Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can trigger a variety of existential reactions that disrupt physical, mental, and behavioral health. This article explores the implications of ACEs for the development of children, adolescents, and adults. Examining ACEs through an existential lens, the authors provide a way to conceptualize clients with multiple ACEs and offer suggestions for interventions.
In a grounded theory study, the authors examined the leadership identity development of 12 past presidents of the American Counseling Association. Using individual interviews, the authors identified 3 interactional themes that form a theoretical framework for leadership identity development: (a) influence, motivation, and support to lead; (b) leadership skills; and (c) reinforcing experiences. Implications for counselors and counselor educators are offered.
Pregnant Hispanic women are underserved with their needs for genetic counseling, despite birth defects remaining the leading cause of infant death in the United States. We present the qualitative findings of a study to understand knowledge and perceptions of prenatal testing in a sample of hard-to-reach underrepresented Hispanic pregnant women in South Texas. The sample for this study was 10 Hispanic pregnant women who were recruited from a high-risk prenatal clinic in South Texas in 2019. The semi-structured interview questions were created based on the researchers' clinical experiences with this population and were designed to examine knowledge and perceptions of participants toward prenatal testing. Analysis of the qualitative data yielded several themes related to prenatal testing: (a) knowledge, (b) confusion, (c) partner's and support persons' opinions, (d) information sharing from providers, (e) psychological benefits, (f) preparation for baby, (g) obstacles, (h) religious influence, and (i) educational tools to assist with understanding. Women's understanding and knowledge of prenatal testing was limited, specifically regarding its purpose, how it works, the benefits, and why it was recommended by their provider. Lack of clarity about why they should take the test and its risks for them and their babies was perceived as something that could impede their acceptance of prenatal testing. All participants agreed that healthcare providers should share more information about prenatal testing in a way that uses 'everyday language' so that they can understand it better. All respondents mentioned that prenatal testing provides information about their baby's health conditions, alleviates their stress and concerns, and psychologically prepares them and their family for what is to come. Identifying ways to increase culturally appropriate education delivered by genetic counselors such as through the adoption of telemedicine and mobile technology can help fill the gap for this underserved population.
In this phenomenological study, the authors interviewed 4 African American male counselor educators about their social justice efforts. Resulting themes were lifelong commitment to social justice, reaction to resistance, professional and personal support, and the meaning of social justice work. Findings suggest that social justice work can increase professional resilience for African American male counselor educators.
A systematic search was conducted to identify measures of school climate developed and reported between 1993 to 2017. We coded data related to participant and setting characteristics, qualities of measures, amounts of validity evidence, and degrees of reliability estimates. Results indicated 9 school climate measures featuring disparate representation of academic atmosphere, community, safety, and institutional structures. Quality of validity and reliability evidence were wide-ranging with distinctive tiers emerging for consideration by school counselors and professional counselors working in schools.
This study was designed as a content analysis of 2012–2017 American Counseling Association conference sessions to examine how social justice was presented. Four findings emerged from the qualitative content analysis: (a) rates of social justice sessions varied over time; (b) there were more multicultural sessions than social justice sessions; (c) populations that were addressed least often and most often were identified; and (d) there was a decline in the number of social justice content sessions. Implications are presented.
The present study is a systematic review of school climate measures developed for a Spanish-speaking K-12 population. Four instruments were included in the analyses representing data of 9,236 students with a mean of sample size of 2,309 students. Evidences for test content and internal structure were the most frequent representation of psychometric validity. Internal consistency, represented by Cronbach’s alpha, ranged between 0.62 and 0.94. In addition, three instruments were translated from scales developed in the United States as evidence for test content validity. The findings of validity evidence, internal consistency, and context will guide school counselors in deciding the appropriate school climate measure to use among United States Latina/o students in Spanish. Consequently, the school climate assessment will compel school stakeholders to use results to advocate for the growth and inclusivity of Latina/o students.
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