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The benefits of a strength-based approach to working with children and adolescents are clearly indicated in the literature while Strengths-Based School Counseling embraces the positive development of students and learning environments. An interdisciplinary research team formed a partnership with a middle school community to intentionally investigate school climate, life satisfaction, wellness, and student motivation in order to promote positive development and overall well being of middle school students. Students rated moderate to high levels of satisfaction, perceptions of school climate, and overall wellness. Differences in grade levels were indicated. Implications for interdisciplinary teams, evaluation methods, and recommendations to support student wellness are offered. (Contains 2 tables.)

Women's spirituality has unique characteristics that are often ignored within the spirituality literature. The authors review the literature on women's spirituality to reveal the major themes women have identified as relevant to their spiritual journeys across the life span. Implications for counseling and ideas for practice are included after major themes are examined.

Spiritual wellness, much like resilience, is a multidimensional protective factor for students. This article reviews the relevant literature linking spiritual wellness and thriving in the adolescent population. Assessment and intervention methods that can be used in secondary school settings to promote spiritual wellness are provided.

School counseling programs must provide counselors-in-training with effective and multifaceted leadership skill-building opportunities (Brott, 2006; DeVoss & Andrews, 2006; Dollarhide, Gibson, & Saginak, 2008; Kaffenberger & Murphy, 2007). The Girls' Leadership Experience Camp (GLEC) was created by the authors to enhance the leadership abilities of local girls while providing a training ground for future school counselors to develop their own leadership abilities. The camp participants included 16 rising sixth-grade girls who were potential first-generation college students and were identified by school personnel as possible leaders. The training experiences were framed using the core qualities and components of the ASCA National Model[R] (American School Counselor Association, 2005). This article describes the processes and outcomes related to leadership training of future school counselors via the GLEC. (Contains 1 table.)

Feminist contributions to counseling practice with families and children are reviewed, with a focus on the Third Wave feminist movement and its implications for family development and intervention. Recommendations for empowering young clients and their support systems as well as current challenges and research needs are also considered.

Overall spiritual wellness, as well as 4 individual components of spiritual wellness, has been theoretically and empirically linked with depression. Prior to this investigation, no study has examined the relationship between spiritual wellness and depression by using a 4-component measurement model of spiritual wellness. In this study of older adolescents and midlife adults, negative correlations between 4 components of spiritual wellness and depression were found for both groups. Results of multiple regression analyses showed that for both older adolescents and midlife adults, the only significant contributing factor of spiritual wellness to depression was meaning and purpose in life. (Contains 2 tables.)

Recently, spirituality has received increased attention in the counseling field, and both spirituality and religion have been acknowledged as important aspects of multiculturalism. The role of spiritual and religious beliefs is mentioned throughout the Standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and guidelines for working with spiritual issues within various cultural paradigms are emerging. Nevertheless, many counselor educators seem unsure about how to infuse spiritual issues into courses, This article presents a rationale for inclusion of spiritual issues in counselor education curricula and provides activities to incorporate knowledge and skills for dealing with spiritual and religious diversity in CACREP core courses.

Personal crises have been associated with spiritual growth. Sparked by the global response to the crisis of September 11, 2001, this study examined the relationship of spirituality and the September 11 tragedy using a sample of convenience from a college student population. This preliminary study used an experimental design to examine various effects of the world crisis events of September 11 on components of individual spirituality. Spirituality was conceptualized using a 4-component model. Significant differences between the experimental and control groups were found on the Transcendence subscale. Taking into consideration the different kinds of tragedies, the authors present implications for counseling and suggest directions for future research.

Reviews the cognitive development of children, with a focus on Piagetian theory as a framework for understanding Developmental Counseling and Therapy (DCT). Describes both the assessment process and intervention planning, and provides specific applications to counseling children in school settings. (Contains 35 references.) (GCP)