School counselors serve an important role in providing frontline counseling services to students in local school districts. Professional associations and educational institutions emphasize the importance of professional competence. However, research on professional competence is fragmented, outdated, and unintegrated. This qualitative study…

There are few, if any, theology courses available to clinical counseling students that satisfy the unique limitations and strengths that they bring to the study of theology in the context of their psychological studies. The disciplines of psychology and theology both embody substantial fields of knowledge. Students seeking to acquire an in-depth…

Social justice advocacy is a necessary role for counselors. It is a part of their identity and ethical obligations to engage in advocacy with and on behalf of any individuals and communities experiencing injustice related to systemic disenfranchisement stemming from marginalized status due to race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and social…

The professional development process for counselors begins during their formal training and extends throughout their careers. Reflective thinking is closely connected with ongoing professional development. When counselors reflect on their experiences, they can generate new insights to shape future practice. Feedback is another important tool for…

This research study utilizes a consensual qualitative research (CQR) design to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic affected how counselor educators use technology. Research suggests that technology use in counselor education was steadily becoming more integrated before the onset of the pandemic. Following March 2020, there was an observable…

This study examined the contribution of affirmative training and implicit bias on affectional identity counselor competencies among new professionals. Data were collected from June to August 2023. New professionals from across the four geographic regions of the United States (N = 92) completed an online Qualtrics survey comprised of four…

The purpose of this research was to explore master-level counseling students' lived experiences when taking online counselor education courses within the past five years (i.e., 2017-2022). Traditionally, counselor education programs and classes are offered through in-person learning modalities. However, the increased movement and utilization of…

Counseling theories created by White theorists have traditionally failed to consider the religious or spiritual experiences of Black clients. Integration of Black liberation theology and narrative therapy provides a novel approach to support counseling trainees in meeting the needs of Black clients. Decolonizing therapeutic strategies are…

Our Q method exploration of counselor educators' perspectives of minimally acceptable cognitive complexity (CC) in trainees at the end of internship yielded two factors: Trainee's Conceptual Integration Ability and Trainee's Ability to Apply Integrated Knowledge. Implications for teaching, supervision, and research pertinent to assessment of and…

In this study, we explored variation in religious value conflict navigation through a Q-sort procedure of strategies for reaching an affirming stance toward counseling lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) clients. Factor analysis of the correlation matrix revealed a five-factor solution accounting for 63% of the variance. We…

The evaluation of clinical mental health counseling competencies is essential for preparation programs. Therefore, our article (a) reviews the developmental nature of counselors-in-training, (b) presents the importance of quality evaluation measures, (c) introduces the Assessment of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Competencies, and (d) offers…

The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to garner a greater understanding of professional counselors' experiences and understandings of the role and boundary changes in their personal relationships following counselor education and preparation. Additionally and interrelatedly, professional counselors'…

Most individuals receiving mental health treatment have trauma histories, yet counselors and counselor educators trained in traditional counseling programs have insufficient background in trauma and trauma-informed care. Here, we describe the literature-supported approach we use to integrate trauma knowledge and competencies across the graduate…

Supervision is an essential aspect of counselor development. Supervisors should have the necessary qualifications to provide effective supervision. The difficulties encountered and ethical problems can make the supervision they provide ineffective or harmful. As emphasized in the supervision literature, supervisors may unwittingly offer…

Poverty is a pressing yet overlooked sociopolitical issue in the United States. Poverty experiences include social and economic barriers limiting access and increasing mental health illnesses (Hodgkinson et al., 2017). Poverty is problematic due to the impact on society-at-large, including physical and social implications, such as lack of…