Developing, Delivering, and Sustaining School Counseling Practices Through a Culturally Affirming Lens

Systemic oppression continues to disenfranchise communities at the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identity, immigrant status, religion, ablism, and economic status. U.S. schools are an established system and a microcosm of society and therefore, by design, perpetuate oppressive practices that marginalize students who do not identify with dominant cultures or ways of being. School counselors are called to be school leaders and systemic change agents who advocate for all students on macro and micro levels. As advocates, school counselors are called to create an inclusive and antiracist environment that promotes equitable access to opportunities and resources. It is the responsibility of school counselor training programs to prepare counselors to work with diverse populations effectively and address oppressive practices through comprehensive counseling programs that emphasize advocacy and social justice. While some programs infuse multiculturalism, diversity, and social justice in multiple courses, there are limited tools that help counselors in training and practicing school counselors integrate antiracist and culturally relevant practices in their schools. Therefore, more resources are needed to aid counselor educators in preparing future practitioners to do this work. This publication serves both counselor educators and current practitioners. This book informs culturally responsive, culturally affirming, and antiracist professional practice and advocacy work of school counselors. This publication serves as a learning tool that better prepares school counselors to address the needs of marginalized students and work as effective change agents to disrupt systemic oppression in U.S. school settings. Specifically, this book addresses culturally centered theoretical and supervision approaches, culturally relevant pedagogy and andragogy, integration of social justice frameworks into counselor identity, and culturally affirming and antiracist counseling practices. Readers may benefit from the practical guidance and integrated resources designed to help school counselor educators, practitioners, and trainees as they implement culturally affirming practices in the school setting. This resource is intended to support these professionals in a variety of school settings as they work to develop and strengthen culturally relevant practices.