Rural School Counselors and LGBTQ Students

The pathways employed school counselors take for continuing their education beyond graduate school on issues of diversity may be somewhat limited in rural areas and the perception may be that few lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning students exist in rural schools. School counselors have an ethical and legal obligation to create safe and welcoming environments for LGBTQ students. This paper provides a brief examination of traditional approaches to professional development on sexual minority issues and a proposal for alternative educational opportunities for rural school counselors.