The authors evaluated the effectiveness of the Skilled Counselor Training Model (SCTM; M. H. Smaby, C. D. Maddux, E. Torres‐Rivera, & R. Zimmick, 1999) in teaching counseling skills and in fostering counselor cognitive complexity. Counselor trainees who completed the SCTM had better counseling skills and higher levels of cognitive complexity than did counselor trainees who did not receive the training. Before training, both experimental and control group participants overestimated their skills performance. The control group persisted in this overestimation after training, whereas students who completed the SCTM had a much more accurate self‐assessment. Results suggest that skills‐based training may improve counseling skills and cognitive complexity in counselor trainees.

While play therapy has been a recognized mode of treatment for children with social, emotional, and behavioral problems for decades, preadolescents may find the traditional playroom juvenile. Modifying the playroom and activities to specifically meet the needs of preadolescents, this study examined the effectiveness of group play/activity therapy as a school-based intervention with fourth and fifth grade learning disabled preadolescents exhibiting behavior problems. A pre-test, post-test control group design in which volunteer preadolescents were randomly assigned to either the control or treatment group was used. The group play/activity therapy intervention followed humanistic principles and was designed to address the cognitive and social-emotional needs of preadolescence. Statistical analysis revealed that preadolescents who participated in group play/activity therapy demonstrated a reduction in problem behavior. Effect size was calculated for each composite scale and subscale to determine practical significance of the treatment on the

The authors investigated whether undergraduates' scores on the Verbal and Quantitative tests of the Graduate Record Examinations and their undergraduate grade point average can be used to predict knowledge, personal development, and skills of graduates of counseling programs. Multiple regression analysis produced significant models predicting total Skilled Counselor Scale (S. Urbani et al., 2002) scores and total Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (Center for Credentialing and Education, 2005) scores. No significant prediction model was found for the Counselor Skills and Personal Development Rating Form (M. P. Wilbur, 1991) Personal Factors scores. It is concluded that educators should recognize the limitations of these admission criteria and assign a weight to them on the basis of what they can and cannot predict.

Effective communication with caregivers can contribute to successful play therapy outcomes. This article examines the structure of parent consultation in play therapy. The components of effective parent consultation are outlined, from the initial phone interview through termination, to provide guidance to play therapists for communicating with caregivers throughout the therapy process.A thorough review of the literature suggests that authors agree on the importance of parent consultation in maximizing the benefits of play therapy (Kottman, 2003;Landreth, 2002;McGuire & McGuire, 2001;Van Fleet, 2000). Much has been written on the concept of parent consultation in various play therapy books; however, a brief consolidation of the important points in the consultation process may be of benefit to play therapists looking to increase their understanding of therapeutic collaboration with caregivers and how communication affects the outcome of the play therapy process.Parent consultation in conjunction with play therapy has been noted to improve the chance of successful treatment (Kottman & Ashby,

This article was prompted by a recent suicide by a middle school child. The school counselor who was involved (the sixth author) related the following experience. One Child's SuicideAs a helping professional working in public education for 5 years, I have dreaded confronting a few types of situations. One early fear I had was discovering and reporting child abuse. However, there was nothing I dreaded more than the possibility of dealing with a child's suicide. Unfortunately, I was tested by this challenge during my 2nd month as a middle school counselor. The 1st DayOne Monday in the fall, while attending a parent meeting at the middle school where I worked, I heard my name paged over the school intercom. I was asked to report to the office immediately. Upon my arrival, I saw the stricken expression of the school vice principal. I learned she was on the phone with the local police department. While still on the phone, she communicated to all the counselors present that a student had died. As soon as she hung up, she informed us that one of our eighthgrade students (who was on my caseload, but whom I had not yet met) had died from a gunshot wound, and it was suspected that he had committed suicide. Before we could start notifying the teachers at the school, our priority was to determine whether the death was a suicide or an accident. After conferring with the police, we were informed that the death was indeed a suicide. As trained professionals, we were taught to be prepared; however, we were still enveloped by a numbing shock. Our mettle tested, we were aware that many would be relying on us to be the cornerstone of strength. We prepared to face the formidable challenge of helping others to cope.Our first responsibility was to notify the teachers so they would not come to school and be blindsided by news of the tragedy. We felt it was important that the teachers and staff have an opportunity to prepare themselves for what would inevitably be a chaotic day full of grief, mourning, and questions. One of the counselors took responsibility for calling the teachers individually. The other counselor and I were delegated the task of calling the homes of the dead child's close friends to notify their parents. The parents were advised to talk to their children, explain what had happened, and process the tragedy as a family. The goal was to provide those we assessed as being the most affected by the news with an opportunity to grieve with family and to prepare all the students for the day ahead.I was assigned the unenviable task of contacting the victim's best friend. The child's mother was horrified and burst into tears upon hearing the news. Still personally shaken, I felt ill-equipped to offer any kind of comfort. For my own solace, I called my mother, a school principal, and sought support and information. She offered kind words and faxed me information about dealing with suicide at school. Although the information was helpful, as the news of the tragedy spread, there was little or no comfort to be found in the face of ...