ABSTRACT School counsellors play a vital role in fostering immigrant students’ development through consultation services. However, counsellors often face significant challenges in delivering these services to immigrant families. This study explored school counsellors’ experiences in their consultation roles, focusing on their challenges, competencies, and needs. A qualitative research methodology using a phenomenological approach was employed. Twelve school counsellors (nine females and three males) participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews containing six open-ended questions. The results yielded three overarching themes: complexity of addressing immigrant parents’ consultation needs, facilitating support resources, and school counsellor competencies and areas of need. The findings identify the multifaceted and multisystemic issues counsellors face, and counsellors’ assets and needs to provide better consultation services for immigrant families. The findings are discussed based on the literature and several implications are provided for school counsellors, administrators, communities, governmental institutions, and counsellor educators.

Counsellor education and accreditation in Australia: a national review

ABSTRACT In this mixed method study, conducted in Canada and Taiwan, we examined counsellor education postgraduate students’ experiences of learning in online and in-person classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using an online survey, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 130 students in postgraduate counsellor education programmes from across Canada (n = 48) and Taiwan (n = 82). Nonparametric statistical analyses revealed significant differences between the two countries, with higher levels of learning and satisfaction reported in Canada. Significant differences also emerged between in-person and online classes. A post-positivist content analysis was conducted on participants’ responses to open-ended questions about their experiences in different kinds of classes. The qualitative findings largely mirrored the quantitative results, although many participants also provided specific suggestions for ways to improve teaching, especially teaching online counselling classes.

The escalating mental health challenges, economic instability, and security crises in Nigeria necessitated a robust guidance and counselling framework within the higher education sector. However, the efficacy of counselling services was directly contingent upon the quality of counsellor education. This study conducted a critical needs assessment of counselling education in Nigerian universities to evaluate the alignment between the National Universities Commission (NUC) Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) and contemporary global best practices. Anchored on Stufflebeam’s CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) Evaluation Model, the study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Data were collected from a stratified sample of 360 respondents across six federal universities representing Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. A self-structured, validated instrument titled “Counselling Education Needs Assessment Questionnaire (CENAQ)” was utilised. Findings from 30 distinct indicators revealed a significant disparity between theoretical training and clinical application. Specifically, 78.5% of respondents indicated insufficient exposure to digital counselling technologies, and widespread deficits were noted in 8 out of 10 key infrastructural facilities. Hypothesis testing confirmed a significant difference in curriculum perception between educators and practitioners (t = 4.82, p < .05) and a positive correlation between laboratory availability and student clinical competence (r = 0.68, p < .05). The study concluded that the curriculum was heavily weighted towards pedagogical theory at the expense of clinical competency. Recommendations included the institutionalization of a mandatory six-month clinical residency and the integration of cyber-psychology as a core course.

There are several assertions made in the Reid et al. article that are inaccurate and mischaracterized and reflect some critical gaps in the history and context of CACREP standards revision process and the CACREP-CORE merger. CACREP seeks to provide clarification on the CACREP standards revision process and of the emergence of two Rehabilitation Counseling specialized practice areas. From this historical context, CACREP presents an assessment of the Counseling profession at the present time with respect to the current perception of the profession, the economic realities of counselor education, and the consequences of choices made. Given the history and the present circumstances, CACREP offers considerations for a path forward and developing actionable next steps.

ABSTRACT Psychological counsellors, as part of their professional roles, make many decisions every day, and these decisions often directly impact the client's development. Awareness of cognitive biases that may unconsciously shape these decisions is essential for effective and ethical practice. However, limited qualitative research has examined how counsellors recognize, interpret, and evaluate such biases. This study explored counsellors’ perceptions of three structured bias types –confirmation, anchoring, and status quo– through vignette scenarios. Using a phenomenological design, the vignettes were presented to active counsellors, followed by semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that participants were generally able to recognize various cognitive biases presented in the scenarios and acknowledged their potential impact on decision-making processes. Additionally, some participants shared personal experiences that illustrated the practical relevance of these biases. Results highlight the need to integrate bias-awareness competencies into professional counsellor education alongside ethical principles, enhancing decision-making quality and safeguarding client welfare.

This study examined the effectiveness of a structured, literature-based intervention designed to enhance psychological mindedness among counselor candidates. Psychological mindedness , a core competency for mental health professionals, involves the capacity to understand one’s own internal processes as well as those of others, yet empirical interventions targeting its development remain limited. To address this gap, an experimental book reading and discussion-based program grounded in Irvin D. Yalom’s When Nietzsche Wept was implemented with undergraduate counseling students in Türkiye. Participants in the experimental group ( n = 20) engaged in weekly reading and discussion sessions over 7 weeks, while the control group ( n = 20) received no intervention. Psychological mindedness was assessed at pretest, posttest, and 45-day follow-up. Results indicated that the intervention significantly increased psychological mindedness in the experimental group and that these gains were maintained over time. The findings support literature-based experiential methods in counselor education as effective tools for fostering reflective professional competencies.

ABSTRACT An interpretive phenomenological analysis was conducted to explore the marginalization and discrimination experienced by 10 international counseling students (3 master's and 7 doctoral) in CACREP‐accredited programs. Five master themes were identified from semi‐structured interview data. Participants’ experiences revealed subtle and covert marginalization , institutional invisibility of international identity , and interlocking systems of oppression , while responding to these challenges through acculturation and self‐advocacy , and building supportive networks . Moving beyond the traditional acculturation‐focused research on international students, the current findings highlight how relational, institutional, and systemic barriers create inequitable learning environments for international counseling students. Implications address the need for tailored support for international counseling students and call for systemic changes among faculty, programs, and the field of counselor education. By centering on the marginalization and discrimination faced by international counseling students, this study seeks to promote belonging, systemic inclusion, and equitable professional development environments.

ABSTRACT Many Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) women transition career paths through administrative leadership opportunities or, for women not already in academia, through pursuit of faculty positions as a second career. Both mid-career transitions enable CES women to contribute their expertise toward the profession. However, retaining CES women in administrative leadership is difficult, and they are also underrepresented in senior faculty ranks. The authors discuss this underrepresentation and strategies to support career transitions for mid- and second-career CES women. Additionally, they review policies impacting CES women during mid-career transitions, focusing on promotion and tenure, hiring, and institutional commitment to inclusion.

ABSTRACT Adjunct faculty in counselor education (AFCE) can experience barriers in their teaching development, such as role confusion, isolation, low self‐efficacy, and limited mentorship. Yet, limited research exists about how AFCE navigate these barriers to make meaning of their teaching and grow over time. In this narrative inquiry study, we used interviews and photo elicitation with 13 AFCE to elicit their stories of teaching development. We used thematic analysis to analyze the data, and the resulting themes were teaching identity definition and evolution , student relationships motivate growth , and program and institutional support . These findings highlight AFCE's agency in seeking meaning in relationships with students and in preparing students as future counselors, as well as in how AFCE sought support for their teaching development with other faculty in the face of unsupportive institutional systems. Implications for counseling programs and institutions include development of flexible, accessible, and continuous mentoring programs for AFCE and engagement of AFCE in programmatic and institutional decision‐making to promote a greater sense of belonging. Implications for AFCE include reflecting on motivation for teaching and areas of meaning in their teaching through reflective journaling.

The integration of openly accessible large language models like Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) in graduate education is rapidly evolving, and it is important for institutions to understand how students and educators utilize it in their learning and teaching processes. This is especially true for different fields in healthcare and medicine that involve a high burden of content learning combined with psychosocial counseling. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the use and perceptions of ChatGPT among students and faculty in North American genetic counseling programs. Sixty-two faculty and 99 student participants completed an online survey through the membership listserv of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and Genetic Counselor Educators Association (formerly the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors at the time of this study) organizations. The survey contained multiple choice and open-ended questions about their use of ChatGPT. Results indicated that 21.8% of faculty and 37.3% of students utilized ChatGPT in their educational activities. Faculty primarily used it for course content development and as a teaching aid, while students leveraged it to assist mostly with writing skills and explanation of concepts. Faculty expressed apprehension about ChatGPT potentially diminishing students' communication skills and fostering dependency but they also expressed a desire to learn more about how to use ChatGPT in their teaching. Students had a balanced view, recognizing its utility for very specific tasks but understanding its limitations with more complex tasks. Both groups expressed distrust in ChatGPT-generated content due to inaccuracies. Despite these concerns there was a consensus on the inevitability of ChatGPT's integration into education. This study discussed the importance of developing guidelines and providing training for educators on how to effectively implement ChatGPT into academic settings for healthcare fields.

The growing emphasis on competency-based and reflective learning models in global counselor education, as promoted by UNESCO and OECD frameworks, highlights the need for pedagogical innovations that foster critical thinking and learner autonomy. Responding to this global demand, this study examines the implementation of the Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) model in the Guidance and Counseling course and analyzes students’ responses to its application. Using a qualitative descriptive design and questionnaires, the research involved 68 undergraduate students in their second and fourth semesters. The findings indicate that IBL significantly enhanced students’ engagement (by 87%), critical thinking (by 76%), and conceptual understanding of counseling theories (by 81%). Students reported that IBL encouraged greater independence, reflection, and collaborative inquiry throughout the learning process. This study addresses a notable gap in the literature: empirical evidence on IBL in counselor education—particularly in non-Western contexts remains limited. Conceptually, the results affirm the alignment of IBL with constructivist and experiential learning paradigms, offering a model that bridges theory and practice in developing the foundational competencies of future counselors. In practice, these findings underscore the potential of IBL as a transformative strategy for cultivating globally relevant, contextually grounded counselor education. Keywords: inquiry-based learning, guidance and counseling, active learning, qualitative descriptive, counseling students

ABSTRACT This study examined the development of counselor trainees’ ( n = 26) broaching skills over a 15‐week multicultural–social justice counseling course using pre‐ and posttest video vignette responses. Grounded in the Multidimensional Model of Broaching Behavior and the Multicultural Orientation framework, this study evaluated growth across five key dimensions: directness in broaching, validation of client experience, depth of exploration, conciseness and clarity, and comfort and confidence in broaching. Content analysis revealed meaningful gains in trainees’ ability to explicitly name race, acknowledge systemic discrimination, and foster safe, culturally responsive spaces for clients. The findings underscore that broaching is both a technical and relational skill that requires practice, reflection, and cultural humility. Implications for integrating broaching skill development into counselor education curricula and directions for future research are discussed.

ABSTRACT Embodied self‐awareness (ESA) is a crucial yet often neglected aspect of counselor education that involves the skillful integration of present‐moment somatic attunement in the therapeutic encounter. We examine embodiment in light of phenomenological philosophy, contemporary neuroscience, and critical pedagogy to distinguish ESA from conceptual thought and to clarify the difference between having a body and being a body. We suggest that cultivating an ability to recognize and accurately interpret interoceptive and proprioceptive cues helps students enhance their self‐regulation, therapeutic presence, and relational attunement. Detailed case studies are used to demonstrate teaching, supervision, and leadership methods to facilitate ESA in counselor development. ESA represents a critical shift toward preparing counselors who can work with integrated mind–body systems rather than treating psychological processes as purely cognitive phenomena, thereby better aligning counselor education with contemporary understandings of embodied cognition and therapeutic effectiveness.

ABSTRACT This manuscript presents a Crisis‐Informed Model for counseling justice‐involved individuals and emphasizes arrest and detainment as critical crisis events with significant psychological impact. Through integration of crisis‐informed care with crisis intervention strategies, including psychological first aid (PFA), this model addresses a crucial gap in counselor training and practice. Justice involvement is reframed as an opportunity for early mental health intervention rather than merely a legal consequence. This paper calls for counselor education programs to incorporate crisis‐focused, culturally responsive training, and community partnerships to prepare counselors to effectively support and advocate for this marginalized population, ultimately aiming to disrupt cycles of trauma and recidivism.

Abstract Background Most people living in carceral facilities in the US are not receiving HIV testing, or, when indicated, pre-exposure prophylaxis. People with HIV and a history of incarceration are less likely to engage in HIV care and be virally suppressed. People incarcerated in Florida, home to the nation’s largest number of incarcerated people living with HIV, have a 7 times higher risk of acquiring or living with HIV than the general population. Counselors at Chainless Change, a peer-led re-entry agency in Broward County Florida, support a key population of ∼200 justice-involved people with HIV or at risk of acquiring HIV each year. Ending the HIV epidemic requires concentrated efforts focused on key populations.Table 1.Survey responsesTable 2.Write-in responses Methods As part of a broad multipronged activity including an enduring accredited clinician education (n = 388 to date) and a community HIV screening event, in which 222 screenings were done, we conducted a 3-hour training session for counselors at Chainless Change that included information about HIV transmission risks, HIV prevention and treatment, and how to initiate conversations with clients about HIV testing, prevention, and treatment. We then surveyed these counselors and conducted semi-structured interviews to gain insight into the impact of the education. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.Table 3.Thematic analysis.Figure 1.Survey responses Results Counselors’ (n = 7) survey responses are shown in Table 1 and Figure 1 below. Counselors rated the session highly and self-reported increased knowledge of causes of HIV disparities, HIV transmission risks, HIV testing, and how to counsel their clients about HIV. All agreed that the education increased their comfort in speaking with their clients about screening for HIV. Write-in responses are shown in Table 2. Themes identified from the interviews (n = 5) are shown in Table 3. Conclusion Education for counselors was effective in improving self-rated knowledge and was highly regarded. Counselors appreciated that the session was highly interactive and used terms and examples that were directly relatable to them, and most expressed interest in further education and requested HIV self-testing kits to provide to their clients to reduce barriers to testing. Disclosures Lesley Simon, BA, Gilead Sciences: Independent medical education grant Dean Beals, BA, Gilead: CME Grants Stan Pogroszewski, JD, Gilead Sciences: Unrestricted CME Grant

ABSTRACT Children and adolescents are distinct clinical populations with high rates of emotional, behavioral, and developmental disorders. Historically, counseling researchers have questioned the training counselors receive in their clinical work with children and adolescents. The Association of Child and Adolescent Counseling (ACAC) was established in 2013 to help fill in the gaps in clinical work with children and adolescents and promote research and counseling services for these populations. The impetus for creating the ACAC Child and Adolescent Counseling Best Practices is based upon the need to provide counselors and counselor educators with guidelines to consider when expanding counseling skills to apply to clinical and research-based work with youth. The development of these standards attempts to address the potential obstacles and challenges counselors may face in their clinical work with youth.

ABSTRACT This phenomenological study aimed to identify the experiences of counselors working with children and adolescents who display symptoms of Selective Mutism (SM). Eight participants were interviewed to share their experiences working systemically across clinical, academic, and home settings to support children with Selective Mutism. The three overarching themes identified were: 1) Collaborative care and continuity, 2) Treatment approaches, and 3) Challenges and considerations in SM treatment. U.S. counseling journals contain little to no research on the treatment of SM. Therefore, the findings of this study contribute to counseling literature and inform counselor education, supervision, and practice.

Background: School counselor educators are tasked with preparing emerging school counselors in training to address systemic inequities and promote lasting change for pre-K–12 students. The Transforming School Counseling Initiative (TSCI), established nearly 30 years ago, challenged the traditional school counseling model, encouraging a shift toward equity, leadership, and systemic change. Given ongoing ecological factors influencing school counseling, a reassessment of preparation content and structure is timely. Objectives: This study aimed to revisit the foundational tenets of TSCI and determine the current training needs of school counselors in training. Research Question: What changes do you believe need to be made to school counseling preparatory programs in order to effectively prepare emerging school counselors to meet the needs of pre-K–12 students in the 21st century? Methods: This study utilized a three-round Delphi methodology, an iterative, consensus-building process involving an anonymous panel of experts. The panel consisted of 24 initial experts, including school counselors and counselor educators. Results and Conclusions: Across three phases, panelists reached consensus to keep 107 essential items related to program transformation. These items were organized into five primary categories: program structure (24 items); course content (32 items); field experiences (14 items), recruitment, selection, and retention (18 items); and advocacy, outreach, and partnership efforts (19 items). Key needs identified included integrating supports, addressing state licensure needs, enhancing educational-focused content, and focusing on financial considerations and diversity in recruitment. The results reflect the expert panel’s vision for the next iteration of TSCI, providing school counseling programs with a roadmap for necessary review and enhancement.

Neurodiversity: The neurodiversity paradigm reframes neurological differences such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and Tourette syndrome as natural variations of human cognition rather than deficits requiring remediation. This conceptual shift has important implications for school counseling, a profession grounded in strengths-based, equity-oriented practice. Neurodivergent students, and particularly those holding intersecting marginalized identities related to race, gender, or socioeconomic status, often experience misidentification, exclusionary discipline, trauma exposure, and school environments that privilege neurotypical norms. School counselors are uniquely positioned to challenge ableist narratives and advocate for affirming, inclusive systems that recognize and cultivate students’ neurocognitive and cultural assets. Discussion: This article advances a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming framework for school counseling practice. Drawing from the neurodiversity paradigm, strengths-based school counseling, cultural wealth, and antiracist scholarship, we outline seven actionable approaches for supporting neurodivergent students across academic, social/emotional, and systemic domains. These include reframing deficit-based narratives, highlighting cultural and neurocognitive strengths, strengths-based group counseling, teacher consultation, data-driven advocacy, identity-affirming counseling practices, and continuous professional development. A case example illustrates how these strategies can be operationalized within a comprehensive school counseling program to disrupt inequitable practices and promote belonging, well-being, and engagement. Conclusion: Adopting a neurodiversity-affirming approach requires school counselors to move beyond individual interventions toward systemic transformation. By centering strengths, honoring intersectional identities, and challenging neuro-normative school structures, school counselors can foster environments where neurodivergent students are affirmed and supported to thrive. We discuss implications for school counseling practice, counselor education, and future research.