scholarly journals Strength, solidarity, strategy and sustainability: A counseling psychologist’s guide to social action

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Toporek
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Positive Change ◽  
Individual Change ◽  
Or Practice ◽  
The Face ◽  
Counseling Psychologists ◽  
The Way

The roles of counseling psychologists vary by setting, population, and circumstances. Yet, social justice can be a unifying force beyond the boundaries of daily responsibilities. No matter how insightful or profound counseling psychology theories or practice are, if they are focused on individual change alone, they will never sufficiently address injustice. Injustice and the inadequacy of traditional, individually focused paradigms present tensions between counseling psychologists’ work to help individuals cope with life’s challenges and inadvertent (or intentional) support of systems that perpetuate oppression. This paper explores this dichotomy, avenues for moving to action, and personal sustainability in the face of professional fatigue. Experiences as a counselor and counseling psychologist, as well as research, shape the way I see advocacy and activism and have given rise to strategies I have found helpful. A resulting framework for developing a “personal social action plan” is represented by four pillars: Strength, Solidarity, Strategy and Sustainability (S-Quad). National and local challenges across the globe reflect enormous differences in contexts, needs, politics, and resources. Yet, sharing strategies for social action, activism, and advocacy can provide seeds for optimism and action toward justice and positive change.

White Supremacy and Counseling Psychology: A Critical–Conceptual Framework

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 478-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Grzanka ◽  
Kirsten A. Gonzalez ◽  
Lisa B. Spanierman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
The United States ◽  
Helping Professions ◽  
White Clients ◽  
Racial Progress ◽  
Counseling Psychologists

The mainstreaming of White nationalism in the United States and worldwide suggests an urgent need for counseling psychologists to take stock of what tools they have (and do not have) to combat White supremacy. We review the rise of social justice issues in the field of counseling psychology and allied helping professions and point to the limits of existing paradigms to address the challenge of White supremacy. We introduce transnationalism as an important theoretical perspective with which to conceptualize global racisms, and identify White racial affect, intersectionality, and allyship as three key domains of antiracist action research. Finally, we suggest three steps for sharpening counseling psychologists’ approaches to social justice: rejecting racial progress narratives, engaging in social justice-oriented practice with White clients, and centering White supremacy as a key problem for the field of counseling psychology and allied helping professions.

Social Justice and International Competencies: Positioning Counseling Psychologists for the Global Era

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 608-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiachih DC Wang ◽  
Ayşe Çiftçi
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Global Era ◽  
Systemic Process ◽  
The Cross ◽  
International Social ◽  
Cross National ◽  
Counseling Psychologists

In this article, we attempt to draw a connection between social justice and international competencies within counseling psychology. Built on Constantine et al.’s general social justice competencies as well as the cross-national cultural competences model and dynamic-systemic-process model of international competencies, nine international social justice competencies are outlined and their relevance in international contexts is highlighted. In addition, three specific mindsets for the enhancement of international social justice work by U.S.-based counseling psychologists are discussed. We believe that by promoting the integration of social justice and international competencies, future counseling psychologists will be better prepared for the global era.

Leadership and Counseling Psychology: Dilemmas, Ambiguities, and Possibilities

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 910-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra L. Shullman
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Leader Behaviors ◽  
Human Organization ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Core Identity ◽  
Multicultural Identities ◽  
Counseling Psychologists

In this article, I introduce the scientist–practitioner–advocate–leader model as a strategy for addressing the rapidly changing context for psychologists and psychology. The concept of counseling psychologists as learning leaders is derived from the foundations and values of the profession. Incorporating leadership as a core identity for counseling psychologists may create new directions for science and practice as we increasingly integrate multicultural identities, training, and diverse personal backgrounds into social justice initiatives. The article presents six dilemmas faced by counseling psychologists in assuming leadership as part of professional identity, as well as eight learning leader behaviors that counseling psychologists could integrate in their management of ambiguity and uncertainty across various levels of human organization. The article concludes with a discussion of future possibilities that may arise by adopting leadership as part of the role and core identity of counseling psychology.

Positioning Classism Within Counseling Psychology's Social Justice Agenda

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 895-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Theory Research ◽  
Deliberate Effort ◽  
Counseling Psychologists

Counseling psychologists have been instrumental in advancing a social justice agenda within the larger field of psychology. What is still missing within this agenda, however, is a fully developed consideration of classism within the spectrum of oppressions more commonly addressed in discussions of social justice and multiculturalism. The operations of classism can be difficult to see in a society that has long considered itself to be classless, and for counseling psychologists to undertake this work, they must initiate a deliberate effort to develop their awareness of classism as it affects their theory, research, and practice. In support of this end, the author presents a social justice conceptualization of classism, provides examples of classism at work, and outlines the resulting implications for counseling psychology practice.

Implementing Social Change: A Qualitative Analysis of Counseling Psychologists’ Engagement in Advocacy

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saliha Kozan ◽  
David L. Blustein
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Justice Advocacy ◽  
Social Justice Orientation ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Psychology Training Programs ◽  
Counseling Psychologists

In recent years, many counseling psychology training programs in the United States have adopted social justice principles into training. Although previous studies have provided thought-provoking discussions on social justice advocacy, they mostly reflected the voices of psychologists in academia; therefore, the advocacy work of practitioners has been neglected. In order to explore the advocacy experiences of counseling psychologists in practice, we utilized qualitative content analysis to analyze semistructured interviews with 11 practitioners who were trained in social justice-oriented counseling psychology doctoral programs. The findings were clustered under three domains: (a) participants’ development of a social justice orientation, (b) different ways of implementing advocacy in practice, and (c) positioning advocacy in psychology. The interviews depicted resources and challenges with regard to integrating advocacy into practice indicating that counseling psychologists continue to struggle with systemic barriers that limit their advocacy actions. We discuss implications for research, practice, and training in counseling psychology.

The Soul of Work

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 833-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas S. Krieshok ◽  
Dennis M. Pelsma
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Vocational Psychology ◽  
Whole Person ◽  
The World ◽  
Ability And Willingness ◽  
Counseling Psychologists ◽  
The Way

Working from a paradigm that considers work issues as either central or contextual requires a shift in the way many counseling psychologists think about the world. Perhaps the easiest time to implement such a paradigm is while students are in training, when they are confronted daily with new ways to think of the world. The purpose of this article is to examine how the use of case studies during training can serve to locate vocational psychology within counseling psychology, with one result being the enhancement of trainees’ ability and willingness to consider the whole person (when vocational issues are primary) and to consider work as a major contextual issue (when it is not the presenting concern). To accomplish this goal, the authors’ approach is threefold: (a) to offer support for the use of case studies in teaching,(b) to provide a brief discussion of reasons that students struggle with the location of vocational psychology within counseling psychology and how the use of case studies helps address this struggle, and (c) to describe specific ways to integrate cases into courses (vocational as well as nonvocational), including ethical issues in handling cases.

Sex Positivity and Counseling Psychology: An Introduction to the Major Contribution

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore R. Burnes ◽  
Anneliese A. Singh ◽  
Ryan G. Witherspoon
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Psychology Programs ◽  
Introductory Article ◽  
Training And Supervision ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Training ◽  
Counseling Psychologists

In this introduction article to the Major Contribution on sex positivity in counseling psychology, we define sex positivity and its intersections with counseling psychology’s framework of social justice, wellness, and resilience. We describe related foundational aspects of sex positivity that counseling psychologists may integrate into their research and training, theory, and practice. Following this introductory article, the authors of four subsequent manuscripts in this Major Contribution focus on (a) the history of sex positivity in counseling and psychology, (b) training and supervision related to sex positivity in counseling psychology programs, (c) research on sex positivity within counseling psychology, and (d) clinical practice implications of sex positivity in counseling psychology.

scholarly journals Social Justice in Counseling Psychology: Then, Now, and Looking Forward

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 938-962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cirleen DeBlaere ◽  
Anneliese A. Singh ◽  
Melanie M. Wilcox ◽  
Kevin O. Cokley ◽  
Edward A. Delgado-Romero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Systems Change ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Counseling Psychologists ◽  
Proactive Role

In this article, a diverse group of early, mid, and advanced career scholars call for counseling psychology to continue to evolve in our integration of social justice action in our field. In doing so, we first consider our history as proponents and enactors of social justice, highlighting the ways in which counseling psychologists have served as social justice leaders in psychology. We then discuss our field’s contemporary challenges to, and opportunities for, social justice progress as we work toward equity and justice. Finally, we offer recommendations for counseling psychologists individually and as a field to move forward in our social justice action. Given our longstanding social justice values and our unique training as counseling psychologists, if we aim with intentionality to use our skills toward systems change, counseling psychologists are poised to have a strong and proactive role as social change agents within psychology and society at large.

It Takes a Village: Engaging With Solidarity in Practice, Anti-Black Racism Work, Advocacy, and Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 001100002110395
Author(s):  
Mary O’Leary Wiley
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Presidential Address ◽  
Systemic Racism ◽  
Counseling Psychologists

This 2021 presidential address focuses on Mary O'Leary Wiley's theme for 2020-2021, It Takes a Village: Engaging with Solidarity in Practice, Anti-Black Racism Work, Advocacy, and Education. She traces the threads that led to her presidential vision in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened awareness of systemic racism, and details the contributions of many Society of Counseling Psychology members who contributed to our progress throughout the year. She discusses ways that counseling psychologists practice in ways that are different from many other psychologists in that they emphasize the environmental and prevention contexts, which lay the intellectual groundwork for psychologists engaging in social justice initiatives.

Self-reliance without self-satisfaction: Emerson, Thoreau, Dylan and the problem of inaction

2019 ◽  
pp. 019145371987698
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Edward Green
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Ralph Waldo Emerson ◽  
Henry David Thoreau ◽  
Bob Dylan ◽  
Self Reliance ◽  
The Way

The idea of self-reliance is important not only because it is often taken to be definitive of the ethics of democratic individualism, but because its greatest theorists have been uncommonly forthright about a problem that, though familiar to ordinary civic experience, frequently gets ignored: that self-reliant individuality is a basis for not fully supporting otherwise endorsed social justice causes. This article turns to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Bob Dylan who are unusual for so honestly reflecting upon this problem and who, because of the differences in the way they conceptualize it, are instructive for civic ethics. I demonstrate that Emerson and Thoreau imbue their self-reliant withdrawal from social action with a self-satisfaction that is lacking for Dylan, who is much readier to acknowledge the moral costs of self-reliance. This acknowledgement does not invalidate self-reliance but alters its epistemological, ethical and political features, providing a variant of self-reliance more suitable to contemporary conditions.

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