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Student Efficacy for Skill Mastery in Counseling Children: A Service Learning Model

Description
Literature surrounding counselor education supports a constructivist pedagogical perspective and experiential models of counselor training. The purpose of this study is to analyze the experiential component of a 15-week service-learning play therapy course, in which six Master of Counseling graduate students simultaneously learned the therapeutic process of play therapy and…

Literature surrounding counselor education supports a constructivist pedagogical perspective and experiential models of counselor training. The purpose of this study is to analyze the experiential component of a 15-week service-learning play therapy course, in which six Master of Counseling graduate students simultaneously learned the therapeutic process of play therapy and practiced directive and non-directive skills with children at a local elementary school. At the end of the course, each student submitted a critical incident report describing one experience that occurred during the course that significantly impacted their skill development and mastery. A thematic analysis was conducted using these critical incident reports to assess the impact of the course on the counselors-in-training learning process and outcomes. Five themes were identified in this thematic analysis: use of therapeutic orientations, children's navigation of the counseling process, challenges of navigating new counseling experiences, acknowledgement of children's knowledge/ability to solve their own problems, and unpredictability of sessions. The findings of this study highlight the value of a child-centered therapeutic approach and the need for experiential learning opportunities specifically related to counseling children. Lastly, limitations and implications for future research are discussed.
ContributorsArnold, Amanda Carol (Author) / Pereira, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Catena, Angela (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05