Abstract Mindfulness is foundational to Constructed Awareness ( ca ), a therapeutic model designed to support clients in building resources and processing trauma. ca integrates mindfulness into its structured framework, emphasizing three building blocks of experience: mental, sensation, and external. This paper examines how ca conceptualizes and applies mindfulness, compares it with other mindfulness-based therapies, and illustrates its clinical application through a case example. Clinical implications and future research directions highlight ca ’s contributions to trauma-informed care.

Abstract This manuscript presents the findings of a qualitative study that aimed to illuminate the values integration process among a sample of fully-licensed professional counselors in the early part of their careers. A narrative analysis yielded a collective story comprised of three interlocking themes, highlighting participants’ ongoing wrestling with values in practice, their continued challenges in navigating values conflicts, and their need for additional support in the values integration process beyond their academic training and supervision as provisionally-licensed counselors. A discussion of these results, as well as implications for counselors, counselor preparation, and supervision, are presented.

Abstract One constant in the counseling profession is that counselors encounter ethical and legal issues in their work with clients. Training programs strive to equip future counselors with the needed knowledge and decision-making skills, and counseling organizations offer codes of ethics and professional development to help practitioners. However, limited research is available on the types of ethical and legal issues counselors face and which ones are the most challenging. We obtained narrative data from 369 counselors through an electronic survey. Respondents shared the most common and difficult ethical and legal issues they faced over the preceding 12 months. The findings highlight a broad array of ethical and legal topics that we articulate through 11 categories. We describe these findings and provide implications for practice and training, along with some recommendations for future research.

Abstract Resilience plays a critical role in improving individuals’ well-being and physical health. While previous research has demonstrated mindfulness enhances resilience, limited investigation has been given to the relationship’s underlying mechanisms. Preliminary research suggests that hope potentially mediates this relationship. Building on Hope Theory, we aim to investigate the mediating effects of hope on the association between mindfulness and resilience. A community sample of 391 adults participated in this cross-sectional study. The results revealed a statistically significant partial mediating effect of hope on the relationship between mindfulness and resilience. The mediation model indicates that individuals with higher levels of mindfulness tended to exhibit higher levels of hope, corresponding to higher levels of resilience. The results highlight a potentially explanatory role of hope in how mindfulness confers its positive effects on resilience.

Abstract Counselors-in-training (cit s) often enter counseling programs with anxiety, which can increase during clinical work in Practicum and Internship. Mindfulness is one strategy to assist cit s in lowering anxiety and increasing empathy through mindful awareness. When taught as part of the counseling curriculum, cit s learn skills they can apply to themselves and their clients and establish healthy self-care habits. This manuscript provides a new mindfulness training protocol that can be used in the clinical classroom with cit s.

Abstract In this transcendental phenomenological study, the lived experiences of an international sample of 11 religiously and spiritually diverse counselors who work with survivors of sexual violence were examined. By collecting data with semi-structured interviews, the researchers identified three themes: 1) adverse psychological consequences, 2) intersecting identities, and 3) growth and resilience. The findings of this study highlight the complex nature of the roles that religion and spirituality play for counselors making meaning of their experiences.

Abstract In this qualitative study, interviews were conducted with 12 Black parish ministers of primarily Black congregations in Vancouver, Edmonton, and the Greater Toronto Area (gta). The objective was to examine how parish ministers cultivate mental wellness in their congregations and determine how these efforts may inform counselors’ mental healthcare service delivery for expressly religious Black Canadian communities. Applying Braun and Clarke’s (2022) reflexive thematic analysis to the interviews generated five key themes: (a) Mental healthcare as a holistic enterprise; (b) Healing in community for communal healing; (c) Creating a culture of collaboration; (d) Hope as a psychosocial resource and protective factor across generations; and (e) Black faith community leaders as mediators between Black community members and the police. The findings are discussed within a Black Feminist Psychology Framework (bfp). Implications for collaboration between parish-ministers and counselors are considered.

Abstract Millions of youth across the globe have experienced an early parental death. This article included a causal-comparative study (N = 256) examining a non-clinical group of young adults who experienced a parental death during adolescence and a group of young adults who had not experienced an early parental death. The researchers examined the religious and spiritual impact of early parental death between these two groups according to the years since the death, the gender of the deceased parents, and the age of the loss survivors. When compared to non-bereaved peers, young adults who experienced an early parental death had lower levels of spirituality and higher levels of religious crisis. Implications for the counseling profession are considered.