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We explored the outcomes of a school counselor consultation intervention informed by the Advocating Student-within-Environment theory as delivered to nine teachers of 149 students in a Title I school. Results from hierarchical regression analyses revealed changes in teachers' perceptions of the teacher-student relationship that predicted students' perception of the same relationship. We also found that similar coregulated changes in two curiosity scales can be attributed to the intervention, as can a small change in teachers' stress tolerance from the pre- to post-test data collection periods. We discuss implications for school relationships and school counseling services.

In this randomized controlled trial, we explored the effects of a combined mindfulness and social/emotional learning (SEL) school counselor consultation intervention. Participants included a diverse sample of 30 secondary educators teaching in Title 1 school districts. Participants received 5 weeks of consultation based on mindfulness and SEL. Results of hierarchical linear regressions revealed statistically significant improvement in teachers' mindfulness disposition of acting with awareness. Further, results indicated a practically significant decrease in teacher-reported stress and conflict in the student-teacher relationship. We discuss implications for offering direct services to teachers through consultation with school counselors as a way of providing indirect services to students. Results of this study illustrate how teachers might benefit from school counselor consultation that supports their use of mindfulness strategies and SEL skills in coping with the demands of teaching and in building relationships with students.

Lower socioeconomic status is related to sleep/wake problems in early childhood, however, the effects are not uniform and there is a need to understand individual differences. We examined whether maternal mindful parenting moderated this association. Participants were 172 mothers of 2- to 5-year-old children (children's M age = 3.30 years) from diverse economic and ethnic backgrounds. Socioeconomic status was indexed using income-to-needs ratio. Mothers reported on children's sleep/wake problems (insufficient sleep duration, night wakings, daytime sleepiness) and two dimensions of mindful parenting (mindful discipline, being in the moment with the child). Higher levels of maternal mindful parenting buffered the extent to which lower socioeconomic status conferred risk for children's insufficient sleep duration and night wakings. Findings build on the literature to consider sleep in the family context and illustrate that positive parenting characteristics may reduce risk for sleep/wake problems in lower socioeconomic contexts.

The authors investigated a combined social and emotional learning and mindfulness-based intervention as delivered by school counselors to students in classrooms and their teachers using consultation practices. The study used a cluster-randomized design at the classroom level, with an ethnically diverse sample of 109 middle school students divided between treatment and delayed treatment groups. Analyses found significant intervention effects for the treatment group in students' changes in stress tolerance, social curiosity, executive functioning (i.e., shift, plan and organize, and task monitoring), and academic achievement (i.e., mathematics, science, English, and social studies). Implications of these findings evince how theory-informed school counseling can contribute to important outcomes in educational settings.

Evidence-based school counseling requires that practitioners and scholars utilize formal counseling theory. Theories that inform school counseling must cohere with the unique needs of students and school environments. Therefore, we propose that school counseling theories must include the following constituents: (a) qualities of students and school environments, (b) empirical and professional endorsements, (c) school counseling customs, and (c) methodological relevance. We describe the utility of these constituents through example using a school counseling-specific theory, the Advocating Student-within-Environment approach.

Research Findings: Given the variable nature of early childhood settings, practitioners and researchers need better guidance on what conditions influence observations conducted within early childhood settings (National Research Council, 2008). Using 230 observations from 23 three- and four-year-old children, we conducted a Generalizability study to determine what factors influence observation scores of the Individualized Classroom Assessment Scoring System (inCLASS). Results account for a minimal portion of child-level variance across the three inCLASS domains. However, when more contextual factors were analyzed, child-level variance increased as error variance decreased. This resulted in scores that were more reliable. Practice or Policy: We provide recommendations for both future uses of the inCLASS as well as other observational instruments used in research.

The purpose of this content analysis was to examine the use of theory in school-counselor-led interventions. Specifically, we examined intervention characteristics, evaluation design, and use of theory in school-counselor-led intervention studies that were published by the American Counseling Association, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), and in other school-counseling-related journals from 2003 to 2022. Drawing from 45 published articles, results indicated that few school counseling articles explicitly included ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors (ASCA, 2021) or integrated formal counseling theory to inform student outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical humanistic philosophy and psychology both infer the persistence of a stable, authentic, and volitional self, which neither fully coheres with the values implicit to professional counseling nor offers sufficient relevance to culturally diverse client groups. As an alternative, the authors suggest that humanistic counseling can emerge as a distinct discipline of practice independent of its early influences. Further, the authors offer a dialogical alternative for humanistic counseling practice that might better support contemporary clients and their various social determinants of experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors of the current study captured the mindfulness and social emotional learning experiences of fourteen teachers who participated in a five-week Advocating Student-within-Environment theory informed school counselor led consultation. A total of 14 middle and high school teachers employed in Title I schools participated in five 30-min consultation sessions with a trained school counselor. After the conclusion of the consultation intervention, each participant responded to seven structured exit survey questions online. Teacher participants reported four interconnected themes: (1) increased self-awareness; (2) coping with adversity; (3) seeking connection; and (4) sense of empowerment. Results from the study demonstrate the value of school counselors' support of classroom teachers, especially given the outstanding stress associated with education and related social systems. The teachers reported greater feelings of professional persistence, which might protect against attrition and burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored the outcomes of a school counselor consultation intervention informed by the Advocating Student-within-Environment theory as delivered to nine teachers of 149 students in a Title I school. Results from hierarchical regression analyses revealed changes in teachers' perceptions of the teacher–student relationship that predicted students' perception of the same relationship. We also found that similar coregulated changes in two curiosity scales can be attributed to the intervention, as can a small change in teachers' stress tolerance from the pre- to post-test data collection periods. We discuss implications for school relationships and school counseling services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the paucity of professional development (PD) opportunities, gaps in cultural competence, and deterioration of direct counseling service opportunities for many school counselors, it is reasonable to conjecture that there is an inadvertent abandonment of skill development and related student outcomes. This mixed-methods study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative PD series for school counselors, exploring participants' self-efficacy in counseling skill use and cross-cultural competence. The researchers administered a multi-session PD to school counselors in an Urban, Northeast School District in the US. Data from pre-and post-training surveys, vignettes, and post-training focus groups indicated a significant decrease in participants' self-efficacy pre- to post-training. Further, results suggest participants learned innovative practice, practiced humanistic counseling skills, and understood new potential for student growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigated a combined social and emotional learning and mindfulness-based intervention as delivered by school counselors to students in classrooms and their teachers using consultation practices. The study used a cluster-randomized design at the classroom level, with an ethnically diverse sample of 109 middle school students divided between treatment and delayed treatment groups. Analyses found significant intervention effects for the treatment group in students' changes in stress tolerance, social curiosity, executive functioning (i.e., shift, plan and organize, and task monitoring), and academic achievement (i.e., mathematics, science, English, and social studies). Implications of these findings evince how theory-informed school counseling can contribute to important outcomes in educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this special issue, the editors and each team of contributing authors offer examples of how a combined identity as educator–counselor can affect the various roles and responsibilities associated with school counseling. The suggestion that school counselor identity is always both educator and counselor is neither trivial nor a semantic distinction. Reshaping the narrative to suggest that school counselors are situated as educators who are oriented by counseling has the potential to mitigate much of the role ambiguity that has persisted in the profession for decades and, more important, has the potential to sharpen practice and contribute to greater student and schoolwide outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: Given the variable nature of early childhood settings, practitioners and researchers need better guidance on what conditions influence observations conducted within early childhood settings (National Research Council, 2008). Using 230 observations from 23 three- and four-year-old children, we conducted a Generalizability study to determine what factors influence observation scores of the Individualized Classroom Assessment Scoring System (inCLASS). Results account for a minimal portion of child-level variance across the three inCLASS domains. However, when more contextual factors were analyzed, child-level variance increased as error variance decreased. This resulted in scores that were more reliable. Practice or Policy: We provide recommendations for both future uses of the inCLASS as well as other observational instruments used in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructivist and existential psychologies both contain tensions pertaining to self-centric and social-centric perspectives. The authors explicate these tensions and offer an alternative scheme based on dialogical philosophy. The dialogical alternative presented in this article has implications for counseling and social justice praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]