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Drug use prevalence in high school students

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Implicit Bias Tests: Results and Reflection

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Implicit Bias Tests: Results and Reflection

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Racism: slightly in favor of Caucasian individuals

Sexuality: slightly in favor of gay people

I wasn’t really surprised by either of these results, because I am Caucasian, I’m sure that socially I have been taught to be in more favor of white people. I live in a region of the United States that doesn’t have much ethnic diversity and there also isn’t much diversity within my family either. I also went to a high school that was majority white. Inherently, most classes that are taught prior to college are taught with a white, Western lens, which also likely contributed towards my slight lean towards Caucasian individuals. Related to the sexuality implicit bias test, I have had a multitude of experiences surrounding violence that have been implicated by heterosexual people and even more specifically is that they were men. I was surprised by my result of only having “slight” favoritism towards the gay population, because I would have thought it would have been much higher of a bias than that. However, I also know that my bias is due to personal experiences and my related lack of trust.

I do think an important critique of all of the tests is that the type of response becomes almost automatic with how it encourages you to answer the questions quickly, and more specifically for the racism one associated “good” with “white” and “bad” with “Black.” This is a correlation we often see in the media, and I’d be interested in knowing if my results would be the same if they would have associated “good” with “Black” first instead of waiting until the later portion of the test. Additionally, taking these tests once does not lead to accurate results and that tests should be taken several times in order for the tests to draw accurate conclusions (Lopez, 2017). This means that depending on the day someone may have a strong automatic preference towards one side or another, where other days they may test as more moderate.

Resources:

Lopez, G. (2017). For years this popular test measured anyone’s racial bias. But it might not work after all. Vox. Retrieved from: https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/3/7/14637626/implicit-association-test-racism

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Counseling Lesson Plan for LGBTQ+ Anti-Bullying:

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Counseling Lesson Plan for LGBTQ+ Anti-Bullying:

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Introduction (15 minutes): ice breaker with the class where everyone shares their favorite personality trait about themselves (focusing on positive, unseen characteristics).

Education (45 minutes): a PowerPoint presentation that details the current language surrounding the LGBTQ+ population (e.g., cis, heterosexual, trans, queer, etc.). Presentation should also detail examples of bullying, such as cyberbullying, and how students can advocate for their peers without violating the offender.

Role Play (15 minutes practice in small groups + 45 minutes presenting to class): breaking up into groups of 3-4 individuals. One person gets assigned as the bully, one person is assigned as the victim to bullying, and 1-2 individuals are assigned as observers. Each group is given a different scenario where the bully either verbally or physically attacks the victim for their identity associated with the LGBTQ+ population, and the “observers” must decide on how to respond based on the education that was provided prior to role play time. Once they have their “skit” planned then each group presents to the class. Example of a scenario: victim is known to be “out” and while everyone is changing for gym in the locker room the bully covers themselves and says they don’t want the victim watching them change. Each time the lesson is given there should be different scenarios that are created that align with current social issues, recent issues in the school, and/ or recent successful reports/ intervention of the issue.

Processing (30 minutes): what should the observers done differently? What kinds of consequences should the bully endure for what they had done? How might your response be different if they were your friend, your enemy, or someone who is a stranger?

Closing (15 minutes): any closing questions, comments, concerns from the class.

Total time: approximately 2.75hrs, lesson should take place once per year with students but can be utilized more frequently if there is a need for additional intervention (i.e., an increase in occurrences of LGBTQ+ students being bullied).

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Defining My Beliefs and Role as a School Counselor

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Defining My Beliefs and Role as a School Counselor

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I believe that having a multicultural understanding is essential to the school counseling profession as it provides a framework of acceptance for all students. When I think of multiculturalism, I consider it to be more than just culture related to an individual’s race or ethnicity; I believe that it's important to consider all aspects of identity when considering an individual’s culture. For example, depending on an individual’s gender identity they will have a different experience socially compared to those of another gender; the intersection of gender identity, along with all aspects of identity, should be considered as we look towards interventions that would be useful for that specific individual. When I consider my professional career my confidence in a student's ability to achieve will always be high, however, there are a multitude of factors that contribute to a student's ability to achieve including social skills, learning skills, and self-management skills (ASCA, 2019). A student’s motivation to achieve also fluctuates depending on their out-of-school experiences (e.g., family issues, employment, etc.) as well as their underlying interests and identities. As a school counselor, I want to find what motivates the students that I work with and encourage them to keep going by completing things to the best of their ability.

My personal philosophy for school counseling includes having a safe and inviting environment for students to discuss whatever is bothering them. In order to accomplish this I plan on implementing two safety trainings, one for school staff and one for students, that would detail anti-bullying surrounding LGBTQ+ and multicultural identities. I would hold this training once per year, with both groups, and adjust the training to accommodate changes in language and new research findings. Additionally, I want to provide a relationship to students that is collaborative in nature and involve whomever they would like to have within that collaboration (e.g., parent, trusted school staff member, etc.). I want to incorporate goals that the student wants to work on as well as involve goals that I, as a school counselor, see that the student may not.

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Effectiveness of School Counseling Programs

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Effectiveness of School Counseling Programs

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Link:
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=eue&AN=127446844&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custid=s6527200
The article is titled "What Adolescents Seeking Help Teach Us About a School-Based Counseling Service."

Summary:
This study was performed in Italy with 2235 students between 14 middle and high schools that are utilizing a public health measure titled "Point of View." Activities involved in the measure include individual counseling sessions, classroom-based interventions, participation in groups for difficult situations, and to open debates and lessons about issues concerning youth (Biolcati, Palareti, & Mameli, 2018). The study specifically examined the individual counseling component of the Point of View measure in order to assess effectiveness of the counseling program and to obtain feedback from students on how to continue to reduce barriers for help-seeking. The results showed that 14.9% of students reported attending individual counseling through the program, there were no age differences in whom sought help, and females were more likely to utilize the services than males. Confidentiality, trust, knowledge of services, and accessibility were reported to be the most important factors in help-seeking. For the help-seeking group, confidence in the counselor was higher (compared to non-help-seeking group), but more so among the members that identify as female, Italian, and/ or attend a classical/ scientific school. The help-seeking group also reported lower self-esteem, more clinical problems, and higher engagement in risk-taking behaviors (Biolcati, Palareti, & Mameli, 2018).

Reflection:
I selected this article in part because I wanted to get an international perspective on school counseling, but also because most of the recent studies I was able to find took place internationally. I think having an international perspective is important for school counseling because it allows for counselors in-training and those in the field to consider other methodologies for measuring program effectiveness. Specifically, this article detailed the importance of obtaining student feedback in order to assess program effectiveness, which is something we have recently started learning about in this course. Thinking back to my own experience with the school counselors I encountered, I likely would have fallen into the high-risk category that was discussed in the article. However, I often did not seek help for those issues as discussions around mental health were not promoted in any of the schools I attended; they focused primarily on course selection and the co-op program that allowed seniors to work during school hours for credits. I believe that if there were more discussions surrounding mental health in my high school that I would have been more likely to seek help from professionals, both in school and the community. My grandpa passed away when I was a freshman in high school and it sent me down a dark path that included battling a myriad of mental health symptoms, which I did on my own. Had I known that my high school counselors were there to help with all struggles I would have been more likely to seek help. When I think about the role I want to have as a school counselor, it often includes education around overall wellness, safety, and career/ post-secondary education preparation. I want to ensure that all the students I work with are aware that wellness isn't just related to our physical body, but our mental health as well; I also want to be able to provide a general education to parents and guardians surrounding the importance of wellness and safety for their children. When assessing my own school counseling program I want to obtain feedback from students, teachers, and administrators on their perceptions of the effectiveness of the program.

Resources:
Biolcati, R., Palareti, L., & Mameli, C. (February 2018). What adolescents seeking help teaches us about school-based counseling service. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 35(1), 45-46. doi:10.1007/s10560-017-0503-7