Search

Parents’ early school involvement is central to successful school transition. However, results of parenting programs aimed at improving kindergarten transition for children from disadvantaged backgrounds are inconclusive and the achievement gap is increasing. Using a family resilience model, we examine relationships between a set of parenting resilience and risk factors, Kindergarteners’ social-emotional readiness, and reading achievement in a sample of families with low-incomes using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K 1998-99) dataset. Using Structural Equation Modeling, we estimated direct and indirect relationships between parenting processes and children’s social-emotional readiness and reading achievement. Parenting factors were latent variables in our model, and included parenting stress, discipline practices, family rules, parent-school involvement, home involvement, and cultural involvement. Mediating variables were indicators of social-emotional readiness including, approaches to learning, self-control, interpersonal skills, externalizing, and internalizing problem behaviors. School involvement and approaches to learning directly influenced kindergarten reading achievement. Parenting stress was negatively related to reading achievement through approaches to learning. Parent-school involvement was positively related to achievement through approaches to learning and negatively through self-control. Approaches to learning partially mediated the relationship between parent-school involvement and reading outcomes, and fully mediated the relationship between parenting stress and reading outcomes. Kindergarten children’s approaches to learning (attention, persistence, organization, and flexibility) may be a helpful focus of intervention for Kindergarten transition. For families with low SES, interventions that target parenting stress, approaches to learning, and reading achievement should be of particular concern for educators.

Using a responsive program evaluation method, the researchers conducted interviews with stakeholders following implementation of a brief classroom intervention, based on the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP), with 7th-grade students in 1 school. Thematic analysis yielded several themes related to participants' perspectives on bullying prevention, bystanding, outcomes of a cooperative learning classroom intervention, and recommendations for participative bullying prevention programs.

Play is part of people's lives. Across the life span, play is viewed as central to healthy growth and development, although how individuals play and what play means to them changes with different stages of life. In this qualitative study using photo elicitation, children, college students, and retirees photographed 9 play concepts (connection, creativity, discovery, freedom, fun, growth, inner self, risk, and play as an overarching concept). The thematic analysis showed convergent (each theme within the concepts of discovery, freedom, growth, inner self, and play were represented by all groups) and divergent (within the concepts of connection, creativity, fun, and risk) conceptualizations of play concepts across the life span. Implications for working with all groups are also discussed.

Defenders, or children who help victims, are studied less often than children who bully or are victims of bullying. In this study, the authors examined middle schools students' perceived normative pressure from significant others to help victims. Findings suggest that normative pressure from best friends mediated gender and defending, and the interaction of age and best friends' pressure was significantly related to defending. The article suggests implications for bullying prevention in middle schools.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to hear from a group of African American parents who were living in poverty about their experience participating in a short-term, intensive child–parent relationship therapy intervention (CPRT). The parents who participated were recruited from a parent enrichment program for parents of preschoolers and were interviewed about the parent–child relationship before and after the group sessions. In addition, parents reported on barriers to utilizing counseling services related to their parenting needs. Following an intensive 4-week CPRT group intervention, the parents described their experiences about participating in the group sessions and how it impacted their parent–child relationship. Parents discussed changes in their perceptions of parenting, child’s play, and CPRT group process. Implications are discussed.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe critical incidents in child-centered play therapy (CCPT) preparation. Students learning to use play in counseling often experience unexpected events, or critical incidents. The way they manage these critical incidents can bring new perspectives on attitudes toward children, their knowledge and skills using play in counseling, and on emerging professional identities as play therapists. The findings of this qualitative study describe how student counselors perceive critical incidents and reflect on them in learning play therapy. The implications for using critical incidents methods in teaching play therapy and clinical supervision are discussed.

Counselor supervision is fundamental to the development of ethical and competent counselors. As with any approach to working with students, a “1-size-fits-all model” is not always the most effective approach to supervision with developing counselors. Creative approaches to counselor supervision involve the use of nonlinear and nontraditional methods. In this article, the authors apply 3 creative approaches to a single case. Through this case application, they demonstrate the effectiveness of bibliotherapy, psychodrama, and sandtray in the supervisory process.

Within counselor preparation, gatekeeping begins during the admission process. This article focuses on the prevalence of screening procedures used in master's- and doctoral-level counselor educator programs (N = 79) accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Additionally, programs' selection and matriculation processes are discussed along with implications for counselor education and supervision.

As part of a semester-long student-led wellness program, graduate students in counselor education were introduced to a variety of self-care strategies, including dyadic and experiential activities for the mind, body, and spirit. The conceptual framework for the pilot program was the Adlerian-based Indivisible Self Model of Wellness. The complementary Five-Factor Wellness Inventory, which integrates Adler’s construct of holism and life tasks, was used as a pre- and post-test measure to determine changes to individual wellness. Additionally, the researchers gathered subjective feedback from participants regarding their experiences in the wellness program. Findings showed that offering this relatively simple and flexible wellness program had a positive impact on students’ knowledge and practice of wellness.

Mental health professionals working with trauma survivors often experience both psychological costs (e.g., compassion fatigue) and benefits (e.g., compassion satisfaction). In this study, trauma counsellors’ individual characteristics as well as workplace conditions were examined to determine their relative influence on compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. Lack of control over workplace, over-involvement with clients, and secondary exposure to clients with serious trauma symptoms were significantly related to compassion fatigue. Counsellors’ perceived control of the workplace, personal trauma history, and years of clinical experience were significantly related to compassion satisfaction.

In Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), the therapist allows the child to lead, creating a permissive space in which the child plays and interacts in ways that are meaningful to them. CCPT is consistent with the belief that children are innately capable of personal wisdom and growth when they are provided with a supportive and accepting environment. The tenets of CCPT convey the therapist's role as a partner rather than director in the child's journey. Many scholars and practitioners consider the use of touch to be an essential element of human growth and development, and a profound method of human connection and communication. Children who have experienced maltreatment in the form of sexual or physical abuse can be confused about healthy versus unhealthy forms of touch. Touch in therapy can be a daunting prospect for many therapists, clients, and caregivers, so much so that many therapists shy away from this aspect of connection.

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. …

Teachers who are child centered focus on building empathy, responsibility, and prosocial behaviors in children. In child-centered classroom management, teachers intentionally communicate to children that they are fully accepted as they are and capable of directing their own behavior. Thus, children are allowed to find their own strengths, make choices for themselves, and accept the consequences of their choices. In this article, the authors present a rationale for elementary classroom teachers to become more child centered in their day-to-day interactions with students. A case vignette is included to illustrate child-centered classroom management.

High school delinquency, adolescent behaviors ranging from repeated school misconduct to being arrested, is a critical concern in the United States. Though widely believed that reputation is related to adolescent behavior, few studies have addressed the relationship between adolescent reputation and delinquency. Using the National Educational Longitudinal Study: 88 (NELS), the current study examined adolescents’ individual characteristics, reputation enhancement, peer affiliation, parent involvement, and school delinquency. Results showed that peer affiliation and school bonding had strong indirect effects on high school delinquency through reputational constructs. Practice implications for school settings are included.

Over the years, literature on the phenomenon of bullying has evolved from treating bullying as an individual behavior to understanding it as a group process. Other than those of the bully and the victim, researchers have identified several roles children assume in bullying situations, with some assuming a pro-social role, often called the defender, in bullying scenarios. Practice literature continues to concentrate its attention narrowly on the bully and the victim, rather than on defenders. Understanding the individual and social circumstances related to defending suggests new avenues for practitioners interested in promoting improved peer relations in schools.

This article highlights the nature of relational aggression among females in the mass media and how to use the same media to counteract aggression. Relationally aggressive behaviors depicted in media include backstabbing, manipulating, and gossiping. These behaviors are associated with negative mental health outcomes for girls and women. We offer counseling interventions using a feminist framework with the understanding that females develop self-identity within the context of broader sociocultural structures.

The authors briefly introduce the concepts, techniques, and theory of identity development associated with J. L. Moreno's (1946, 1969, 1993) Psychodrama. Based upon Loganbill, Hardy, and Delworth's (1982) model, counselor identity development is conceptualized as consisting of seven developmental themes or vectors (e.g., issues of awareness and effective use of emotions in counseling, issues of professional ethics in counseling practice, etc.). Development along these seven psychosocial vectors may be regarded as resembling the process of role repertoire expansion described in Moreno's (1993) identity development theory. The authors present four representative psychodrama activities that have been used with supervisees in group supervision.

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.

According to the reputation enhancement theory, social bonds influence adolescents’ delinquent activity indirectly through the reputations they select. Findings from the current study of a school-based sample of female adolescents indicate that bonds to parents affect reputation enhancement beliefs, which, in turn, predict delinquent activity. Furthermore, mother-daughter bonds appear to moderate the relation between reputation enhancement and delinquency, where under the condition of weak bonds to mother, the relation between reputation and delinquency is the strongest.

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.

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.