Advocating for advocacy: An exploratory survey on student advocacy skills and training in counseling psychology.

Abstract

Advocacy is considered a core competency within the field of counseling psychology, however more attention is needed to the training and assessment of advocacy competence for counselors-in-training. This study utilized Ratts and Ford's (2010) Advocacy Competencies Self-Assessment survey to measure self-perceived advocacy competence of master's and doctoral students within counseling (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs-accredited) and counseling psychology (American Psychological Association-accredited) programs. An exploratory factor analysis suggested 3 underlying factors in self-reported advocacy competence: Alliance Building and Systems Collaboration, Action and Assessment, and Awareness Building. Master's and doctoral students displayed marginal differences in Advocacy Competencies Self-Assessment scores with doctoral students scoring slightly higher in the Awareness Building factor. Respondents' perceived level of advocacy importance was a significant predictor of advocacy competence. Program characteristics (advocacy-related resources and opportunities to engage in advocacy activities) were also significant predictors of perceived competence. We propose a developmental model of advocacy competency acquisition as a basis for future research on assessment and training of advocacy skills.

Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competency Research: Opportunities for Innovation

“…The MSJCC represent a developmental approach beginning from awareness to developing community alliances and influencing public policy (Ramirez Stege et al, 2017; Ratts et al, 2016). The framework includes four quadrants reflecting varying combinations of privileged and oppressed statuses of clients and counselors.…”

“…With respect to social justice counseling competency, counselors who trained particularly within diverse settings and communities perceived that those experiences were positively aligned with the counseling profession’s values (Hoover & Morrow, 2016) and prepared them to enact positive system‐wide change within their communities (Collins et al, 2015; Crook et al, 2015; Luu & Inman, 2018; Ramirez Stege et al, 2017; Singh et al, 2010). Furthermore, Kozan and Blustein (2018) reported that practitioners who graduated from a socially just–oriented program gained several advocacy behaviors, such as recognizing impacts of systemic factors on mental health, integrating social justice perspectives into case conceptualization and the therapeutic alliance, adopting nontraditional roles to help clients navigate multiple systems, advocating for culturally responsible practices and policies in their organizations, and addressing power dynamics and contextual issues within the profession.…”

“…Furthermore, Kozan and Blustein (2018) reported that practitioners who graduated from a socially just–oriented program gained several advocacy behaviors, such as recognizing impacts of systemic factors on mental health, integrating social justice perspectives into case conceptualization and the therapeutic alliance, adopting nontraditional roles to help clients navigate multiple systems, advocating for culturally responsible practices and policies in their organizations, and addressing power dynamics and contextual issues within the profession. With these benefits, trainees and practitioners noted some difficulty moving from microlevel (i.e., awareness‐building) to macrolevel (i.e., systems collaboration) interventions (Ramirez Stege et al, 2017), which may have resulted from navigating personal needs and social justice goals as well as encountering backlash from peers for their social advocacy efforts (Malott, Schaefle, Paone, Cates, & Haizlip, 2019).…”

“…Multicultural and social justice counseling competency is an integral part of counselors’ professional identity (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs [CACREP], 2015; O’Hara et al, 2016; Ratts et al, 2016; Storlie, Woo, Fink, & Fowler, 2018), viewed as an essential component of counseling practice (Ramirez Stege, Brockberg, & Hoyt, 2017) and training (Brooks, Kim, Moye, Oglesby, & Hargett, 2015). Counselors should continually engage in multicultural and social justice research to identify and work to minimize factors and conditions that might hinder client, group, and systemic well‐being (Fickling & Gonzales, 2016; Gess, 2016; Rosenthal, 2016).…”

“…Hays and Dahl (in press) define multicultural and social justice research as a purposeful approach to using culturally appropriate research designs, addressing intersections of power within the counseling relationship, and using research as a means of advocacy. Advocacy, ranging from client empowerment to actions with and on behalf of clients, is intended to decrease societal barriers that create inequitable mental health and public health service delivery and thus result in poorer client outcomes (Chapman & Schwartz, 2012; Kozan & Blustein, 2018; Lewis, Arnold, House, & Toporek, 2003; Ramirez Stege et al, 2017; Shin, Smith, Welch, & Ezeofor, 2016). Advocacy through research can also illuminate individual and community assets and resources in order to rescript, as appropriate, dominant views of mental health and treatment approaches (Lazarus, Bulbulia, Taliep, & Naidoo, 2015).…”