<p> The concept of multiculturalism has traditionally referred to visible racial and ethnic cultural differences among people, and has expanded to include other marginalized and oppressed populations in the United States in the past 25 years. However, in the context of counselor education, there appears to be an incomplete understanding of what constitutes multicultural competence, the characteristics a competent counselor embodies, and how counselor education programs are evaluated for their efficacy in cultivating multicultural competence. The hypothesis guiding the current study was that there are shared characteristics between a mindful counselor and a multiculturally competent counselor such as cultural humility, increased awareness, genuineness, cultural empathy, and a non-judgmental disposition. To explore this further, the researcher used a mixed method research methodology to explore the phenomena of multicultural counseling competence and mindfulness. The qualitative aspect of this study involved the use of a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to correlate the attributes that are shared between these two phenomena, while the quantitative aspect involved using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale and Everyday Multicultural Competencies / Revised Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy to statistically measure the magnitude of the correlation between mindfulness and multicultural competence. A grounded theory for the cultivation of multicultural counseling competence is presented in the final chapter as a synthetic outcome of this study.</p>

<p> This mixed method study examined the effectiveness of a school-based program that has been integrating trauma-informed education and art therapy for three decades to treat adolescents who have experienced complex trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and toxic stress. To date, no clinical-effectiveness outcomes research or systematic program evaluation had been conducted at Northern California School (pseudonym). This research included 15 former student participants who attended the program over the past 15 years, as well as 28 current and former staff employed over the past 30 years. Research methods include tenets of effectiveness studies, program evaluation, and narrative analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 195 archival clinical files, questionnaires distributed to former students and staff, and in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The results provide demographic characteristics of each sample; for former student participants, this includes ACE scores describing the prevalence of the 10 major types of childhood trauma, and GSE scores describing present-day level of functioning. Results also provide characteristics of treatment, significant correlates of graduating from the program with a high school diploma, and ratings of process and outcome variables as well as various treatment modalities by former students and staff participants. Dialogical narrative analysis was utilized to analyze qualitative data gathered during the in-depth, semi-structured interviews, and the stories of three former students, four art therapists, and the voice of the researcher are presented in the form of short stories to provide an overview of the experience of art therapy in the voices of former students and staff. This research contributes evidence that art therapy is an impactful and effective component of treatment for adolescents with complex trauma and higher ACE scores, and may create lifelong patterns for these individuals of seeking therapeutic support in times of distress.</p>

<p> Los siguientes tres prop&oacute;sitos guiaron esta investigaci&oacute;n. En primer lugar, saber cu&aacute;nto conocimiento tienen los/as profesionales de consejer&iacute;a sobre la poblaci&oacute;n transg&eacute;nero. Segundo, conocer las percepciones, creencias y actitudes que tienen dichos/as profesionales sobre la poblaci&oacute;n. Tercero, saber si los/as participantes conocen las competencias para trabajar con esa poblaci&oacute;n, las obligaciones &eacute;ticas contenidas en todos los c&oacute;digos y las leyes que son aplicables tanto a la profesi&oacute;n como a las personas transg&eacute;nero. </p><p> Para lograr esos objetivos el investigador cre&oacute; un cuestionario amparado en los postulados de las competencias profesionales para trabajar con las personas transg&eacute;nero, en adici&oacute;n a la revisi&oacute;n de literatura relacionada a la mencionada poblaci&oacute;n y al ejercicio de la profesi&oacute;n en diversidad de escenarios laborales. El cuestionario fue administrado a consejeros/as profesionales licenciados/as que voluntariamente decidieron participar durante la Convenci&oacute;n Anual de la Asociaci&oacute;n Puertorrique&ntilde;a de Consejer&iacute;a Profesional (APCP) de 2016. </p><p> Se repartieron 151 cuestionarios, de los cuales se recibieron 131, lo que representa una tasa de respuesta de 87%. El instrumento fue sometido a una prueba Alpha de Cronbach que result&oacute; en .882 estableciendo lo robusto de este, conforme a lo establecido por Best y Kahn (2006). </p><p> Los cuestionarios se analizaron mediante estad&iacute;sticas descriptivas para la obtenci&oacute;n de los resultados. La mayor&iacute;a de los/as participantes indican conocer temas tales como: &ldquo;empowerment&rdquo;, la promoci&oacute;n del bienestar, la identidad de g&eacute;nero de los/as clientes/as, el discrimen, todo lo relacionado a la identidad de g&eacute;nero, entre otros. </p><p> Sin embargo, los resultados indican que muchos/as tienen desconocimiento de temas tales como: la afiliaci&oacute;n religiosa, el uso de los modelos te&oacute;ricos feministas, la aplicaci&oacute;n de lo proveniente de la consejer&iacute;a multicultural, los factores biol&oacute;gicos, el vivir su vida conforme al g&eacute;nero con el que se identifican, el C&oacute;digo de &Eacute;tica de ACA, el &ldquo;advocacy&rdquo;, las leyes que cobijan a las personas transg&eacute;nero, entre otros. Un 57% indic&oacute; no haber tomado adiestramientos relacionados. Mientras, un 53.7% indic&oacute; no haber ofrecido servicios directos a personas transg&eacute;nero. </p><p> Partiendo de los hallazgos m&aacute;s importantes de la investigaci&oacute;n se presentan recomendaciones dirigidas a los/as practicantes de la profesi&oacute;n, a las instituciones educativas que les preparan y para futuras investigaciones. </p><p>

The growing number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) warrants better understanding of how clinicians and families work together following a child's diagnosis. Individuals with ASD share pronounced differences in communication and styles of social interaction along with the presence of repetitive behaviors and restricted interests when compared with people who are neurotypical (NT). Separately, or combined, these differences account for a significant degree of challenging behavior among children with ASD. Challenging behavior can often interfere with a child's participation in learning experiences at home and at school and may lead to placements in more restrictive educational settings, or a lower quality of life at home. This study examined the extent to which parental involvement in their child's behavioral support planning and the utilization of social support networks influenced parental well-being, levels of advocacy, and satisfaction with service providers. Thirty parents of young children with ASD between two and eleven years old (n= 30) were surveyed using the Collaborative Behavioral Support Parent Questionnaire (CBSPQ), a 30-item, 7 point Likert type scale. Social support was found to be positively related parental well-being. Additionally, there was a correlation between collaborative behavioral support and the degree to which parents advocated for themselves and their child. Parents who worked closely with their child's treatment team were also more satisfied with services for their children. Follow-up interviews with a subset of the broader sample enlarged understanding of these relationships.

<p> This qualitative research study explored the career-decision making process of first-generation Vietnamese college students. The number of Vietnamese students enrolling in postsecondary education continues to be one the highest among all Asian groups. Yet, the educational attainment and graduation numbers of Vietnamese college students are much lower compared to their Asian peers. The unfamiliarity of the significance of various sociocultural values impedes practitioners to help this group of students achieve their educational goals, specifically during career decision-making process. Findings suggest culture, family, and campus support and resources contributed to first-generation Vietnamese college students&rsquo; success and career decision-making process. Implications and recommendations for policy and practice are discussed.</p>

<p> Recent studies have focused on international students&rsquo; needs and experiences in counseling training and supervision, however, there is a lack of research regarding effective approaches for supervising international students. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether international counseling supervisees' perceptions regarding the degree to which multicultural discussion occurred in their university supervision moderates the relationship among supervision related variables, including acculturation, counselor self-efficacy, supervisory working alliance, and role ambiguity in supervision. The research questions were: (a) Does the frequency of cultural discussions in university supervision, as perceived by international counseling supervisees, moderate the relationship between acculturation to the US and counseling self-efficacy among international counseling students in the US, (b) Does the frequency of cultural discussions in university supervision, as perceived by international counseling supervisees, moderate the relationship between supervisory working alliance and counseling self-efficacy among international counseling students in the US, and (c) Does the frequency of cultural discussions in university supervision, as perceived by international counseling supervisees, moderate the relationship between supervisory working alliance and counseling self-efficacy among international counseling students in the US. Three moderation analyses were utilized, using regression analysis, to answer each research question. The results from the analysis indicated no significant moderating affect of frequency of multicultural discussions among supervision related variables of interest. Interpretation of the results included possibility of a direct relationship among the variables, or other potential moderators as well as probability of false negative results (Type II Error).</p>

<p> Family involvement has been shown to benefit student academic achievement and overall school performance. However, families from economically-disadvantaged and culturally-diverse communities may experience challenges that may impact their participation in their child&rsquo;s education. The purpose of this project was to design a school-based program to improve family involvement, identify potential funding sources, and to write a grant to establish a family involvement program in a charter high school. This program&rsquo;s components included family outreach, family education classes, teacher development training, community partnerships, and a Family Resource Center. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project. Implications for social work practice are discussed.</p>

<p> This study investigated the difference in the impact of several different online teaching strategies on student self-efficacy to work with suicidal clients. An online written module, written module plus online synchronous role play, and written module plus online synchronous discussion groups comprised the teaching strategies utilized in the treatment groups. Ninety-one counseling students made up the sample for the pre-test/post-test/control group design. An Analysis of Covariance was conducted on the post-test self-efficacy scores to determine if there were differences between the groups. Pre-test scores and hours of prior training and experience were used as covariates in the analysis. Although a significant difference was not found between the treatment groups, the findings from this study provide counselor educators guidance on how and when to offer training on working with suicidal clients within the counseling curriculum.</p><p>

<p> This correlational study explored the relationship between feedback and self-efficacy in training counseling students. Specifically, it focused on perceptions of supervisory feedback and the relationship with self-efficacy, as well as attitudes towards corrective feedback and the relationship with self-efficacy. The focus was feedback given in residency supervisory settings, such as those used for training in online counseling programs. One hundred and forty-one participants were selected from eight CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) accredited online counselor education programs using residency supervisory trainings to supplement online courses. Participants completed a demographics questionnaire, a researcher designed questionnaire that measured perceptions of feedback, the Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES), and the Corrective Feedback Instrument-Revised (CFI-R). Results showed a small but significant positive correlation between perceptions of corrective feedback and self-efficacy, however there was no significant correlation between perceptions of positive feedback and self-efficacy. There was also no significant correlation between attitudes towards corrective feedback as measured by the CFI-R and self-efficacy as measured by the CSES. While the overall model of regression between the CFI-R (factors and total score) and the CSES was not significant, there were several significant negative correlations between CFI-R factors and CSES. The researcher discusses implications for counselor educators and researchers as well.</p><p>

<p> This thesis draws from developments in Jungian thought, somatic and mindfulness-based therapeutic modalities, and interpersonal neurobiology to examine the cultural layer of the unconscious and the complexes that operate therein in their relevance to clinical work. Using hermeneutic and heuristic methodologies, it argues for the development of awareness in the clinician of culturally rooted complexes as they manifest in the clinical moment, and the importance of recognizing, accepting, and working with the defenses around these complexes. The importance of therapeutic work from a somatic and mindfulness-oriented approach is discussed, drawing from the theory and practice of Hakomi and the Re-Creation of the Self Model of Human Systems, as grounded in interpersonal neurobiology and complementary to aspects of Jungian theory.</p>