Susannah M. Wood

Best Practices in Counseling the Gifted in Schools: What's Really Happening?

School counselors play a vital role in meeting the needs of gifted students in their buildings. However, because there is a lack of structured, standardized, and empirically tested best practices for counseling gifted students, school counselors may not know how best to serve this unique population. The purpose of this study was to investigate gifted and talented adolescents’ experiences with the counseling techniques, strategies, and approaches most frequently cited in the gifted education literature in order to determine if any of these best practices were actually occurring. Few of these best practices were experienced by gifted and talented adolescents surveyed. School counselor preparation programs should consider providing training curriculum that addresses issues unique to the learning and development of gifted students. Putting the research to use School counselors play an integral role in supporting the talent development of gifted students. While there is an abundance of suggested best practices in counseling the gifted in the literature, there are few studies which ascertain if the suggested best practices are being provided by school counselors or the relationship between the gifted student and their counselor. This study was designed to enlighten both the fields of school counseling and gifted education as to what students are experiencing with their school counselors, what if any best practices are being delivered, and what programmatic options gifted students would like to see in their high schools. Findings indicate that few of the best practices are being experienced by high school students. Hence, while future research is needed to further explore this disconnect, the critical issue is the need for school counselors to have more exposure to these best practices in their preparation programs and beyond.

School Counselors’ Perceptions and Experience With Acceleration as a Program Option for Gifted and Talented Students

This article presents findings from a national survey of 149 practicing school counselors who are members of the American School Counselor Association. The survey gathered information on school counselors’ perceptions of and experiences with acceleration as a program option for gifted students. Results indicate that, although school counselors’ opinions are being solicited in decision making regarding acceleration, they do not possess training and accurate information regarding acceleration. Hence, training and professional development focusing on the research-based practices of acceleration are needed to ensure that school counselors give accurate advice and guidance concerning gifted students’ education. Future research is needed to compare and contrast the effectiveness of accelerative decision making between school counselors who are trained and untrained in acceleration programmatic options. Putting the Research to Use School counselors are ubiquitous to schools and it is expected that they will assume an important role in the academic planning of students. In addition, they are looked to for consultation on the social and emotional development of students and how these dimensions may help or hinder academic choices. This study indicates that school counselors are prominent in the academic and social issues of gifted students when it comes to the issue of acceleration. Parents and educators do look to counselors for information and perspective regarding acceleration and counselors do provide their perspective. Also, acceleration has become a more prominent option for gifted students in schools. Unfortunately, the information and perspectives of school counselors on acceleration is not based on formal training and familiarity with the research but on informal information and limited knowledge of the research. School counselors are not well prepared to fulfill their role in helping parents, educators and students make sound decisions regarding acceleration. This study makes it clear that there is need for formal training of school counselors in the research and practice of acceleration both at the preservice and inservice levels. School counselors should participate in acceleration decisions because they bring a general and comprehensive understanding of the student. However, they need a specific understanding of acceleration in order to be effective in such decisions.

Developing the Fearless School Counselor Ally and Advocate for LGBTQIQ Youth: Strategies for Preparation Programs

To better serve the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and questioning (LGBTQIQ) youth population, counselor educators can assist school counselors-in-training in developing advocacy competencies within their training programs. A focus on advocacy competencies outlined by the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) standards, and infusion of techniques throughout the education process, may increase levels of comfort for neophyte school counselors-in-training when working with LGBTQIQ youth. To increase efficacy in this multicultural population, myriad environments representative of the systemic nature of the school environment and culture must be examined and explored through training processes. These authors discuss intervention strategies for counselor educators to develop future school counselor advocacy, which align with the ACA advocacy competency domain areas.

Self-Injurious Behavior in Gifted and Talented Youth: What Every Educator Should Know

Self-injurious behaviors (SIBs) are increasing in the general adolescent population, giving rise to concerns about the impact these behaviors have on gifted and talented youth. Educators of the gifted may not have adequate understanding of these behaviors, limiting their effectiveness in supporting gifted students engaging in SIB. This article provides an overview of definitions, demographics, and influencing factors, which may enlighten teachers of gifted students about how best to work with those who are struggling with this behavior. The article concludes with a set of suggested best practices for educators of the gifted that can be implemented in schools and classrooms to support students who are self-injuring and to potentially prevent other gifted students from engaging in SIB.

Developing Social Justice Leaders Through Chi Sigma Iota: A Phenomenological Exploration of Chapter Leader Experiences, Part 1

Using a phenomenological approach, the authors explored how outstanding large and small chapters of Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) engage in social justice activities that may promote leadership development among its members. Part 1 of this series of two articles explores this phenomenon from the perspective of Chapter Leaders (CLs). As social justice has been coined the fifth force in the counseling profession (Lee, 2012; Ratts, 2009), the authors provide insights into how social justice activities can enhance leadership development of student counselors and future counselor educators.

Sexual Identity Formation of Women Who Love Women: A Contextual View Point

Nonheterosexuals experience oppression and discrimination that affect personal development on all levels. An increased awareness of sexual identity development could create more inclusive sexual identity models, better understanding for counselor educators, and better training for counselors on issues of sexual identity. The purpose of this study was to identify the life experiences that influence sexual identity in women who love women. This study required that participants attach meaning to sexual identity formation. From the data collected, four themes emerged: I was just different, information seeking, view of self as a woman within the context of culture, and contextual relationships. Findings of this study did not support a stage model of sexual identity development. Instead, this study supported the view that sexual identity is fluid and strongly related to relationships with peer groups.

Career Counseling for the Gifted and Talented: A Life Span Development Approach

One milestone of adolescence is determining a career direction. For the nation’s most talented students, evidence suggests that conventional approaches to career development may not be adequate. This chapter outlines the unique challenges of providing career counseling to gifted students, and provides an examination of how social cognitive career theory can be used to assist students. Finally, the career needs of various special populations of gifted and talented students are examined.