School of Education

Faculty and Student Participation in the 2011 American Counseling Association's Conference in New Orleans, LA

On Thursday, March 24, 2011 a group of seven Mason counseling students participated in the New Orleans Giving Back to the Community Service Project. Giving Back to the Community is held annually at ACA. In collaboration with Operation Nehemiah, ACA participants had the opportunity to work on the Historic Holt Cemetery Rebuilding Project organized by Dr. Michael D'Andrea. Over 120 ACA participants worked at Holt Cemetery moving debris from Hurricane Katrina, building coping for grave sites, finding unmarked graves and eliminating the tall weeds or extremely overgrown grass.

Background on Holt Cemetery:

Holt cemetery, founded in 1879, is one of the only cemeteries where individuals are buried below-ground in New Orleans. It has primarily been used by poor populations as the plots and funeral costs total $400. Many of the headstones are homemade by surviving family members. The city of New Orleans owns and operates the cemetery and resells any graves that are not marked. Ownership of the plots remains with the family as long as the plot is maintained and the grave is marked. Due to poverty and limited space, many families re-use plots. From the flood water and winds of Hurricane Katrina, approximately three to four feet of floodwaters covered Holt Cemetery.

Social Justice Leadership Academy

Following Giving Back to the Community, the Social Justice Leadership Academy was held. Dr. Fred Bemak and Dr. Rita Chi-Ying Chung presented on, "Innovations in counselor education, national and international social justice counseling training and service projects."

Faculty and Student Presentations

Culturally Responsive Post-disaster Counseling: The Disaster Cross-Cultural Counseling (DCCC) Model
60-Minute Session, Advanced
Rita Chi-Ying Chung, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, Fred Bemak
There is a critical need for culturally responsive counseling in post-disaster situations. The DCCC Model was developed to create interventions that would be culturally responsive and effectively address trauma and significant stress that follow every disaster situation. This session will provide an overview of the DCCC Model which has been used in 2 national and 4 international post-disaster situations and will discuss critical components in providing culturally competent post- disaster counseling, training, and on-site counseling supervision in post-disaster situations.

Diagnosing From the Heart: A Humanistic - Existential Response to the DSM-V
90-Minute Session, Advanced
Clemmont E. Vontress, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, Fred Bemak, Courtland Lee, Rita Chi-Ying Chung, Paul Tschudi, Lawrence Epp
Existential Diagnosis is a rich and profound approach to helping clients identify the issues that cause suffering in their lives. Unlike DSM-V Diagnosis with its emphasis on symptoms, Existential Diagnosis focuses on the eternal issues of love, loneliness, meaning, suffering, and death that each of us face daily. It is applicable to all problems-in-living; but it is especially appropriate when one's client feels lost in the movement of a life without meaning or freed to choose a meaning in life that offers passion. A leading existential counselor and a panel of five scholar-practitioners discuss the impact of existential ideas on their ways of understanding their clients.

ACA Human Rights Committee Special Symposium on Counseling Immigrants: Awareness and Advocacy
60 minute Session
Angela D. Coker, University of Missouri- St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, Richard W. Williams, Rita Chi-Ying Chung, Stacee Reicherzer, Selma Yznaga, Rhonda M. Bryant, Lisa Schulz, Patricia Keller
A steady flow of diverse immigrant populations has always influenced the demographic landscape of the U.S. In the 1990s immigration increased 57% and in the past decade the U.S. witnessed a 21% increase. According to current U.S. census, approximately 12% of the U.S. population is foreign born. In recent years, political and social attitudes have contributed to the challenges and experiences of the immigrant groups that have added to social, political, and economic problems that in turn have led to growing discrimination and mental health concerns. The purpose of this program is to examine the unique challenges that immigrants face and to examine the ways in which counselors can serve the needs of this diverse and growing populations.

Understanding Eating Attitudes, Behaviors, and Body Image in African American Women: A Qualitative Study
30-Minute Project/Research Poster Session
Regine M. Talleyrand, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, Jewelle Daquin, Amanda Dawn Gordon
Given the high rates of overweight and obesity in African American women and the underrepresentation of African American women in the eating disorders literature, it is imperative to gain an understanding of the relationship between food and appearance in African American women. This session will present findings from a qualitative study that examinined African American women's concerns with eating attitudes, behaviors, and body image. In addition, research implications and culturally relevant counseling strategies will be presented and discussed.

The Use of Critical Consciousness in Counseling: Outcomes From Outreach to the Haitian Community in Florida
30-Minute Project/Research Poster Session, Advanced
Rachael D. Goodman, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, Angela M. Calderon, Kevin Tate
The increase in disasters worldwide and across cultures indicates the need for training in disaster mental health that is social justice-oriented and culturally competent. This session will discuss outcomes from a qualitative study that explored the experiences of counselors who provided outreach to the Haitian and Haitian American community in Florida following the earthquake in Haiti. The counseling outreach was conducted using critical consciousness theory in order to facilitate the development of personal awareness and social justice-based counseling in which collaboration and empowerment are emphasized. The presenters will discuss implications for conducting effective outreach and recommendations for counselor training.

Growing Up Latina: Interrelations of Ethnic Identity, Acculturation, and Motherhood as a Teen Mom
30-Minute Project/Research Poster Session, Advanced
Diana P. Ortiz, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
The Latino population in the U.S. is growing faster than any other ethnic group. Before the age of 20, a teen Latina has more chances of getting pregnant than not. This session will explore the impact on self-concept of being a teen mother and the expression of ethnic identity developing with motherhood. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with young Latinas who were teen mothers and daughters of teen mothers; salient themes such as acculturation and ethnic identity development, and the struggles of being a teen mother will be discussed. Strategies to work with young Latinas, their children, and families will be presented. Suggestions for further research will also be discussed.

Latino Youth and the Achievement Gap: Acculturation, Social Inequalities, and School Dropouts
30-Minute Project/Research Poster Session, Advanced
Diana P. Ortiz, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Latinos are the largest minority group in the U.S. and have the highest dropout rate in the country. This session will examine the achievement gap in the Latino youth. Immigration history, acculturation, parental involvement, and ethnic identity play key roles in the academic success of these students and may account for a part of the existent gap. Structural inequalities, lack of access to resources, perceptions of school, and negative social stereotypes also have a strong impact on the academic engagement of young Latinos. Implications for school counselors, community agencies, and policy makers will be presented. Strategies to work with the Latino community and suggestions for further research will be discussed.

Student Leadership and Volunteer Activity

Diana Ortiz helped organize the AMCD/ACES Graduate Student Reception and volunteered with the Counseling Divisions booth during expedition hours. Philip Wilkerson III volunteered with the Counseling Divisions booth during expedition hours and earned volunteer credits with the Association of Specialists in Group Work (ASGW). Krystle Dorsey volunteered at the conference.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Fred Bemak: Gilbert and Kathleen Wrenn Award for a Humanitarian and Caring Person, American Counseling Association

Dr. Rita Chi-Ying Chung: Kitty Cole Human Rights Award from the Association of Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD)

Ricshawn Adkins Roane: The ACA's Foundation's and Marianne Corey Graduate Student Essay Competition Honorable Mention

Jacquelyn Scott-Bell: Ross Graduate Student Essay for Future School Counselors Runner-up