout. Furthermore, peer-mentoring may increase wellness and self-care among novice counselors. The authors present peer-mentoring as a viable option for counselor education to implement in an effort to mitigate early counselor burnout. Design and implementation for a peer-mentoring program is introduced. The authors’ intention of the article is to call attention to the need of support for the deeper understanding and implementation of peer-mentorship in the field of counselor education

Critical Knowledge, Points of Confusion, and Training Recommendations for Client Referrals

The intersection of personal and professional values in relation to client referrals may cause uncertainty and confusion among counseling students. Current literature on this topic demonstrates a lack of agreement exists among student counselors about how to navigate the referral process, especially as it relates to making decisions about when to refer (Author, 2017). This content analysis examines what student counselors (N=104) perceive as critical areas of knowledge, points of confusion, and suggestions for training on ethical referrals. Emergent themes and implications for counselor education and future research are discussed

Students’ Experience of Family Counseling Role-Play with Developmental Considerations

A need exists to explore student experiences with pedagogical approaches, particularly those commonly used in counselor education such as role-play. Nine counselors-in-training (CITs) who participated in a semester-long family counseling role-play shared their experiences with the pedagogical approach. Through semi-structured interview protocol, we explored CITs’ lived experience and meaning-making with the learning strategy. Existing literature denotes that cognitive complexity influences how CITs make sense of their experiences. As such, cognitive complexity scores, rooted in Perry’s intellectual development model, are provided for each participant. Data were analyzed using transcendental phenomenology, which resulted in three superordinate themes: impact of class structure, increased confidence, and gained meta-awareness. Findings suggest the value of role-play as a pedagogical strategy for counselors-in-training of various cognitive developmental levels

Impact of Service-Learning on Student Counselors’ Self-Reported Measures of Program Evaluation, Counselor Advocacy, and Interprofessional Education

Abstract: Academic service-learning encompasses a reciprocal relationship among university and community partners. Service-learning can familiarize student counselors with future client populations, community resources, and other service providers. Service-learning pedagogy is flexible and may be particularly useful to promote development in counselor competencies more abstractly related to day-to-day client services, including program evaluation and professional advocacy. Interprofessional education serves as a means of enhancing interprofessional collaboration and, in turn, the well-being of individuals seeking healthcare services. Service-learning may provide a vehicle to promote interprofessional education, however, researchers have not yet explored this connection. This quantitative research project evaluates pre- and post- changes of 18 participants using the Effective Practices Survey, Advocacy Competencies Self-Assessment scale to measure experiences in program evaluation, counselor advocacy, and interprofessional education. Results indicate that student counselor scores significantly increased for each of the three variables of interest, with the largest changes observed for counselor advocacy. What is the public significance of this article? Academic service-learning leverages relationships between university and community partners. Service-learning may be a particularly effective pedagogical strategy to promote applied and potentially abstract concepts. This article explores the impact of engagement in an experiential service-learning project on 18 student counselors’ learning outcomes related to program evaluation, counselor advocacy, and perceptions of interprofessional education

A Phenomenological Investigation of Doctoral Students’ Gatekeeping Experiences

Counselor education doctoral students serve as gatekeepers simultaneous to their own training and evaluation. We used transcendental phenomenology to examine the gatekeeping experiences of 15 doctoral students at three programmatic levels. Findings and implications related to two primary themes, (a) precarious positions and power and (b) developing a gatekeeper identity, are discussed

Content Analysis of Counseling Ethics and Decision Making

Limited research has examined counselors’ subjective understandings of ethicality and variables affecting ethical constructions and decision making. Through content analysis, this pilot study explored three counselors’: (a) constructions of ethicality and ethical behavior, (b) general factors influencing ethical constructions and decision-making processes, (c) role of ethical codes on ethical decision-making processes, and (d) role of personal values on ethical decision-making processes. Identified emergent themes included: ambiguity in definitions of ethics and personal values; ethical constructions influenced by ethical codes and personal values; and peer consultation and professional resources as tools that introduce multifaceted ethical conceptualizations

Promoviendo el crecimiento moral de estudiantes y supervisados en contextos terapéuticos

El artículo explora los principios e implicaciones de la teoría del desarrollo moral, ofreciendo estrategias de crecimiento que pueden ser empleadas por psicoterapeutas que trabajen con estudiantes y supervisados. Propiciar la complejidad cognitiva se ha convertido en una meta deseable para los psicoterapeutas en tales contextos. Estudios anteriores han encontrado que el desarrollo moral está asociado a análisis e hipótesis más complejas; mayor empatía y menos prejuicios o estereotipos; reflexión más profunda y más tolerancia a las perspectivas de otros; así como a desenlaces éticos. El uso de pedagogías de enseñanza “deliberadas”, tales como la Educación Psicológica Deliberada (EPD) y el Modelo de Ajuste Conceptual (MAC) propuesto por Hunt, pueden apoyar el proceso de crecimiento al emplear métodos de razonamiento más complejos. Con ese fin se ofrecen recomendaciones teóricas y prácticas para la aplicación de la EPD y el MAC, por parte de psicoterapeutas que trabajen en ambientes educativos o de supervisión. También se discute el rol y función de los instructores o supervisores como promotores de aprendizajes profundos, y las intervenciones o asignaciones aplicables en tales contextos, dentro del marco de referencia del desarrollo moral.  &nbsp