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Integrating Addiction Counseling Competencies into CACREP’s Foundational Curriculum: Addressing Gaps in Pedagogy
Get PDFProfessional counselors frequently provide direct and indirect addiction counseling services with relatively little addiction-specific education and training. This lack of training results in counselors delivering services for which they are not adequately prepared. This article explores the current state of training and credentialing of addiction counselors, the addiction-specific gaps that currently exist in CACREP’s foundational curriculum, and the duty accredited programs have to ensure counseling students are trained to provide care to all who seek treatment. A conceptual model for integrating culturally responsive addiction-specific education into CACREP’s foundational curriculum and a hypothetical timeline for implementation are provided. We discuss the implications of integrating addiction-specific education and provide recommendations for future research and advocacy efforts
Development and Implementation of a Counseling Professional Identity Development Exercise
Get PDFThe professional identity of counselors is critical for distinguishing the counseling profession from related helping professionals. This paper presents the development and implementation of a novel counseling professional identity (CPI) development exercise, Weekly CPI Statements. The intervention was integrated into a 5-week CACREP introduction to counseling course to facilitate counselor trainees\u27 (CTs) understanding and articulation of the CPI. Through thematic analysis, we examined themes of 29 CTs (school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and marriage, couples, and family therapy graduate students) experiences after completing the Weekly CPI Statements. The final themes were (a) Encouraged Critical Thinking, (b) Supported Professional Development Processes, and (c) Student Reflections and Recommendations. We present general findings and implications for the intervention in developing CPI for CTs across multiple tracks
Promising Young Woman and the Structural Failure to Protect Women
Get PDFThis paper explores Emerald Fennel\u27s film Promising Young Woman and the relationship between women and male violence and how male violence is protected by misogynistic structures, specifically in the case of sexual assault. The paper argues that institutions and structures that are rooted in patriarchy and misogyny are fundamentally unable to protect women from the actions of violent men, both in the film and in reality
Anything and Everything: An Analysis of Role Ambiguity in Pennsylvania School Social Work
Get PDFFor the past 100 years, since the inception of school social work, a comprehensive list of the duties of social workers in schools has remained intangible; thus, the professional identity of school social workers (SSWs) has not been well-defined. An ambiguous professional identity gives rise to a lack of legitimacy, role confusion, and inconsistency in responsibilities faced by current SSWs employed in a public-school setting. A comprehensive understanding of how SSWs function, both in theory and in practice, is essential to producing social workers who are qualified, competent, and equipped to support students. This study utilizes quantitative methods to investigate areas of convergence and divergence between the National Association of Social Workers’ (NASW’s) Standards for School Social Work Services, the Certification and Staffing Policy Guidelines (CSPG) established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), and Pennsylvania (PA) school social workers’ (SSWs) self-reported tasks and responsibilities. The research examines the historical backdrop of school social work and employs role theory as the lens through which to explore how school social workers navigate their roles within public education. Primary task classifications are identified, including assessment/intervention, direct services, case management, consultation/collaboration, and professional development. The research outlines implications for school social work practice, including advocacy for the profession, creation of a statewide SSW model, influence on school social work certification programs, guidance for a statewide induction program, and facilitation of ongoing professional development. Finally, conclusions are drawn and recommendations made for policymakers to promote role clarity in the field
A Qualitative Exploration of the Incorporation of Nature into Multilevel Social Work Practice
Get PDFHumans have an innate connection to nature, often referred to as biophilia. Besides providing the basic necessities for life, interacting with nature has been connected to lower rates of depression and hypertension, improved hospital outcomes, reduced stress, better cognition, and many other benefits. Conversely, increased urbanization is being linked to more chronic medical conditions than in the past due to social inequalities, lifestyle factors, and environmental degradation. People of color and lower socioeconomic status are being disconnected from nature through environmental racism that leads to higher exposure to toxins and pollutants, less access to clean drinking water, and lack of safe green spaces. While exposure to nature can seem daunting, research has shown that beneficial interactions with nature can be indoors or even virtual. Studies have also indicated that having these interactions with nature, even passively, promotes stewardship of the natural world. This desire to care for nature can promote environmental justice as one of the social justice priorities of social work. Incorporating nature into social work practice could be a logical extension of ecological systems theory and person-in-environment, which recognize the built and social environments that impact human wellbeing but paradoxically do not include the effects of the natural environment. While most of the research on the benefits of nature has been done in other fields, the researchers often ask who will do this work, and social work is uniquely positioned to incorporate nature into all levels of practice. This qualitative study utilized an online survey to explore how social workers at all levels are currently incorporating nature into their practice, why they started, and how they feel about including the natural environment into ecological systems theory. Grounded theory provided a framework for this study with the goal of creating a model for multilevel social work. Participants (N = 33) shared their personal stories and experiences as well as images from their physical spaces. Findings suggested that social workers who are incorporating nature into their practice are seeking more information and resources, and that they generally do not identify as green and/or ecosocial workers. The outcome was a model for incorporating interactions with nature into multilevel social work practice to promote wellness for people and the planet
Training School Counselors in Anti-Racist Practices
No full textThis study examines the lived experiences of school counselors-in-training and their development as anti-racist school counselors. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, we conducted in-depth interviews with 17 school counselors-in-training with a focus on their development and training as anti-racist practitioners. The findings of the study included four themes: (a) education, (b) experiential learning, (c) suggestions for improvement, and (d) cultural competency. This article indicates implications for school counselor educators and school counselors-in-training
Gatekeeping as an Online Adjunct Clinical Instructor in Counselor Education
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This interpretative phenomenological analysis study examined how adjunct instructors teaching online clinical counseling courses experienced gatekeeping in the context of the university system. The research question was: How do online, adjunct instructors teaching master’s level clinical counseling courses experience their university interactions as a part of gatekeeping? The participants described five experiential themes. These were: a) Balancing marginalization in the system with advocacy for the profession; b) Maneuvering through dependency on the system in gatekeeping; c) Finding consultation while navigating gatekeeping interactions; d) Managing the intensity of clinical courses; and e) Navigating the steep learning curve of learning how to gatekeep within university systems. The findings suggest multiple implications for counselor education departments utilizing adjunct hires to fill online clinical courses.
Keywords: counseling, gatekeeping, adjunct, online, pedagogy, supervisio
Overcoming Barriers and Infusing Inclusive Teaching Practices in Counseling Programs
Get PDFCounselor educators are responsible for promoting inclusive practices within educational institutions and the counseling field. Inclusive teaching promotes equity in education through a commitment to social justice in the classroom. However, many professional organizations fail to define inclusive andragogy and provide little guidance for counselor educators on how to implement these practices within their training programs. Thus, many educators struggle with personal and institutional barriers, as well as limited guidance on effectively implementing inclusive teaching practices. This quantitative study (N=129) explores barriers counselor educators face in infusing inclusive teaching practices, highlights ways to overcome those barriers, and provides specific techniques to infuse inclusive teaching practices
Life Balance for Counselors-in-Training: An Interpretative Phenomenological Investigation
No full textLife balance is an important yet understudied construct for counselors-in-training (CITs). Pursuing a graduate degree in counseling involves an investment of time and resources that may increase stress and adversely affect CIT wellbeing. This study explores the experience of ten CITs as they navigated life balance during their education. Analysis revealed that life balance was challenging as CITs managed their educational, personal, and work demands. Key findings reveal that satisfaction with life balance is related to alignment between real and ideal activity engagement, that students made important sacrifices to maintain balance, and their educational experience contributed to life balance perception. Findings reveal intersections between life balance and CIT self-exploration and identity development. Implications for CITs and counselor educators are discussed
A Holographic Approach: Counseling Skill Development at the Doctoral Level
No full textThis study examines the perceptions and attitudes of a six-person focus group of counselor educators about teaching advanced counseling skills in CACREP accredited Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral programs. Results of the framework analysis indicate that while counseling skills are valued at the doctoral level, there is a need for individualized and collaborative construction of both assessments for and activities within doctoral internships in counseling. A Holographic Model of Doctoral Skills Training is introduced, providing a comprehensive framework for enhancing doctoral-level counseling skills training in counselor education and supervision programs