Sexual development and interest in sex is a normal part of adolescent development, but the negative outcomes of unprotected intercourse can result in life changing consequences such as an unplanned pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection. Although the prevalence of these consequences have improvement over the past decade, the United States still has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates and highest prevalence of youth sexually transmitted infection among developed countries. In this report, the determinants that lead adolescents to engage in sex and fail to use contraceptives are reviewed. With knowledge on what factors contribute to adolescent sexual risk taking behaviors, counseling strategies can be implemented to prevent and intervene, and the school counselor is in a prime setting for delivery. The prevention strategies that are covered in this review are grouped into five categories. They are education, skill building, enhancing student development, involving parents and families, and implementing programs. / text

Since the inception of the school counseling profession, the role of school counselors has evolved in response to the social, political, and economic needs of society (Ergüner-Tekinalp, Leuwerke, & Terzi, 2009). Currently, the role of school counselors is to address the personal, social, academic, and career needs of students through a comprehensive development program (American School Counseling Association, ASCA, 2005). In school settings, counselors who are satisfied with their work are more effective in caring for clients and students (DeMato & Curcio, 2004). In recent years, administrators, including those working in school settings, have been called on to reassess the manner in which they lead, since leadership has an effect on the performance of employees and the functions of the institution (Armstrong, MacDonald, & Stillo, 2010; Luthans, 2002b). The present study assessed school counselors’ perceptions of their administrators’ leadership styles (i.e., positive, transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant) and the relationship between those perceptions and school counselors’ job experience (i.e., job satisfaction, feelings of mattering, and overall wellness). Administrators’ leadership styles were grouped for statistical purposes into two groups: 1) transformational and positive and 2) transactional and passive-avoidant. School counselors’ job experience was assessed through three interrelated variables that included job satisfaction, mattering (i.e., mattering to administrators and mattering to teachers), and overall wellness. In this study, administrators’ positive and transformational leadership styles, transactional and passive-avoidant administrator leadership styles, and school counselors’ job satisfaction, wellness, and mattering were correlated. Additionally, administrator leadership styles had the largest variance in school counselors’ job satisfaction, mattering, and wellness scores.

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the experiences of school counselors who implement yoga into a comprehensive school counseling program. Over the past decade, yoga has gained popularity as a prevention and intervention tool in public school settings. Prior to this study, the role of the school counselor in this process has not been explored. This study investigated the lived experiences of 10 school counselors who integrate yoga into a comprehensive school counseling program. Through data analysis, five significant themes and subsequent subthemes emerged: 1) intentionality (personal experiences with yoga impacts professional intentions, yoga intentionally tied with comprehensive school counseling goal); 2) yoga integration (organic commonalities between school counseling and yoga, methods of yoga delivery, overlap of yoga philosophies and ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors standards); 3) logistics of yoga integration (accessibility of yoga, managing yoga myths and stereotypes, program supports); 4) perception of yoga impact, (overall impact on school, impact on student, examples of students taking yoga “off the mat”); and 5) impact of yoga integration on school counselor (yoga as a self-care strategy, yoga is a meaningful aspect of school counselor role). Findings from this study suggest that yoga is a viable and valuable tool to include in a comprehensive school counseling program. Moreover, as the yoga in schools movement continues to grow, school counselors should be regarded as essential stakeholders in the development, implementation, and evaluation process. Results from this study provide a foundation for future research concerning school counselors and yoga.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Linda Thurston / Previous research examined various factors of program design, specific program curriculum, and student and faculty attitudes, but repeated studies and methodology questions have been raised with some of the research. Much of the research in the field has examined specific program effectiveness where the researcher is the author of the program or curriculum being used. This study examines the effects of programs designed to reduce school violence and the impact they have on reducing out of school suspensions (injury and non-injury). The three programs examined are bully prevention programs, peer mediation programs, and conflict resolution programs used in middle schools. This study does not focus on a specific curriculum, but has chosen independent measures that have been identified to reduce out of school suspensions. The independent variables for this study are: 1) type of programming, 2) number of lessons being taught, 3) administration, 4) counselor to student ratio, and 5) interaction effects. The research questions guiding this study were: 1) Which, if any, violence prevention programs are used in middle schools in the state of Kansas? 2) Is there a main effect for violence reduction program on violent incidents resulting in out of school suspensions (injury and non-injury) reported? 3) Is there a main effect for the number of counselors to students on the number of violent incidents resulting in out of school suspensions (injury and non-injury) reported? 4) Are there main effects or interaction effects for number of lessons and method of administration on the number of violent incidents resulting in out of school suspensions (injury and non-injury) reported? 5) Are there interaction effects for violence reduction program and each of the following variables: counselor to student ratio, number of lessons, and method of administration? All 231 middle schools in the State were surveyed to obtain information regarding type of prevention programs being offered and how these programs are administered. The return of 129 surveys resulted in a data set of 122 schools participating once incomplete surveys were eliminated. State Department of Education data from the Discipline Incident System provided the dependent variable data on school suspensions (injury and non-injury) for a three year period from 2008-2011. The only significant finding related to schools that had a counselor to student ratio of less than 1:500. These schools reported significantly fewer out-of-school suspensions (injury and non-injury) than those schools with a counselor to student ratio of more than 1:500. The findings from this study will provide middle schools with data to improve violence prevention programming.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Judith Hughey / The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe and to understand the experience of being in a PhotoTherapy group for adolescent females in treatment for self-injurious behaviors. The research question was as follows: (1) What was the essence of the experience of a series of PhotoTherapy group sessions for female adolescents with a history of self-injurious behaviors? After the completion of two semi-structured interviews with 5 participants, the researcher acknowledged the emergence of four themes that expressed the essence of the experience of being a part of a PhotoTherapy group process as an adolescent female in treatment for self-injurious behaviors. The themes were the following: Self, Connection with others, Emotions, Motivations in treatment. These themes developed a description of the interactions, emotions, behaviors and thoughts that occurred throughout the group work process. Self-injury is a complex issue and the literature states a need for creative interventions. The study collaborated the needs in the field of self-injury treatment with the resources available from PhotoTherapy. The study gained perspective and understanding of how the experience of being in a PhotoTherapy group impacted the individual. In mental health and education, counselors can use the data and conclusions from this research to understand the use of PhotoTherapy group work with adolescent girls that self injure. The researcher concludes that counseling professionals have an understanding of creative interventions and the personal experiences endure with the use of creative interventions such as, PhotoTherapy to have a holistic perspective on treatment practices.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs / Judy Hughey / Successful transition practices are essential in moving students forward into new facets of learning and life. Noteworthy is the transition into kindergarten, as students experience a new environment, with new academic, social, and behavioral expectations. Research has reviewed teacher and student perceptions on this topic, but has traditionally overlooked the parent stakeholder. Specifically assessing kindergarten transition from parents’ vantage point provides a varied and necessary perspective that is often underutilized in effective school transitioning programs. Therefore, this study surveyed parents of children transitioning into kindergarten to identify their experiences and involvement in transition programming. Specifically to: (a) assess the concerns of parent stakeholders upon transitioning their children into formal schools (b) assess the perceptions of parent stakeholders in regards to their children’s transition into kindergarten, (c) assess the areas in which parent participants would like more information about the transition process, and (d) explore environmental variables and demographics that may impact student transitional success. The study utilized a retrospective pretest survey design to examine the experiences and perceptions of parents whose children were enrolled in full-day kindergarten in two school districts of comparable size in Northeast Kansas. A sample size of 91 participants was generated, as a parent or guardian of every student enrolled in kindergarten for the 2010-2011 school year in the surveyed schools was selected and solicited as participants for this retrospective pretest study. The final study population included 68 participants (n = 68) amongst the two respective schools, for an overall response rate of 74.7%. Survey mean results indicated that no particular item in academic, behavioral, or social domains were considered a great concern for parents transitioning their child into kindergarten. However, items that received the highest rating for concern prior to kindergarten were in the areas of academic success in comparison to peers, and adjusting to new routines and surroundings. Parents also rated adjusting to new routines and surroundings as the area with the least amount of transitional success. Seventy-three percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed to feeling engaged in the transitional process. Also, a significant difference in parents’ perceived need for both social and behavioral support emerged between first and second born children as they transition into formal schooling indicating parents of firstborn would like more information and support. Finally, results also showed that significance emerged between parents’ desire for counselor services and their concern as to the child’s level of behavioral success upon entering kindergarten.

This study investigated 9 variables to determine their relationship to the frequency of use of "Play Therapy" or non- verbal counseling techniques by elementary school counselors as well as their relationship to counselor perceived self-efficacy when counseling children who speak a language in which the counselor is not fluent. The notion of placing an emphasis on "Play Therapy" or non- verbal counseling techniques with such a population has emerged as a possible therapeutic intervention when working with individuals from a cultural background which is different from that of the counselor. Researchers in counseling have noted the importance of providing adequate services to diverse populations including those who do not speak a language in which the counselor is fluent. This study was based on the concept that an elementary school counselor's effectiveness when counseling children who speak a language in which the counselor is not fluent is related to the counselor's level of training in non-verbal counseling techniques, level of training in multicultural counseling, years of counseling experience, professional membership affiliations, fluency in other languages, gender, and grade level in which the counselor works. Statistically significant relationships were found with several of the variables including level of training in play therapy, membership in the Association for Play Therapy and American School Counselor Association, and grade level in which the counselor works. Elementary school counselors and counselor educators can utilize the findings of this study to develop and implement programs that teach play therapy and other non-verbal counseling techniques to elementary school counselors. These experiences may help provide better services to diverse populations including those who speak a language in which the counselor is not fluent.

All bona fide professions have affiliated professional organizations, ethical standards or a code of ethics, and an accrediting and sanctioning body that deals with preparation, credentialing, and licensure, and pride in one's profession (Gale & Austin, 2003; Remley & Herlihy, 2010). As school counseling continues to evolve, school counselors have struggled to define and maintain their role. This may be due, in part, to the social desirability an individual has to belong to dominant group in the school setting (Tajfel, 1986). School counselors may draw esteem from their professional membership. This concept, called collective self-esteem, denotes those aspects of identity that are related to membership in social groups and the respective value that one places on one's membership (Luhtanen & Crocker, 1992). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between collective self-esteem and professional identity. The findings of this study indicated that collective self-esteem was relatively stable and remained moderately high across several demographic variables related to professional identity. Collective self-esteem remained relatively consistent across level of practice, professional background, years of total experience and years of experience at the current school, and area of practice. Further, collective self-esteem remained moderately high for those who were affiliated with a counseling organization and those who were not. Results also suggested that collective self-esteem is constant regardless of variations in credentialing, chosen code of ethics, role definition (educator first or counselor first), and professional pride. Results indicated that collective self-esteem remained moderately high across several demographic areas and variables related to professional identity. Further, a significant positive correlation was found between pride in the profession and collective self-esteem was shown. Additionally, a small, significant negative correlation was garnered between those participants who viewed themselves as a counselor first and held an LPC or equivalent. Further, a significant relationship was found between those participants who defined their role as a counselor first and chose the NBCC Code of Ethics as their primary code of ethics and those participants who held the counselor first position and chose the ASCA Ethical Code as their primary code of ethics.

Despite the vast array of research evidence supporting supervision as a necessary component of the professional identity development of counselors, many counselors in training do not receive adequate supervision (Cashwell & Dooley, 2001). The school counseling profession has continued to struggle with the development of a widely recognized and consistent professional identity (Herlihy, Gray, & McCollum, 2002). Although there are many supervision models provided in the counseling literature (Bernard & Goodyear, 2008), there are not any consistently agreed-upon supervision models specific to the training of school counselors. The purpose of this research was to evaluate school counselors’ perceptions of their preparedness, professional identity, and perceived supervisor effectiveness related to specialization-specific supervision (SSS). School counselors from ASCA’s southern region were asked to respond to the Specialization-Specific Supervision Questionnaire (SSSQ). The findings of this study demonstrated that school counselors who received specialization-specific supervision felt better prepared to begin an entry-level school counseling position, had a stronger sense of their professional identity, and expressed feeling more positive regarding their perceptions of supervisor effectiveness than school counselors who did not receive specialization-specific supervision. These results support the conclusions of previous research, which indicated that supervision serves the following purposes: varies from discipline to discipline (Campbell, 2000); is a vital component of school counselor training (Bernard & Goodyear, 2008); is a conduit for professional identity development (Dollarhide & Miller, 2006); and is a contributing factor to the overall supervisory experience (Lazovsky & Shimon, 2005).

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