Enhancing School Counselor Preparation for Work with LGBTQ Students: Developmental Strategies and Interventions

Abstract

Hostile and unsafe learning environments persist for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. Professional school counselors are uniquely positioned to spearhead systemic initiatives to create safe and supportive schools that combat such oppression; however, current counselor education strategies may fail to adequately prepare school counseling trainees for this role. Cognitive developmental theory offers a pedagogical framework to assist counselor educators in conceptualizing school counseling trainees’ meaning-making positions and scaffolding matched interventions to enhance preparation toward LGBTQ affirmative counseling. A theoretical overview is provided, including the relationship of advanced cognitive development to school counselor competence, as well as samples of didactic, experiential, and reflection strategies counselor educators may employ to promote cognitive growth.

KEYWORDS:

• cognitive development
• counselor education
• LGBTQ
• school counselors