This project is a study of the role and functions of the elementary school guidance counselor in the laboratory schools of universities in the United States. It was intended to gain data on the status of the role at the present, functions performed by the counselors in these schools, and information which could be used as a basis for projection of the future role of the elementary school counselor. The laboratory schools were surveyed, the data compiled and an analysis was made. The results were not as future oriented as was expected from the population studied. Techniques and functions were not innovative and the number of counselors were fewer than the national growth of this field would cause one to expect in this population. Implications for additional research have been identified in this project.

A national survey of 123 school counselor educators investigated how participants integrated K–12 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex (LGBTQI) students’ needs and concerns into school counseling curricula. Results indicated 91.9% of participants integrated the K–12 LGBTQI students’ needs and concerns for a median pedagogical duration of one, 3-hour session within a single course, focusing on students’ knowledge and awareness of gender and sexual/affectual orientation. Follow-up interviews were conducted with participants identified as committed to integrating LGBTQI issues into the curriculum, and these interviews produced themes that expanded survey findings in several areas, including significant educational experience, recognition of iterative effect, experiential, personal engagement, ethics, and influence of training and resources. Implications for school counselor education and professional development are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to show the need for and determine a basis for a guidance program. "Guidance is a means of helping individuals to understand and use wisely the educational, vocational, and personal potentialities and opportunities which they have or can develop."1 Why do we need a guidance program? Who can be benefited by it? First, our teachers need the services of a guidance program in order that they may know more about their pupils, -- their abilities and interests as well as their weaknesses. Information about the pupil's background, the different schools he has attended, and the family status all should help the teachers to understand the pupil better and do a better job of teaching. The pupils need the services of a guidance program. The only justification for its existence is that they may be better fitted for life both in school and after they are through school. Below are some of the pupil's needs that a guidance program should help to furnish: Need for information and advice in matters of education and vocation, need for guided group experiences; to help him make the best adjustments, both civic and social, in his life in school and after school. Good guidance should also include moral and ethical training. 1. Dunsmoor & Miller, Principles & Methods of Guidance for Teachers, p. 5.

There is an overrepresentation of youths with disabilities in the juvenile justice system. As a result, each year thousands of juvenile offenders despite of the seriousness of the crimes committed, are released from incarceration with the hopes of living a successful life in society. Despite progressive research on identifying factors associated with desistance, it is still unclear what factors contribute to desistance for serious juvenile offenders and especially those with disabilities. The current study investigated the individual differences (e.g., moral disengagement, motivation to succeed and impulse control) and social factors (e.g., employment, education and maternal warmth) that are important in the process of desistance for serious juvenile offenders. The sample of 14 to 17-year-old male and female offenders (N =1354) was composed primarily of ethnically marginalized youths who have committed serious offenses. Results of the study indicated that both social and individual factors are significant predictors of desistance from crime. However, varied significance was found as it relates to Aggressive, Income Offending and desistance. Results obtained are applicable to scholarship across multiple disciplines, as well as inform policy, practice and future research on desistance from crime. Limitations of the study were also stated.

An adolescent’s time in school is not merely academic; they are developing socially, physically, and emotionally. Prior research has demonstrated a correlation between a student’s poor academic performance and his/her need for emotional and mental health support. This research project sought to answer the following research questions: 1) Do mental health services in a high school setting help facilitate students’ academic achievement? and 2) Does a focus on mental health issues improve overall health and well-being in high school students? Participants for this study are 10 staff members (including teachers, administrators, counselors, and others) of a high school in San Diego, California. Qualitative data in the form of interviews was collected for this study, and subsequently transcribed and analyzed using a “bottom up” approach. Results of this study indicate adolescents have many challenges to their emotional health during their high school years and staff have unique access to assist youth in navigating these challenges. The study describes the need for more mental health professionals to be available in schools. Implications for micro include the need for more mental health staff including counselors and school social workers and the implications for macro practice include the need more staff and teacher training on how to better support students.

Stress is a fact of life. There has been much research done since the early 1970's dealing with the various aspects and relationships of stress and life events for all stages of human development. The purpose of this study was to investigate perceived life-event stressors of 9th grade and 12th grade students in three Pacific Northwest rural schools. The study also sought to a) ascertain whether male students in the 9th grade and 12th grade perceive stressful life events differently than female students in the same grade, and b) explore if there was a difference in perceptions of students of "different" rural community populations and different age populations (9th & 12th graders).

The Counselor Education Program at Portland State University currently uses five admission criteria to determine the acceptance or rejection of applicants. These criteria include letters of reference, a panel interview, a writing sample, the applicant's undergraduate GPA (UGPA), and the applicant's score on either the MAT or the GRE. Scores on these measures are adjusted and combined to create a single total score upon which admission decisions are based. The present study attempts to evaluate the validity of these admission criteria in predicting success in the Counselor Education Program at Portland State University. For the purpose of this study, student success was defined in terms of both the GPA upon graduation from the program and ratings of student clinical counseling skills by program faculty. The subjects were graduates of the program who had been admitted between the years 1988 and 1991. Information collected for analysis included scores on the admission criteria and GPA upon graduation, age at admission, counseling specialization, and gender. A questionnaire was then developed which asked the program faculty to rate the students' clinical counseling skills. An analysis of the correlation between scores on the admission criteria and scores on the outcome criteria (graduate GPA and clinical skills score) was performed using the SPSS Statistical Package. Regression analysis showed that among the admission criteria only the MAT score significantly determined success on the outcome criteria. Gender was inversely predictive of graduate GPA (i.e., being female correlated with higher graduate GPA). Further research, using alternative measures of counseling skill, is indicated. These results suggest the need for such research, and for further evaluation of the current admission criteria.

The goal of this nonexperimental quantitative research study was to determine if the professional identity of a counselor educator (CE) predicted their perceived importance of professional advocacy. Social identity theory (SIT) constituted the framework for this study, which asked whether CEs would follow the established norms of the dominant professional group and thus consistently perceive the importance of professional advocacy. The Professional Counselor Advocacy Inventory (PCAI) was used to measure CEs' perceptions. The data of 92 participants were analyzed in SPSS 21 using an ordinal regression. Specialization, age, gender, primary setting, and years of experience were the predictor variables, and multiple elements of perceived importance were the outcome variables. While CEs overwhelmingly agreed that professional advocacy as a general concept was important as indicated by majority responses, there was less agreement on the importance of other elements, particularly concerning insurance coverage and job attainment. Of the five predictor variables examined, only gender and age produced significant results on study inquiries related to insurance, employment, and self-advocacy. The findings do not support SIT in the context of professional advocacy among CEs and additional research may be needed to determine if other variables predict the level of importance CEs assign to professional advocacy. As the results of this study demonstrated only age and gender produced a significant effect, this research could contribute to social change by sparking conversation about advocacy patterns and efforts in CEs, which may ultimately contribute to policy change and improve the reputation of the counseling and counselor education fields for its members and clients.

Parenting professionals play a key role in helping parents have a positive influence on their children, which is why it is important to ensure that professionals have and use research-based information and materials. Using data from 96 parenting professionals from Utah and Missouri, who completed a 4-hour Strong Parents, Stable Children training, we examined the effects (at 2-months post training) of reflective reminder emails on parenting professionals’ utilization and learning transfer of training materials. Results from independent samples t tests show that participants who received “booster” emails at 1-week and 1-month post training shared some information and some materials with parents more frequently, and spent more time reviewing training materials and making further notes than did a control group. Implications for improving training implementation for parenting professionals are discussed.

Background: Hispanics are the largest minority group in the U.S. and by the year 2060 the number of Hispanics is projected to double. They are disproportionately affected by obesity and chronic diseases which translate into decreased quality of life, loss of work opportunities and perceptions of injustice for the Hispanic population. The Dietary Guidelines (DG) provide information to help Americans make healthy food and physical activity choices and if followed can be a means of reducing the health disparity gap. However, culturally relevant recommendations specific to Hispanics’ health and nutritional habits are often lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine Hispanics’ knowledge, perceptions, benefits and barriers to the recommendations in the DG for Americans, Choose MyPlate, and the Department of Health and Human Services physical activity guidelines. Methods: A qualitative research design was used. Focus groups were conducted in Spanish and audiotapes were transcribed and then, translated into English. Thematic analysis was used to identify different key concepts subgrouping these topics according to common emergent themes. Results: A total of 24 participants took part in the study. Participants viewed healthy eating in terms of portion sizes. They viewed the DG as helpful but felt they needed more information to follow the guidelines. Several barriers were identified in following the MyPlate: lack of availability of healthy, fresh, inexpensive grocery options in Hispanic neighborhoods. Participants described the benefits of physical activity as related to improved mental health and quality of life such as looking and feeling better. Conclusion and Implications: Promoting nutrition education that is culturally and linguistically appropriate for Hispanics might help facilitate the adoption of the DG and MyPlate recommendations. Also, improving the design of existing low-income neighborhoods is still a challenge to improve participation in physical activity among Hispanics’.