Colette T. Dollarhide

No Lone Wolf: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Creating Safe Schools for LGBTQ Youth Through the Development of Allies

Research suggests that bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth is a national problem that requires immediate intervention. The purpose of this article is to (a) discuss the critical need for a multidisciplinary approach to creating safe schools for sexual minority youth utilizing a social justice framework, (b) present an allyhood model to serve as a training framework, and (c) offer an exemplar for schools. By embracing a multidisciplinary approach to address the safety and belonging needs of LGBTQ youth, school psychologists and counselors can become leaders of systems-level change, poised to make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ students.

The Voices of School Counselors: Essential Characteristics of School Counselor Leaders.

The majority of school counselor leadership studies focus on quantitative data. The current study contributes to the limited qualitative research surrounding school counselor leadership. The analysis of an open-ended statement from a national study gives voice to school counselor perceptions about leadership characteristics pertinent to the profession. Five themes emerged from the findings: leadership attributes, relationship attributes, communication and collaboration, exemplary program design, and advocacy. The themes align with characteristics previously identified in the school counseling literature.

Social Justice Identity: A Phenomenological Study

This exploratory, phenomenological qualitative study was designed to investigate the phenomenon of social justice identity by understanding respondents’ lived experiences with social justice efforts. Data analysis yielded four themes describing the lived experiences of respondents’ social justice identity. Implications for training, supervision, and research are included.

Professional Identity Development of Tenured and Tenure-Track Counselor Educators

The authors used grounded theory to explore transformational tasks related to professional identity development of 18 tenured and tenure-track counselor educators in a cross-section sample based on professoriate rank classifications (i.e., Assistant, Associate, or Full). The evolving role of relationships in supporting identity, perceived autonomy in the role of counselor educator, and responsibility in the profession of counselor education developed as the counselor educators transitioned through their careers. Implications for counselor education and the counseling profession are offered.

The Construction and Validation of the School Counseling Transformational Leadership Inventory

ABSTRACT Recognizing, measuring, and developing leadership attitudes and skills in school counselors is needed to support students, school counseling programs, and school communities. Specifically, there is a need to examine transformational leadership attitudes and skills of school counselors that inspire, motivate, and empower individuals to participate in the vision for comprehensive school counseling programs. The construction and exploration of a transformational leadership inventory for school counselors is presented. Through exploratory factor analyses (n = 217) and confirmatory factor analyses (n = 676) with school counselors, a one-factor inventory of transformational leadership evolved. Implications for school counseling research and professional development are offered.

Affective and developmental transitions: qualitative themes in multicultural counseling journals

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how multicultural counseling students expressed their understandings about themselves and others in relation to diversity. The authors wanted to know how cognitive development, affective development, and sense of self-evolved during a multicultural counseling class to examine all aspects of growth. Design/methodology/approach – Themes from a phenomenological qualitative analysis of journals from a multicultural counseling class suggest that students struggle with cognitive challenges (dealing with ambiguity, internalizing multicultural concepts, and self- and other-acceptance) and affective challenges (anger, guilt, and fear) in attaining multicultural growth. Findings – This expanded view of multicultural growth that includes affective challenges can fill a prior gap in understanding how multicultural learning occurs. Research limitations/implications – Implications are explored for counselor educators and supervisors. Originality/value – Recent use of jo...

AAC services in schools: a special educator’s perspective

Objectives: Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities often require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to fully meet their academic and social potential. AAC supports can be challenging for some educators to implement. This study sought to bring light to these challenges. Methods: A qualitative interview approach was utilized to examine the perspectives of 14 special education teachers who supported students using AAC systems. Participants described their experiences regarding providing AAC services. Results: Despite receiving some supports, the majority of teachers identified challenges, including inadequate training, lack of comprehensive assessment, inadequate preparation time, and inconsistent AAC implementation across team members. Conclusion:This study highlighted key factors that impacted AAC access and outcomes of students with complex communication needs. Practical implications and future research needed to enhance the communication outcomes of students were discussed.