Counseling Gifted Adolescents: A Curriculum Model for Students, Parents, and Professionals

Abstract

AbstcactProviding appropriate counseling for gifted and talented students requires deliberate effort to increase knowledge about self-development, awareness of social realities, and understanding about the interaction of conflict and intimacy in adolescence. This article presents an overview of a two-tiered curriculum mod el used to proactively counsel and support the growth o f y o u n g g i f t e d a d o l e s c e n t s . K e y d e v e l o p m e n t a l i s s u e s form the core of the curriculum, while integrated learning strategies are applied to two audiences: gifted adolescents themselves, and their parents, teachers, and counselors. Features of the model, a sample unit design, and suggestions for implementing the curriculum conclude the article.

Counseling gifted children and teens.

“…Descriptions of models and approaches have been relatively few over nearly 3 decades (e.g., Betts & Kercher, 1999;Buescher, 1987;Mandel & Marcus, 1995;Mendaglio & Peterson, 2007;VanTassel-Baska, McIntosh, & Kearney, 2015). Studies of them have also not been plentiful (e.g., Gaesser, 2014;Hébert, 1997;Hébert & Neumeister, 2001;Jen, 2015;Kerr & Kurpius, 2004;Peterson, 2013;Peterson & Lorimer, 2011).…”

Preparing School Counselors to Address Concerns Related to Giftedness: A Study of Accredited Counselor Preparation Programs

“…Although the primary emphasis in the gifted education field has been on achievement, rather than on happiness, well-being, and satisfaction (Moon, 2003), differentiated counseling of gifted individuals has had scholarly attention (e.g., Hébert, 1991;Mandel & Marcus, 1995;Moon & Hall, 1998;Rimm, 1986), with new contributions in the past decade (e.g., Achter & Lubinski, 2005;Buescher, 2004;Colangelo, 2003;Hébert & Olenchak, 2000;Mendaglio & Peterson, 2007;Moon & Thomas, 2003). In addition to adaptations of traditional approaches, differential counseling for gifted students can include proactive, school-based affective curriculum for developmental guidance (e.g., Betts & Kercher, 1999;Buescher, 2004;Peterson, 2008b;VanTassel-Baska, 2006). Counseling may also focus on specific developmental tasks, such as incorporating giftedness into one's identity (Mahoney, 2007).…”

Addressing Counseling Needs of Gifted Students

“…Two dimensions of the Autonomous Learner Model (Betts & Kercher, 1999) attend to affective concerns of gifted adolescents. In Buescher's (1987) two-tier model for counseling gifted adolescents, key developmental issues form a proactive curriculum for adolescents and their parents, teachers, and counselors. This model purposefully increases knowledge about selfdevelopment, social realities, and the interaction of conflict and intimacy.…”