An Introduction to Narrative Therapy

Counseling in a narrative way is a way of seeing, hearing, and thinking about clients’ problems as shaped and given meaning by stories or narratives. Problems are not hard realities that permanently define people; rather, they are problem stories by which people know themselves and are known by. This separating of the problem from the person opens up space for seeing the problem and thinking about it in new ways, and opens up the possibility of authoring a better story—a better way of being and doing, and is based on what has become a narrative mantra: “The problem is the problem. The person is not the problem” (Winslade & Monk, 1999, p. 2

School Counseling Site Supervisor Training: An Exploratory Study

This study explored the supervision training needs of site supervisors of master’s program school counseling interns via the construct of selfefficacy. Using the Site Supervisor Self-Efficacy Survey developed for this study, the authors surveyed school counseling site supervisors in the states of Oregon and Washington (N = 147) regarding their hours of supervision training and their supervisor self-efficacy. Results indicated that 54% of school counseling site supervisors had little or no counseling supervision training. Supervisor self-efficacy appeared to be relatively strong, consistently so for school counseling site supervisors with over 40 hours of supervision training. A partial correlation indicated a slightly positive relationship between the hours of supervision training received and perceived self-efficacy regarding supervision. Implications regarding school counseling site supervisor training and future research are offered

The Role of School Counselors in Meeting Students\u27 Mental Health Needs: Examining Issues of Professional Identity

The professional identity of school counselors has evolved over time. This article traces the historical context driving this evolution, and suggests it is time for the profession to conjoin the roles of educational leader and mental health professional. This proposal is prompted by heightened awareness of unmet student mental health needs, referrals that go unmet, school counselors displaced by other mental health providers in schools, the potential loss of the unique school counselor role, and the natural link between the mental health professional role and the array of personal-social factors that impact student achievement. A conjoint professional school counselor identity that includes the roles of both educational leader and mental health professional positions school counselors to better respond to all students, including those with mental health needs. This article discusses potential roadblocks and offers suggestions for action

The ACA Advocacy Competencies: A Social Justice Advocacy Framework for Professional School Counselors

The recent endorsement of the advocacy competencies by the American Counseling Association signals their relevance to the school counseling profession. This article outlines the importance of being a social change agent, the value of advocacy in K-12 schools, and how school counselors can use the advocacy competencies as a framework for promoting access and equity for all students. Implications for professional school counselors and school counselor educators in using the advocacy competencies are also addressed

Training Needs of School Counseling Site Supervisors in the Pacific Northwest: An Exploration via the Construct of Self-Efficacy

School counseling site supervisors provide a critical contribution to the professional development of master’s program school counseling interns; however, their training needs remain unidentified in the literature. To that end, the purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the training needs of site supervisors of master’s program school counseling interns in the Pacific Northwest via the construct of self-efficacy. To initiate this exploration, the Site Supervisor Self-Efficacy Survey (S4) was developed. This 28 item web-based survey investigated respondents’ (N = 147) perceived self-efficacy in relation to supervision as well as hours of supervision training received. Results (82% return rate) indicate that many site supervisors have little or no supervision training, and that supervisor self-efficacy appears relatively strong—consistently so for those with over 40 hours of training. A partial correlation indicates a slightly positive relationship (r = .202, p \u3c .009, one-tailed) between the hours of supervision training received and perceived self-efficacy regarding supervision. Implications regarding site supervisor training and suggestions for future research are offered

Training needs of school counseling site supervisors in the Pacific Northwest : An exploration via the construct of self-efficacy

School counseling site supervisors provide a critical contribution to the professional development of master's program school counseling interns; however, their training needs remain unidentified in the literature. To that end, the purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the training needs of site supervisors of master's program school counseling interns in the Pacific Northwest via the construct of self-efficacy. To initiate this exploration, the Site Supervisor Self-Efficacy Survey (S4) was developed. This 28 item web-based survey investigated respondents' (N = 147) perceived self-efficacy in relation to supervision as well as hours of supervision training received. Results (82% return rate) indicate that many site supervisors have little or no supervision training, and that supervisor self-efficacy appears relatively strong--consistently so for those with over 40 hours of training. A partial correlation indicates a slightly positive relationship (r = .202, p < .009, one-tailed) between the hours of supervision training received and perceived self-efficacy regarding supervision. Implications regarding site supervisor training and suggestions for future research are offered

The Impact of the School Counselor Supervision Model on the Self-Efficacy of School Counselor Site Supervisors

Supervision is a critical element in the professional identity development of school counselors; however, available school counseling-specific supervision training is lacking. The authors describe a 4-hour supervision workshop based on the School Counselor Supervision Model (SCSM; Luke & Bernard, 2006) attended by 31 school counselors from three southern U.S. school districts. Employing a pre-experimental pretest-posttest research design using the Site Supervisor Self-Efficacy Survey-revised (DeKruyf, 2011), the authors found a significant positive relationship (t (30) = 9.31, p & .001; Cohen\u27s d = 1.67) between supervision training and supervisor self-efficacy. These findings bolstered the efficacy of the SCSM. The authors discuss research and practical implications of this study

Developing a Global Culture of Collaboration for School Counselors

School-university partnerships are becoming increasingly popular within the field of school counseling. Peer consultation groups offer a specific type of partnership and support for practitioners, numerous advantages for those in higher education, and significant potential for international application. This article expands on Thomas’ (2005) peer consultation model developed for school counseling alumni, with adaptations of the model in two universities, as well as several K-12 school districts within a single county. Data from participant evaluations indicate strong support for the personal and professional value of peer consultation

Best Practices in Clinical Supervision: Evolution of a Counseling Specialty

A number of developments have marked the evolution of clinical supervision as a separate specialty since publication of the Standards for Counseling Supervisors in 1990, including accreditation and counselor licensure standards, supervisor credentials, and research on supervision practice and supervisor training, nationally and internationally. Such developments culminated in the development of a statement of Supervision Best Practices Guidelines. The Guidelines are described, followed by suggestions for their implementation and further evolution through research

Counselor Educators Lean-In to Walk the Talk: A Team Approach to Strengthening Faculty Multicultural Sensitivity

This session offers an innovative approach for engaging faculty in the development and deepening of their own multicultural sensitivity, for improving pedagogy, and in turn promoting second-order change within students as they engage with multicultural competencies. Broader systemic issues are also addressed given the university\u27s contextual setting as a faith-based, primarily Caucasian institution