The objective of the qualitative study was to investigate the perceived competency of school counselors in working with at-risk students who engage in self-injury, and their use of professional standards to effectively navigate their intervention. Self-injury (SI) is a behavioral concern defined as the intentional injuring of body tissue without…

Students who do not graduate from high school in four years can choose to attend alternative high school programs. Students attending alternative schools have risk factors preventing them from being successful in traditional schools. Examples of risk factors include being over-age under-credit, parenting as teens, living in poverty, and managing…

Stereotypy or automatically occurring behaviors, as commonly seen in children with autism spectrum disorder, can be divided into three main categories: self-injury, stereotypy, and aggressive behaviors. Researchers have suggested different intervention approaches to treat stereotypy, such as redirecting or replacing undesired action. This Delphi…

Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) are observed in young children with intellectual and developmental delays or disabilities (DD) including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Self-injurious behavior is often considered an extreme form of RRB, but the nature of the relation between SIB and other forms of RRBs is not completely understood.…

Elementary-aged children struggle with low self-esteem, are often impulsive, and struggle to develop appropriate coping skills. As such, many children have begun to experiment with self-harm. Because children spend a great deal of time in school, school counselors are often the first to know that a student has self-harmed. Although school…

It was not known what school staff identifies as student behavioral concerns in rural, low-income elementary schools, what they attribute as the cause of these behaviors, and how this attribution may affect their response to such behavior. This qualitative case study explored the experiences of school staff members at a low-income elementary…

Among college students in the United States nationally, non-suicidal self-injurious (NSSI) behaviors have become alarmingly and increasingly common. Among those willing to disclose, recent estimates indicate 25-30% engaged in NSSI in 2020 alone. Prevalence is significantly elevated among students who identify as a sexual minority (i.e., lesbian,…

A recent college graduate working as a coffee shop barista, earning minimum wage and carrying thousands of dollars in student loan debt, is a familiar trope in conversations about the value of a bachelor's degree. In the college-for-all era, young people are encouraged to attain a bachelor's degree to bolster their labor market opportunities…

Middle America is dying. The United Nations reports the average number of deaths per 1,00 population in the U.S. has steadily increased an average of 1.2 per 1,000 persons annually since 2015. Existing research offer conflicting theories regarding the factors influencing the phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to examine reliable and valid…

Effective in 2011, The Department of Justice implemented a change to the direct threat standard, which is part of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This change removed the threat of harm to self from the direct threat standard and potentially limits the actions that colleges can take when working with and responding to students who…

The increasing severity and complexity of mental health problems among the college population in the U.S. in the recent years have been well documented (American College Counseling Association, 2015). At the same time, increasing number of international students from Asian countries have enrolled in the U.S. institutions of higher education…

As Non-Suicidal Self Injury (NSSI) is increasing in prevalence among adolescents and young adults, College Counseling Centers (CCC's) are tasked with treating this population of students. CCC's are designed to provide counseling services to all students seeking assistance and therapy is typically relegated to short term psychotherapy with…

Adolescent risk-taking can potentially result in serious individual and societal consequences. Previous research demonstrates that emotional and behavioral problems, particularly externalizing behaviors, are significantly associated with an array of risky behaviors such as substance use, sexual behavior, injury, and violence. However, the…

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of high school principal, special education teacher, and key school personnel perceptions of the process that leads to disciplining students with disabilities. Case Study methodology was used to ascertain the perceptions of eleven participants employed at a Mid-Western high school,…

The professional experiences and practices of school counselors and the interventions they employ while working with adolescent students who self-harm is an underrepresented area within current research. This generic qualitative study provides a rich description and a deeper understanding of the professional experiences and practices of school…