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Zachary comes running up ahead of his mom and sisters to wrap me in a great six-year-old hug. He has a huge smile on his face, and I notice that both he and his sisters are wearing the same clothing that they had on last time I saw them. It's 40 degrees outside, but all three of them only have on sweatshirts and Zachary's toes are poking out of his boots. However, not a hair is out of place on any of their heads, and Zachary proudly pulls out his homework from his worn backpack. He says, "Guess what? I wrote all my letters. Want to see?" Zachary is one of 16 million children living in poverty in the United States (DeNavas-Walt, Proctor, & Smith, 2011). Though the U.S. is one of the most prosperous countries in the world, 9.2 million families were living in poverty in 2010 (DeNavas-Walt et al., 2011). Moreover, while children only account for 24.4 percent of the population, 35.5 percent of the people living in poverty are children (DeNavas-Walt et al., 2011). With such staggering numbers, professional counselors are likely to work with families facing obstacles because of strained financial situations. Therefore, as professionals, counselors must ask themselves if they are prepared to work with families living in poverty. Families living in poverty may show up for counseling in schools, agencies, and other institutions without their basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and safety being fully met. Though professional counselors are usually developmentally or wellness based in theoretical orientation, in practice, they may find themselves discouraged when working with families who live in poverty. Thus, in the midst of linking families to much needed resources, they may focus solely on what the family is lacking and the multiple problems they face versus identifying and building on existing strengths. Furthermore, many counselors are often not of the same social class or economic status as families living in poverty, so their middle class worldviews, biases, and expectations for change modifies their perceptions of non-middle class behaviors as divergent from the norm. This in turn negatively influences their choice of counseling interventions and limits counseling outcomes (Liu, Soleck, Hopps, Dunston, & Pickett, 2004). In doing so, they may inadvertently paralyze themselves and the family. Limited research in professional counseling literature addresses how to counsel families in poverty. In 2002, Brown noted the absence of research and literature counseling families below the poverty line, asserting that existing approaches do not address the specific needs of this population. Moreover, in the last ten years, much of the counseling literature on this topic has been focused on working with low-income students and families within a school context (i.e. Amatea & West-Olatunji, 2007; Amatea, Smith-Adcock, & Villares, 2006; Sheely-Moore & Bratton, 2010) or on parenting practices (i.e. Adkison-Bradley, 2011; Kelch-Oliver, 2011; McWey, 2008). In the few outcome studies available, there also is indication that many barriers exist for low-income families in utilizing traditional counseling services (e.g., transportation), which can lead to a high counseling drop out rate (e.g., Lyon & Budd, 2010; Schwarzbaum, 2004; Toporek & Pope-Davis, 2005). Therefore, a paucity of literature and outcome research on counseling the poor has led many to question how the counseling process should differ when working with families that are poor versus with those who are not experiencing economic hardship. Also, what should counselors be aware of and how should they position themselves to work effectively with families living in poverty? In 2011, Foss, Generali and Kress answered Brown's (2002) call and proposed a model that calls for a strengths-based, multilevel counseling approach for use with individuals living in poverty. In their CARE model, the authors identified four areas of focus with individuals: (a) cultivating a positive relationship; (b) acknowledging the realities of the poor; (c) removing barriers for healthy development; (d) and expanding strengths. …

Hispanic/Latino students are the largest minority school-age population (Pew Hispanic Center, 2005). In this study, pupil services administrators in Florida identified concerns about Hispanic/Latino children and families and the need for bilingual school counselors for growing numbers of Hispanic/Latino students. Administrators' perceptions of cultural barriers, which isolate students from the school environment, were strongly related to their perceived need for Spanish-speaking school counselors. School programs more often provided for Hispanic/Latino students were those that specifically addressed language barriers rather than counseling services that specifically addressed cultural barriers of Hispanic/Latino students.

This article presents an overview of a research-informed family resilience framework, developed as a conceptual map to guide school counselors’ preventive and interventive efforts with students and their families. Key processes that characterize children's and families’ resilience are outlined along with recommendations for how school counselors might apply this family resilience framework in their work.

Using a longitudinal national database, the authors conducted a path analysis of girls’ school delinquency to determine the indirect and direct effects of socioeconomic status, parental involvement, bonding to school, and girls’ self-perception of reputation on school delinquency during middle school and high school. Self-perception of reputation was the most influential factor in girls’ school delinquency, followed by bond to school and socioeconomic status. Implications for school counselors are presented.

Explanations of girls' delinquency traditionally have emphasized individual and family dysfunction. Though recent explanations have emerged that promote less pathological views of girls' delinquency, there are still commonly held views that girls who are delinquent are anomalous. The current study examined reputation theory as a psychosocial explanation of girls' delinquent behavior. Reputation theory suggests that social bonds to others influence delinquent behavior indirectly through adolescent reputation choices. In this study, girls' social bonds and self-perception of reputation were related to minor and serious delinquent behavior. Bonds to father and to school were the most influential social bonds. This study also found that reputation beliefs mediate the relationship between social bonds and girls' offending. In general, reputation theory was supported by the findings of this study. These findings contribute to the emerging body of literature that portrays girls in more control of their ...

We examined school counselors’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in addressing bullying. This study also investigated the prevalence of bullying prevention training, policies and laws, and various school problems. School counselors reported differences between their perceptions of their roles and responsibilities and what they believe are their principals’ expectations of school counselors. We discuss the results, implications for school counselors, and recommendations for research.

Elementary school counselors are frequently called on to provide counseling services for children with chronic conditions. However, counselors’ training and professional development in this area is lacking. Myriad behavioral, social, and academic issues can result from a child’s chronic condition. This qualitative study examined elementary school counselors’ and students’ perceptions of an integrated reality therapy and art therapy intervention and revealed four themes. We discuss implications for elementary school counselors.

Counselor educators have the challenging task of screening applicants for their programs. This process involves assessing applicants’ academic potential, as well as their dispositions and behaviors. This manuscript focuses on the use of creative group strategies to assess the personal characteristics of applicants in gatekeeping for the counseling profession. The authors present several creative strategies to assist counselor educators in screening applicants.

Young adolescents (ages 11–14), typically in the middle school grades, face life tasks involving connections and belonging with their peer group along with the development of their individual identity (Henderson & Thompson, 2010). Learning to negotiate through these developmental tasks, they face myriad relational challenges. This article explores the application of Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) with early adolescents. It provides implications and recommendations for school counselors.

Hispanic/Latino students are the largest minority school-age population (Pew Hispanic Center, 2005). In this study, pupil services administrators in Florida identified concerns about Hispanic/Latino children and families and the need for bilingual school counselors for growing numbers of Hispanic/Latino students. Administrators' perceptions of cultural barriers, which isolate students from the school environment, were strongly related to their perceived need for Spanish-speaking school counselors. School programs more often provided for Hispanic/Latino students were those that specifically addressed language barriers rather than counseling services that specifically addressed cultural barriers of Hispanic/Latino students.