Society Of Counseling Psychology Research Articles

Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest: Helen A. Neville.

"For her outstanding contributions in research, theory, and service to advance our awareness of color-blind racial ideology, Helen A. Neville's work is a model of psychology in the public interest. Her work supports efforts toward a solution to racism, one of the world's intransigent social problems. Dr. Neville and her colleagues pioneered conceptual models and measures that articulate the role of color evasion (ignoring race) and power evasion (denying structural racism) as key components of color-blind racial ideology that legitimizes racial inequality. Dr. Neville has integrated the science and practice of psychology to serve the public interest and advances social justice and human welfare as president of American Psychological Association (APA) Division 45, the Society for Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race, and president-elect of APA Division 17, the Society of Counseling Psychology. Dr. Neville has served the public interest through her exceptional editorial work in books and special issues and proposed guidelines on issues of culture, ethnicity, and race as an active member of distinguished APA committees. Dr. Neville and her colleagues have advanced our understanding of racial trauma and addressed their impact by promoting theory, research, training, policy, and interventions on radical hope, healing, and liberation." This award recognizes people who have advanced psychology as a science and/or profession by a single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of outstanding contributions in the public interest. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Dismantling Anti-Black Racism With Unapologetic Boldness: Redefining Our Values and Living Them Out Loud

In her 2023 Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) Presidential Address, Dr. Shavonne Moore-Lobban reflects on the work of the division to continue dismantling anti-Black racism. Through personal reflections of societal oppression and harm toward Black people, she calls on the SCP to engage in critical consciousness and center the liberation of Black people for the liberation of all people. Central to her message are redefined SCP values which she reviews and challenges SCP to boldly live out loud.

Grasping at the Root: Transforming Counseling Psychology

In her 2022 Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) Presidential Address, Amy L. Reynolds reflects on the need for transformation within counseling psychology through critical consciousness and radical action. With a focus on transforming our curriculum, centering Indigenous people and perspectives, and disrupting anti-Black racism and white supremacy in SCP policies, structures, and practice, Reynolds proposes using reparations and accountability as critical frameworks for counseling psychology.

Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology: Kathleen Bieschke.

The Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology is given in recognition of the efforts of psychologists who have made distinguished contributions to education and training, who have produced imaginative innovations, or who have been involved in the developmental phases of programs in education and training in psychology. The Career designation is added to the award at the discretion of the Education and Training Awards Committee to recognize continuous significant contributions made over a lifelong career in psychology. The 2021 recipient of this award is Kathleen Bieschke, PhD. Bieschke is recognized for her national impact on education and training in the field of psychology through her research and scholarship, service to the field, and national leadership roles in the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs, and the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Society of Counseling Psychology and Commission on Accreditation (CoA). Dr. Bieschke, in partnership with her extraordinary colleagues, helped to lead national conversation on how to train and educate trainees to deliver competent services to a diverse clientele. Her efforts contributed to a comprehensive, developmental approach to training and education that is inclusive and welcoming of the diverse backgrounds and worldviews of both clients and trainees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The hurdles are high: Women of color leaders in counseling psychology.

Counseling psychologists value cultural diversity and, as a field, include many Women of Color (WoC) in leadership spaces. However, researchers have yet to explore the experiences of WoC leaders within the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP; Division 17 of the American Psychological Association). Specifically, we sought to identify how WoC leaders engage culturally relevant leadership styles and what barriers (if any) WoC leaders experience within leadership in SCP. We utilized a semistructured interview protocol with 10 WoC who have held and/or currently hold a leadership position within SCP. We sought to construct a narrative of the development of leadership spaces for WoC, understand the culturally relevant leadership styles of WoC leaders and the barriers to engaging their leadership styles in SCP, and create recommendations for SCP to broaden and deepen leadership pathways for WoC. We coded the data using the Consensual Qualitative Research method and identified two major thematic sections: Becoming a WoC Leader (with themes of Identity, Role of Sponsorship, Mentorship from WoC Leaders, and Hurdles of Service Leadership) and Leadership Styles of WoC (with themes of Self-Awareness in Leadership, Intentionality, and Engaging Critical Conversations). We conclude with recommendations from the leaders and implications for SCP and leadership spaces broadly. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

An Improbable Journey: The Career and Influence of Puncky P. Heppner

Puncky Paul Heppner is one of the most productive counseling psychologists; he is also a social justice advocate, loving partner, and artist. Dr. Heppner has influenced counseling psychology in immeasurable ways. He is internationally recognized for his research on applied problem-solving and research methods, widely acknowledged for his visionary and collaborative leadership style, and highly respected for his culturally informed mentoring. In this life narrative, we contextualize his numerous accomplishments. We first discuss the influence of his early life experiences, following his life journey through his undergraduate years and doctoral studies, to his 36-year career at the University of Missouri. We highlight the numerous ways in which Dr. Heppner has influenced (counseling) psychology, including increasing the racial, ethnic, and international representation in the field through his leadership and advocacy as president of the Society of Counseling Psychology and editor of The Counseling Psychologist.

Award for Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest: lore m. dickey.

The APA Awards for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology recognize psychologists who have demonstrated excellence early in their careers and have held a doctoral degree for no more than 9 years. The 2019 award winner is lore m. dickey. dickey "is a champion of social justice advocacy and a distinguished scholar for gender diversity issues. He has been an activist and leader in the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students; the American Psychological Association Division 17, Society of Counseling Psychology; and Division 44, Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, as well as local communities. He has served on numerous committees and task forces that address transgender issues in psychology, such as cochairing APA's task force on practice guidelines with transgender persons." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

2019 Report: Student Affiliates of Seventeen (SAS)

Ball State University’s tenure as host institution for Student Affiliates of Division Seventeen (SAS) has come to an end as of August 2019. While maintaining the purpose of increasing student membership and involvement in the Society of Counseling Psychology, Ball State’s executive board has pursued unique initiatives aimed at strengthening the organization and providing opportunities to its members. Over the course of our 3-year term, three main themes emerged: 1) Social Justice and Equity, 2) Membership Engagement, and 3) Organizational sustainability. As such, the current report will include a description of these themes and a review of SAS activities and initiatives in the last year. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Counseling Psychologist, this report will begin with a brief overview of SAS and its history.

2018 Report: Student Affiliates of Seventeen (SAS)

Ball State University has had the privilege of serving as host institution for Student Affiliates of Seventeen (SAS) for 2 years. The purpose of SAS is to increase student membership and engagement in the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP), provide students with opportunities to learn and network, and highlight counseling students’ accomplishments. The SAS executive board developed two broad goals for the 2017–2018 year, including outreach to nonmember counseling students and engagement of SAS members. Inspired by the SCP and other divisions, SAS placed an emphasis on webinars as a means to engage and provide information to a geographically diverse membership base. The SAS executive board has conducted outreach, organized student programming, distributed funded awards, and had an active presence at various conferences. Furthermore, SAS has provided members with resources including networking, funding opportunities, and leadership positions.

Leadership in the Society of Counseling Psychology and the Academy: Insights and Reflections

In this Presidential Address, I reflect on my leadership journey both within the Society of Counseling Psychology and within the academy. Consistent with the theme of my presidency, Leadership Through Advocacy: Influencing and Advancing Change, I speak to the four initiatives that I developed during my presidential year (2017–2018), namely (a) leadership development in midcareer and early career professionals, (b) continued engagement in respectful dialogues, (c) master’s-level training, and (d) the Society’s strategic plan. Embedded within my leadership style, I speak to nine lessons that I learned as I navigated different leadership roles: leadership is a way of being; leadership is an evolving and developmental process; leadership is relational; leadership is about humility; leadership is about listening; leadership is about communication and amplification; leadership is about respectful and courageous engagement; leadership is about social and political responsibility; and leadership is about transparency and linking the past, present, and future.

Portrait of Counseling Psychology: Demographics, Roles, Activities, and Values Across Three Decades

We summarize the results of a national survey ( N = 799) conducted to provide a current snapshot of counseling psychologists, what they do, how and where they do it, and the extent to which they ascribe to specific counseling psychology values. We describe our sample and compare Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) members to non-SCP counseling psychologists belonging to the American Psychological Association. Of those within the SCP, we compare early career professionals (ECPs) with mid to senior-level professionals. Finally, we compare findings from our survey with those from two previous surveys. Our findings highlight the diversity in the roles, activities, workplaces, and perspectives of contemporary counseling psychologists; differences between counseling psychologists who are SCP members and nonmembers, and between ECPs and more senior professionals; and changes in the profession’s character over time. Considerations for the SCP are discussed.

Counseling Psychology Model Training Program

The counseling psychology Model Training Program (MTP) was written to reflect new developments in counseling psychology, the American Psychological Association, and the world. The updated MTP is aspirational, intended to guide the development and maintenance of counseling psychology programs. The MTP conforms to the American Psychological Association’s and the Society of Counseling Psychology’s standards and guidelines. A strategic task group appointed by 2015 Society president James W. Lichtenberg sought feedback from the field to assist in its formulation, and the executive boards of the Society and the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs approved the final version. The 2017 MTP consists of four core values (i.e., growth toward full potential, holistic and contextual, diversity and social justice, communitarian perspective) as well as 20 principles grouped into six clusters: counseling psychology identity; multiculturalism, diversity, and social justice; health service psychology; developmental, prevention, and strengths orientation; science–practice integration; and relationships within and between professional communities.

The Implications of Doctoral Students’ Professional Socialization Experiences in Graduate Training

Using survey data from 278 counseling psychology doctoral students, we explored the concept of professional socialization in graduate training and investigated the degree to which a combination of student training factors accounted for (a) greater professional involvement in the Society of Counseling Psychology, (b) endorsement of counseling psychology values, and (c) affiliation with the Society. Results revealed that training programs fostered students’ professional connection to the field by providing faculty models, emphasizing counseling psychology identity, and encouraging student involvement in the Society. Together, these three professional socialization variables accounted for students’ professional activity, counseling psychology values, and Society membership status above and beyond years of enrollment, degree at admission, and membership status in other professional organizations. Implications regarding the influence of early professional socialization in graduate training within the context of establishing a long-term professional pipeline for the Society are discussed.

Planting a Forest

Louise Douce has been a leader in the field of counseling psychology and, more specifically, college student mental health for over 40 years. Her long-standing involvement in the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) or Division 17 of the American Psychological Association through a variety of leadership roles—including fellows chair, vice president of education and training, president, and SCP council representative—demonstrate her covenant with the values and spirit of counseling psychology. She is renowned for her endless passion for diversity and inclusion, her role as a visionary, her commitment to creating change on college campuses around mental health issues, and her excellence as a mentor. These themes come to life through the eyes of those who have been mentored and inspired by her important work on behalf of all counseling psychologists.

Theoretical Paper The growing international perspectives within the Society of Counseling Psychology in the United States

Content & FocusA notable number of actions and programmes have taken place to internationalise the US counselling psychology profession. This article expands the previous work by examining the growing international perspectives within the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP), specifically those associated with recent presidential initiatives and leadership, structural organisational change within the Division, and scholarly publications in the Division’s journal, The Counseling Psychologist. In addition, we discuss a few cross-cultural training initiatives as one way forward for the SCP to continue promoting the development of international perspectives in counselling psychology in the US.

Applications of Positive Psychology in Counseling Psychology

A distinctive feature and unifying theme of the work of counseling psychologists is a focus on client strengths, assets, and potentialities regardless of the degree of psychopathology. As such, positive psychology appears to have a natural home within counseling psychology. Evidence from content analyses of flagship journals of the field as well as from surveys of Members and Student Affiliates from the Society of Counseling Psychology (Division 17) of the American Psychological Association suggests, however, that a distinctive disconnect exists between the philosophical stance taken by many counseling psychologists toward strength-based approaches and knowledge and use of specific positive psychology theories and practices. The goals for the creation of this special issue are reported, and the articles that comprise the special issue are introduced.

Donald Hugh Blocher (1928-2013).

This article memorializes Donald Hugh Blocher (1928-2013). Blocher, a giant in counseling psychology, was elected a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1973, received a Distinguished Achievement Award from Harvard University in 1968, and served as president of APA Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) in 1980. He obtained a Fulbright Lectureship at the University of Keele (United Kingdom) for 1968-1969, where he helped develop a counseling psychology program according to American standards. He also published many books, book chapters, and articles over the course of his professional career.

Conversations and Collaborations

On a Wednesday in late January 2014, as we in Indiana were feeling less than happy about the weather (yet another 5 or 6 inches of snow on the ground, and wind chills that would literally freeze a raw egg in minutes—I saw it on the news one afternoon), I got an e-mail from my Program Chair, Rosemary Phelps. She was finishing up the 2014 program to submit to the American Psychological Association (APA) and needed the title of my presidential address by Sunday. Say what??? I had no idea what I was going to talk about, much less what I was going to call this phantom speech. Yet another surprise no one warned me about. So, I told my husband, Martin, my dilemma. He said I should just call it “Nelson” and be done with it. It is the perfect title, he said—noncommittal, yet intriguing at the same time. I could talk about anything I wanted with a title like that. Nelson, you see, is our dog. When I asked Nelson what he thought about the title, he indicated a distinct preference for a snack and a walk, and not necessarily in that order, thank you very much. Next I turned to Debbie Nolan, the Society of Counseling Psychology’s (SCP’s) Executive Director. She laughed, and initially concurred with the Nelson option. Then she said, “Why not use your presidential theme as the title?” Amazing—why didn’t I think of that? The woman is a genius. So, I tweaked it a bit, and finally there was a title. Hurrah! Inspired now, and more than a little afraid, I started working on the address that weekend in January. I wrote the introduction and the ending, but the snow melted before I got back to the meat of the document. Similar to many

From the Editor – Welcome to the first issue of Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin!

Human Animal Interaction: Research a Practice Section of Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) of the American Psychological Association is proud to announce this exciting new venue for the scientific study of human-animal interactions.nHuman-Animal Interaction Bulletin (HAIB)nis designed to offer researchers and practitioners an outlet for scholarly dialogue centered on the psychological aspects of human-animal interactions.

2012 Report

The Student Affiliates of Seventeen (SAS) serves as the representative body for the Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology; SCP) student affiliates. Our central aims are to ensure that students are informed of current events and to facilitate access to opportunities within SCP and the American Psychological Association. In so doing, we strive to provide tomorrow’s professionals with the tools needed to accomplish their academic and career goals. In this report, updates are provided and future goals are discussed.