Abstract Increasing socioeconomic challenges and their impacts on mental health support the importance of assessing clients’ social determinants of mental health (SDMH) challenges. We examined counseling clients’ (N = 390) experiences with SDMH assessment in counseling using the Client Perceptions of SDMH Assessment Scale (CP-SDMH). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a three-factor structure for the CP-SDMH. Results suggest potential biases in SDMH assessment practices. Clients reported that SDMH assessment most often occurred verbally and in relation to health and economic issue ..read more

Abstract Single-case research designs (SCRDs) are a vital tool for researchers and practitioners in counseling to evaluate intervention and treatment effectiveness. This content analysis reviews the application of SCRDs in counseling to highlight knowledge accrued and existing gaps in the literature. We evaluated the methodological design and reporting adherence against recommended guidelines to provide guidance for future research. We included 50 SCRDs published between 2015 and 2021 across 15 journals (42 reviewed). Content results showed several trends, strengths, and areas of improvement i ..read more

Abstract The authors implemented an A–B–A with follow-up quasi-experimental single-case research design to assess the effectiveness of a consumer-grade neurofeedback (NFB)-assisted mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) for reducing anxiety in high-achieving high school students (N = 5). Three of the participants from racial/ethnic minority and lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds reported reduced anxiety as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Youth (STAI-Y) during the intervention. In contrast, the two participants who identified as White, higher SES did not repo ..read more

Abstract Social justice is listed as a professional value for the American Counseling Association (ACA) (2014), yet professional publication in this topic may not be commensurate with its importance to the profession. This article presents the results of a qualitative content analysis (QCA, Schreier, 2012) of titles and abstracts of 917 articles in 18 ACA journals and one American School Counselor Association journal to document each journal's publication rate of social justice-related articles for 2 years: 2018 (2 years before the ACA Anti-Racism Statement, 2020) and 2022 (2 years after the s ..read more

Abstract In this article, we examine prolonged grief through an existential theoretical lens. In particular, we critically compare criteria for prolonged grief disorder with existential theoretical principles, including existential phenomenology, existential relatedness, and existential givens of human existence: death anxiety, existential freedom, existential isolation, and existential meaning/meaninglessness. We explore how existential perspectives and principles provide a clinically useful explanation for the presence and etiology of many of the symptoms of prolonged grief. We also describe ..read more

Abstract Stigma remains a significant barrier preventing individuals from seeking the support they need, particularly for individuals with East Asian heritages. To explore potential mechanisms, this study examined links from East Asian ideologies to mental health help-seeking attitudes and peace of mind across five cultural groups: 322 respondents in China, 400 in Japan, 362 in Taiwan, 319 Asian Americans, and 688 white Americans. The three teachings of East Asia accounted for 31%–85% of the cross-cultural differences in mental health attitudes and peace of mind. Empowering Confucian tenets (s ..read more

Abstract The history of talk therapy is characterized by ideological trends rather than incremental progress. When a new trend is ascendant, insights from prior eras may be forgotten or lost. Currently, counseling is arguably dominated by an ideology of symptom reduction. Therefore, insights from the prior exploratory phase of talk therapy may be difficult for modern practitioners to access. I discuss eight important lessons that contemporary counselors can learn from exploratory therapies ..read more

Abstract The view of Black male identities has historically been distorted. Traditionally, it has reflected the dehumanization of Black males through the lens of criminality and lacking dignity. However, in a similar fashion, little is known about the Black males in counseling, due to simultaneous under examination in empirical literature. Therefore, the researchers conducted a content analysis on the family of American Counseling Association and affiliate journals to observe the current state of scholarship on Black males’ experiences with counseling. Using an intersectional lens to the appro ..read more

Abstract Literature suggests LGBTQ+ cultural competencies and cultural humility as critical components to providing counseling services to LGBTQ+ clients. Previous research has shown that cultural humility leads to better counseling outcomes through the counseling alliance in sexual minority clients. This study investigated the relationships among cultural humility, counseling alliance, and counseling outcome among 584 LGBTQ+ counseling clients (38.5% were non-cisgender). The results revealed that all three constructs were positively related to one another. Counseling alliance mediated the rel ..read more

Abstract Professional counselors will be eligible to serve Medicare beneficiaries as of January 1, 2024, and Medicare is the primary health insurance program for older adults in the United States. This population is rapidly increasing, and growth is accompanied by increased mental health concerns such as suicide. Older adults who receive home-delivered meals (HDM) may be at risk due to isolation, especially throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Grounded in the interpersonal theory of suicide, we sought to understand the relationships between proximal (thwarted belongingness; TB, perceived burde ..read more