A Critical Analysis of the Social Advocacy Movement in Counseling

Abstract

The authors present (a) an overview of the recent literature on social advocacy, (b) results of a deconstructive analysis of the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of this movement, (c) a critical analysis of its role and function in the profession, and (d) a call to the profession. The deconstructive analysis revealed 2 major driving forces and 5 related trends; the critical analysis revealed 9 key areas of consideration. Implications and recommendations are presented.

Infusing Social Justice Advocacy into Counselor Education: Strategies and Recommendations

“…Smith, Reynolds & Rovnak (2009) asserted that social justice advocacy represents a fundamental change to the counseling profession by requiring counselors to go beyond work with individual clients in order to promote societal change. They cautioned that there are limitations and potential problems associated with adopting an advocacy agenda that may conflict with individual politics and values, and call for more "research, tested methodologies, and identified best practices" (p.490).…”

Alterity Models in Counseling: When We Talk About Diversity, What Are We Actually Talking About?

“…There are some in the field (e.g., Smith et al 2009) who caution that the model repositions counselor identity away from individual interventions and toward societal interventions, pushing the role of counselors into the professional domain of social work. The social justice model of alterity has also been critiqued for having a liberal, sociopolitical bias that will necessarily exclude those counselors who identify as politically conservative (Lillis et al 2005).…”

Applying Buddhist Practices to Advocacy: The Advocacy-Serving Model

“…Assessment of motives is a critical part of work in crisis situations (Sommers-Flanagan, 2007). In an analysis of social advocacy practices in counseling, Smith, Reynolds, and Rovnak (2009) identified nine key challenges in the social advocacy movement: a) hidden agendas, b) self-promotion, c) privilege and power, d) disenfranchisement, e) lack of choice in advocacy, f) dichotomous roles and camps, g) elitism, h) victimology, and i) redefining the role of counseling. These challenges contribute to unintended consequences if not recognized.…”