Presenter Information
Anastasha Homa-Earl, MS, NCC -- Counselor Education & Supervision; Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education
Abstract
Community engagement (CE) and service learning are trending in institutions of higher education, with instructors including community-based coursework to encourage applied, experiential learning (Henderson, 2017; Johnson, 2013). Counselors are called to advocate both for their clients and for the counseling profession overall, in addition to their role as change-makers in regards to the accessibility of services (ACA, 2014; ACA 2018). Some research suggests that interprofessional collaboration can be beneficial for addressing social advocacy efforts, and that advocacy and experiential learning can help to develop professional identity (e.g. Mellin, Hunt, & Nichols, 2010; Luke & Goodrich, 2010; Myers, Sweeney, & White, 2002). Despite these recommendations, there are few empirical recommendations in the literature regarding how to implement CE and interprofessional collaboration as facets of experiential learning that can encourage professional and client advocacy. The present session introduces a two-year long CE project in a Counselor Education class that involved the utilization of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework to adequately address community needs. The goal of the project is to infuse social justice topics with counseling professional advocacy by encouraging students to work closely with community stakeholders to identify and address relevant concerns for within the community partner organizations. CBPR similarly focuses on equitable collaboration to empower communities and amplifying the voices of all relevant stakeholders (Hergenrather, et al., 2010). Preliminary findings indicate themes of advocacy, professional identity, and interprofessional collaboration in student-participant narratives. Specifically, themes regarding advocacy for client/community concerns—such as the accessibly of services, lack of resources, and concerns relating to multiculturalism and privilege—are particularly salient. This session also discusses the implications for these findings in the broader context of higher education, with additional emphasis best practices to ensure that future CE projects are appropriately trauma-informed and culturally-responsive.
School
School of Education
Advisor
Yih-Hsing Liu, PhD
Submission Type
Poster
Engaging professional advocacy through community-based participatory research and community engagement
Community engagement (CE) and service learning are trending in institutions of higher education, with instructors including community-based coursework to encourage applied, experiential learning (Henderson, 2017; Johnson, 2013). Counselors are called to advocate both for their clients and for the counseling profession overall, in addition to their role as change-makers in regards to the accessibility of services (ACA, 2014; ACA 2018). Some research suggests that interprofessional collaboration can be beneficial for addressing social advocacy efforts, and that advocacy and experiential learning can help to develop professional identity (e.g. Mellin, Hunt, & Nichols, 2010; Luke & Goodrich, 2010; Myers, Sweeney, & White, 2002). Despite these recommendations, there are few empirical recommendations in the literature regarding how to implement CE and interprofessional collaboration as facets of experiential learning that can encourage professional and client advocacy. The present session introduces a two-year long CE project in a Counselor Education class that involved the utilization of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework to adequately address community needs. The goal of the project is to infuse social justice topics with counseling professional advocacy by encouraging students to work closely with community stakeholders to identify and address relevant concerns for within the community partner organizations. CBPR similarly focuses on equitable collaboration to empower communities and amplifying the voices of all relevant stakeholders (Hergenrather, et al., 2010). Preliminary findings indicate themes of advocacy, professional identity, and interprofessional collaboration in student-participant narratives. Specifically, themes regarding advocacy for client/community concerns—such as the accessibly of services, lack of resources, and concerns relating to multiculturalism and privilege—are particularly salient. This session also discusses the implications for these findings in the broader context of higher education, with additional emphasis best practices to ensure that future CE projects are appropriately trauma-informed and culturally-responsive.