Turkish School Counselors and Counselor Educators’ Perceptions about Multicultural Counseling

This paper examines the topic of multicultural counseling in Turkey, where school-based multicultural counseling services remain comparatively limited in scope and application. Participants consisted of twenty-three counselors working in secondary or high schools and fourteen counselor educators from several state universities. While the participants expressed mostly positive attitudes towards multicultural counseling, school counselors tended to regard it only as a client-focused, acculturation process. Not unexpectedly, counselor educators approached the process mainly in terms of how to effectively apply it toward various minority groups in Turkey.     

Perceptions in Role Change from Teacher to Counselor: Intra-Role Conflict and Motivation for Change1

Twelve former teachers who had been counseling for no more than two years were interviewed on how they experienced the processes of role change from teacher to counselor. This article extends the findings reported in an earlier paper and deals with intra-role conflict and with the motivation for changing roles. The following hypotheses emerged from the study: (a) if teaching experience heightens the conflict in perceived incompatibility of role expectations, then it is dysfunctional to becoming a counselor; and (b) teachers enter counseling primarily because they seek to fulfill an inner desire for growth toward what they perceive as their ideal role in education. The implications of the testimony given by the counselors for counselor preparation programs and for the structure of roles in schools were examined.     

Applying Cultura in the Community College Counseling Practice

Latino students represent the fastest-growing population in the state of California, the United States, and the California Community College (CCC) system. Unfortunately, compared to other ethnic groups, Latino community college students continue to lag academically. Given the importance of counseling services and the scarce research related to community college students and community college counseling services, this study explored how 26 first-generation, low-income, Latino community college students perceived, negotiated, and developed a relationship with their community college counselor. Using a qualitative grounded theory research design, participants’ counseling experiences were captured through face-to-face semistructured in-depth interviews, and a theoretical model was developed. This study extended the literature on the importance of community college counseling services in assisting and motivating students to reach transfer and graduation and emphasized students’ positive and negative counseling experiences. The research findings suggest a need to improve community college counseling services. Thus, based on the research findings and other published research, this study proposes a set of the following: (a) guidelines for applying cultura (culture) to community college counseling that can assist relationship building between students and counselors; (b) questions that can be included in students’ evaluation of counselors; (c) counselor interview questions that may elicit behavioral response and assess cultural competence; and (d) community college students’ preferred counselor characteristics that may be used by hiring committees.     

PERSONAL COUNSELING AS A FUNCTION OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE COUNSELING EXPERIENCE

The roles and responsibilities of community college counselors have altered over the last 40 years as a result of profound social, cultural, economic, and political changes. A compounding factor is the dramatic demographic shifts that have occurred across the United States. Although academic and career-related issues traditionally have been the cornerstones of the work of community college counselors, this too is changing. Reports of the escalating frequency and severity of mental health concerns of community college students have prompted counselors to increasingly emphasize personal counseling. This article summarizes some personal issues that counselors are now likely to encounter with community college students. Recommendations for community college counselors working with students experiencing personal difficulties are also included.     

Communication Conflict Styles,Perception of Ethical Environment,and Job Satisfaction Among College and University Counselors

This quantitative study examined the perceptions of college and university counselors (N = 669) regarding their ethical environment, job satisfaction, and ways of dealing with organizational conflict. Findings indicated that counselors manifested an average, but not positive, perception of their ethical environment. Job satisfaction was highest among counselors employed at small institutions. While variable, communication conflict styles indicated possible power struggles occurring within counseling centers. Implications for campus‐based counseling centers are discussed.     

Current legal trends regarding abortions for minors: a dilemma for counselors

According to several US Supreme Court decisions, minors have the right to abortions, yet various conflicts cause some uncertainty for counselors and other professionals working with minors. In defining the role of the school counselor with regard to abortions, Duncan and Moffett (1974) explained that counselors should establish a setting for clients to examine feelings and evaluate alternatives. They advised counselors against imposing their views and attitudes on clients. Walleat (1975) summarized the counselor's responsibilities as follows: view abortion in relation to the student's total involvement rather than a crisis situation; work in conjunction with other community and school programs; help students "process" information; and help students use information about abortion, even when schools fail to supply that information. Additionally, Walleat emphasized that there were possible legal and ethical issues regarding schools providing abortion information. The extent to which schools can or should provide abortion information to minors is unclear. Burgum and Anderson (1975) made some recommendations to help counselors avoid lawsuits regarding abortions. They suggested that counselors give advice only in those areas in which they are competent according to their education and work experience. In view of the proposed legislation and legal shift toward parental notification, counselors of minors should strongly encourage their clients to discuss their situation with parents. The major questions are: how far must counselors go in providing information to parents of minors; and is the legal responsibility strong enough to require counselors to break confidentiality under certain conditions. Until a major court case or legislation addresses these questions, the school counselor's role is undefined. Because parental notification about abortion for minors is unclear, professional guidelines are urgently needed to aid counselors. Professional counseling groups need to address the unresolved issues in a position paper or other materials. Until such time, the following recommendations should prove of value to counselors: counselors should urge minors to discuss abortion plans with parents and involve families in the counseling process, if possible; counselors should consider the social mores of the community; counselors should work through their national, state, and local professional organizations for directions and guidelines on abortion counseling and dissemination of abortion information for minors; and counselors should be knowledgeable about appropriate referral agencies dealing with abortions.     

Attitudes Toward Death Education and Grief Counseling

This article surveyed counselors and counselor educators across the nation regarding their attitudes toward death education and grief counseling. Results were compared to previous research in this area, and it was found that death education and grief training has increased significantly in recent years. Results also indicated that elementary school counselors were more willing than junior or senior high counselors to prepare teachers to help in the area of grief. The primary reasons given by counselors for not attending courses, workshops, or seminars on death education were that training was either not available or not convenient. Counselor educators' reasons for non-attendance varied from time conflict to lack of interest.     

Counseling after Dark: Evening Students' Perceptions of Counseling Resources

Abstract

Community colleges have traditionally emphasized the role of educational-vocational counseling for students, although in recent times community college counselors seem to desire more involvement in personal-emotional counseling and to be more therapeutically oriented. This study assessed how evening community college students perceive various professional resource personnel and students' likelihood of consulting these professionals for assistance with diverse kinds of problems. Evening students' perceptions were discussed in comparison to perceptions held by day students and by students attending 4-year colleges and universities. Implications for training and the professional identity of community college counselors were also noted.     

Perceptions in Role Change from Teacher to Counselor

12 school counselors, former teachers who had been counseling no more than 2 years, were interviewed on how they experienced the processes of role change from teacher to counselor. Theoretical constructs from sociological research on role and reference groups were used in the analysis. Anticipatory socialization was found not to have been engaged in by the new counselors. Having been a teacher was found to be dysfunctional to the extent that (a) it gave rise to ambivalence between the two roles, (b) demanded change in perspective toward the student, the school system, and the teachers, and (c) caused conflict by the necessity of changing the compliance system used with students. Having been a teacher was found to be functional to the counselor role in understanding and working with counselees and teachers on student-teacher problems. The dysfunctional aspects of having taught outweighed the functional aspects and inhibited positive identification with, as well as impeding adjustment to, the new role of counselor.     

Examining How Motivational Interviewing May Foster College Student Development

Professional counselors practicing in higher education settings aspire to meet the developmental needs of college students in addition to addressing their mental health and substance use concerns. Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence‐based counseling approach that focuses on enhancing motivation and commitment to change. This article describes how professional counselors working in higher education settings might apply MI to foster college student development while helping students make positive behavior changes.     

Peace for Kashmir: A Worldview,Psychological Intervention

This paper reviews the current situation in Kashmir, the historical roots of the conflict and considers the possibilities for peace in the region. Given the nuclear arms proliferation in the region, war can have devastating outcomes not just for the people in the region but also for the people and the ecology of our planet. It is imperative that a peaceful solution to the crisis in the region is sought. Further, the situation in Kashmir must be resolved from a human rights perspective and the people of Kashmir must be assisted in achieving peace and safety in their own homeland. It is noted that counselors and psychologists can play a role in bringing about peace using worldview research, and Carl Rogers’ model of conflict resolution.     

Research: Students' Perceptions of Need for Personal Counseling Services in Community Colleges

Although the need for personal counseling services is on the rise across college campuses in the United States, many community colleges do not offer personal counseling services on campus. Instead, community college counseling services focus primarily on academic and career advising. The purpose of this study was to survey community college students in North Carolina to determine their interest in and need for a personal counseling center on campus. Participants were 134 men and 202 women, 18–68 years of age. Of the participants, 70% indicated that having a personal counseling center on campus would be “very helpful” or “helpful.” Results are discussed, and recommendations are made for college counselors working in community college settings.     

Stress in Israel: Voices in One Group Counseling Session of Counselor Trainees

This paper reveals the hidden voices of university students in a counselor training program who are caught in the Arab-Jewish conflict in Israel. These usually hidden voices emerged in a group counseling session, demonstrating the devastating effect that this type of stress has on Jewish and Arab Israelis alike. Implications for school counselors are discussed.     

Young girls in science: Academic ability,perceptions and future participation in science

Given the lack of information in either the school counseling or the gifted education fields on how school counselors and educators of the gifted work together, research into how individuals from both professions collaborate to serve gifted students and their families becomes important. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine gifted teachers' and coordinators' experiences working with school counselors. Fourteen participants, serving in a variety of K–12 settings, engaged in interviews regarding their different experiences working with their school counselors. Five primary themes resulted from these participants' reported experiences, including educators'/counselors' training and preparation, meeting gifted students' needs through service delivery, school counselors' perceptions and beliefs, systemic barriers and facilitators of collaboration, and teacher and counselor collaborative efforts. These findings are discussed with regard to current literature on gifted education, school counseling, and professional collaboration.     

Setting the Bar High: Danish Youth Education Counselors and National School-Completion Goals

European countries are striving to increase secondary school completion rates as part of their labor market planning. Denmark has taken an approach that places youth education guidance counselors at the center of their efforts. Based on interviews with 25 counselors and 10 other education leaders, this article explores the role and practice of these Danish counselors in regard to meeting state education goals. While the counselors strongly support the country’s high educational goal, they have concerns about its attainability, its across-the-board application, and coercive, or ‘individual-blaming’ elements of its implementation. Countries wishing to adopt this model should consider the fit between counseling philosophy and policy so as to avoid role conflict.     

The role of counselors serving deaf or hard of hearing students in public schools

Since enactment of Public Law 94-142, residential schools for d/Deaf or hard of hearing (d/Dhh) students have lost enrollment to public schools. Public school counselors now must meet d/Dhh students' counseling needs. There is little literature on if and how counselors are doing this. The present study used a survey to evaluate the job satisfaction and expectations of 22 counselors working with d/Dhh students in programs across the United States. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 6 participants functioning as counselors for d/Dhh students. Results indicated that the counselors were generally pleased with their role, which, however, diverged markedly from the American School Counselor Association (2003) national model. The interviews revealed 5 themes that may be unique to counselors serving d/Dhh students in public schools: Authority Based on Experience, Director     

Counseling Outcome as a Function of Counselor Nationality for American Expatriate Clients

This study tested the proposition that national similarity between counselor and client results in improved counseling outcome. Using a repeated-measures, quasi-experimental design, eight female counselors (four Turkish, four American) saw 16 volunteer, expatriate female American clients for single, individual counseling sessions. Results indicated no differences on (a) clients’ and counselors’ ratings of working alliance and of progress on goals, or (b) clients’ ratings of utilization intent as a function of counselor nationality. Irrespective of nationality, clients’ ratings of working alliance were higher than their counselors. These results echo a trend suggesting that clients’ preferences for cultural/ethnic similarity dissipate as the research methodology approximates actual counseling sessions. Additionally, local mental health service providers may be a viable resource for expatriate Americans.     

Issues and Problems in the Group Supervision of Beginning Group Problems

This article explores the process of supervising prospective group counselors in terms of the problems and the issues counseling students present during group practicum. In it, group counselors express concerns about (a) establishing a trust relationship with both their supervisors and their peers, (b) assuming a group leadership position, (c) establishing a satisfactory co-leadership relationship, (d) knowing when and how to disclose information about themselves to their counseling groups, and (e) integrating theory and practice. It is suggested that the process of supervision take into consideration the common set of issues that beginning group counselors face and that supervision be an active rather than a reactive process. The article also presents methods for conceptualizing and conducting the practicum for group counselors.