Community asset mapping is an approach that school counselors can use to locate resources to meet the needs of families, schools, and communities. This article provides step-by-step instructions on how school counselors might use community asset mapping to address the needs of their population(s), illustrated with an example of implementation in a…

The purpose of the study was to explore, in depth, the impact teen pregnancy has on education attainment for girls 13-19 years of age across racial/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Eight girls from African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino ethnic backgrounds participated in the study. Critical race theoretical framework was utilized for the…

A qualitative research study was conducted with 15 school counselors to identify the strategies they used to empower Chicana/o and Latina/o high school students. The findings of this study revealed that participants facilitated student empowerment by developing personal relationships with students, involving alumni, building sociocultural…

Culturally derived career counseling groups constitute a potentially promising way of providing supportive experiences for Latino/a college students. These groups can facilitate Latino/a students' help-seeking behavior, address general college transition needs, add new coping skills, resolve developmental issues, and respond to career concerns.…

Given the burgeoning obesity problem among Latino youth and concomitant health problems (Spiotta & Luma, 2008), school counselors have begun to recognize the need for culturally sensitive programming to promote healthy lifestyles. More theoretical, evidence-based programs are needed, however, to ensure Latino youth receive appropriate…

The role of the school psychologist has evolved from serving as a gatekeeper for special education eligibility to that of a change agent within the school. This shift in professional focus positions school psychologists with the capacity to make an impact beyond the school setting. This article provides an example of how the consultative skills…

This study examined the influence of acculturation, enculturation, parental education level, financial concerns, and gender on 106 Mexican American high school students' decisions to apply to college. Results indicated that acculturation and female gender were significant predictors. Implications for interventions with Latino high school students…

The purpose of this article is to examine how intragroup marginalization has a potential impact on Latino college students' psychological adjustment. The concept of intragroup marginalization in this context relates to the perceived rejection of students by persons of their heritage culture group in response to the students' acculturation efforts…

In this article, the authors present two hypothetical cases, one of a Mexican American female college student and one of a Mexican immigrant adult male, and apply a culturally sensitive approach to career assessment and career counseling with each of these clients. Drawing from Leong, Hardin, and Gupta's cultural formulation approach (CFA) to…

Eight Latino college students were interviewed to determine their perceptions of the role of their high school counselors. The findings revealed the following themes: (a) inadequate advisement, (b) lack of availability, (c) lack of individual counseling, (d) differential treatment, and (e) low expectations or setting limits. Despite insufficient…

This case study describes the experiences of a Mexican American college student addressing difficulties with academic motivation and social adjustment to college. The authors present a counseling intervention that is ecologically focused and designed to help the student develop critical consciousness regarding ethnic and social class identity.…

Traditionally, Latino and African-American students have been underrepresented in Advanced Placement courses. However, professional school counselors work to remove barriers to "all" students' success. This article (a) identifies challenges that Latino and African-American students encounter in accessing Advanced Placement courses, (b) reviews the…

Research has illustrated that school counselors "do not" provide Latina/o students with sufficient information about higher education (Immerwahr, 2003; Zalaquett, 2005), high expectations (Martinez, 2003), and individual counseling and guidance (Vela Gude et al., in press). Because school counselors are supposed to play an important role in…

This article is practitioner based and focuses on how high school counselors can facilitate the development of Latina/o youth and parents who on a daily basis face psychological and social issues that confront their lives. My work with Latina/o troubled youth and parents, over a 33 year period, has led me to propose five concepts that can serve…

This article discusses individual, structural, and cultural factors that shape the educational and vocational transitions of graduating high school Black and Latino students. Implications of such factors for school counselors who wish to facilitate these adolescents' career development also are presented.