When school counselors team and collaborate with school personnel, families, and community members to foster strengths-based partnerships, they are able to implement classroom, schoolwide, and community-based programs and interventions that support and empower children and families. Strengths-based partnerships utilize the assets found in schools,…

This article makes the case that Christian school counselors should be more directly engaged in student spiritual formation. To accomplish this aim, the historical context for the discussion is first explored, followed by a review of contemporary medical and psychological research associating a positive spirituality with healthy functioning across…

Professional school counselors (PSCs) can support school personnel in promoting educational climates conducive to optimal student academic and social development. Critical elements in fostering caring schools include encouraging positive relationships; providing leadership for teachers and school personnel; facilitating collaboration between…

This is a tale of caregiving in two cities--and it was the best of times and the worst of times. In this article, the author describes the differences in the care given by nurses and social workers to her 90-year-old mother who died from metastatic colon cancer and to her husband who had traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident and was…

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) national model recognizes the importance of school counselors addressing the personal and social development of students, as well as the academic development, to ultimately help them succeed. A number of concerns have been raised regarding the impact of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act on…

The chaos theory of careers draws together a number of themes in current theory and research. This article applies some of these themes to career counseling. The chaos theory of careers is outlined, and a conceptual framework for understanding assessment and counseling issues that focuses on convergent and emergent qualities is presented. Three…

"Career Development in the Schools" describes a dynamic process that continues to evolve in its rationale and practice. In many schools and in a variety of scholarly writings, the status of career development is controversial. Some observers assert that career development should be seen as a by-product of all of the knowledge and activities that…

The option for specialization is explored to address expanding roles for rehabilitation counselors. Several important considerations are identified for Rehabilitation Counselor Education (RCE) program faculty opting for a specialization. Development of specialty tracks in psychiatric and developmental disabilities are offered as viable options for…

This article considers some of the key processes and methods needed to reenvision and transform comprehensive school counseling programs (CSCPs) as strengths-based, prevention-focused learning communities. Specifically, following a discussion of evidence-based "school as community" models found in the literature and how they relate, in part, to…

School counselors have a duty to formulate strategies that aid in the detection and prevention of child sexual abuse (American School Counselor Association, 2003). School counselors are charged with helping sexually abused children by recognizing sexual abuse indicators based on a child's symptomatology and/or behavior, and understanding how this…

Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) are developed by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Each TIP involves the development of topic-specific best-practice guidelines for the prevention and…

Terminally ill patients often have concerns in areas such as estate planning; donation of body parts as anatomical gifts; right to die a natural death; and other questions. The mental health professional should be ready to offer informed data and to serve with the attorney as an interdisciplinary team. (Author)

Middle school counselors are in a strategic position to provide leadership in promotion of bullying prevention efforts in their schools. This article provides middle school counselors with an understanding of early adolescent bullying, an overview of a comprehensive set of interventions that can be implemented to support a whole-school approach to…

Borrowing from the legacy of feminist and multicultural theories, various counseling fields have applied portions of empowerment theory to their work with oppressed clients. This article examines the main concepts associated with empowerment theory and provides important implications for professional school counselors.

Cyberbullying, the act of using technologies such as e-mails, cell phones, or text messaging with the intent of causing harm to others, is akin to traditional bullying in many aspects. This article offers a review of the current literature on the topic of cyberbullying, a comparison of traditional bullying and cyberbullying and suggestions for…