In-Home Counseling for Young Children Living in Poverty

Abstract

Home-based counseling is increasingly an alternative mode of providing counseling services for children and families, reduces barriers to accessing traditional counseling services, and has also been shown to be effective. As such, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the competencies needed to provide such counseling services. This study yielded five categories of competencies—necessary knowledge sets, case conceptualization, counseling behaviors, flexibility in session, and professional dispositions and behaviors. We also outline implications for counseling practice, counselor education, and public policy.

Work Patterns, Training, and Clinical Supervision Demographics of Home-Based Professional Counselors

“…Family counseling training and practice need to focus on the unique needs of the city setting. For example, conceptualizing culture-specific factors such as client's cultural context, that is, poverty, geographic location is critical factors to consider within the home setting (Tate et al, 2014). In addition, the majority of professional home-based counselors in this study served primarily White or Caucasian, Black or African American, and Hispanic or Latino clients.…”

“…These disciplines range from primarily professional counselors (Bowen & Caron, 2016), social work, psychology, marriage, and family therapists (Glebova et al, 2012; Macchi et al, 2014; McWey et al, 2011; Stinchfield, 2004; Worth & Blow, 2010), graduate clinical psychology (Gordon et al, 1988), and bachelor-level professionals (McCurdy & Daro, 1994). No specific certification or training is required to conduct counseling within the home though research shows certain skills and knowledge are needed to provide services ethically and competently within the home (Adams & Maynard, 2000; Bowen & Caron, 2016; Cortes, 2004; Hammond & Czyszczon, 2014; Tate et al, 2014; Woodford et al, 2006). In addition to the ranges in the professions, years of experience conducting home-based counseling is unclear.…”

“…Home-based counseling is defined as counseling services that are conducted in the client's home by a master's-level licensed clinician and has theoretical roots in systems theory and structural family therapy (Boyd-Franklin & Bry, 2012; Woodford, 1999). Home-based counseling meets the needs of families who experience accessibility barriers to attending counseling, such as reliable transportation, employment, or school obligations, as well as affordable options for child and/or dependent care (Lauka et al, 2013; Tate et al, 2014). Conducting home-based mental health services has continued into the 21st century and continues to be a counseling modality that is emerging, yet an understanding of the educational and professional requirements necessary such as work patterns, training, and clinical supervision needs is limited (Tate et al, 2014).…”

Virtual Family Play Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide to using Directed Family Play Therapy in Telemental Health

“…While the purpose of this article is not to provide an exhaustive review of the benefits of TMH, we review the most important benefits here. First, TMH provides a unique opportunity for therapists to gather information by viewing families in their homes, similar to homebased family counseling (Tate et al, 2014). Therapists can witness the family communication and interaction within their home environment as one child jumps on the couch, one child colors silently on the floor, and the reactions of the parents and the family dog.…”

Taking Access to the Community: An Ecological Systems Framework for In‐Home Counseling With Older Adults

“…The goal of the family preservation programs was to stabilize and rehabilitate the family to keep the child within the home rather than placing the child out of the home (Rodriguez‐Keyes, Gossart‐Walker, & Rowland, ). Interventions by trained counselors were conducted to help families develop parental skills and social supports to keep the family unit intact (Tate, Lopez, Fox, Love, & McKinney, ).…”