CounseLion
Anti-Gay Bullying and
Suicide: Implications
and Resources for
Counselors
By Elizabeth Mellin & Tamara Hinojosa
S
everal recent cases of suicide
related to anti-gay bullying have
been highly publicized, shedding
light on the powerful impact antigay bullying has on the nation’s youth.
One of the most highly publicized cases
was that of Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old
college student in New Jersey. Tyler committed suicide after two students filmed
him making out with another male and
aired the film online. Only a week later,
Raymond Chase, a 19-year-old openly
gay college student in Rhode Island, was
discovered dead in his dorm room. In fact,
between July and September of 2010, a
series of youth suicides occurred: Asher
Brown, 13 years old; Seth Walsh, 13 years
old; Billy Lucas, 15 years old; and Justin
Aaberg, 15 years old. Family and friends
report that these young men were victims
of frequent anti-gay bullying. Although
shocking, unfortunately these highly
publicized cases are just a small representation of youth suicides related to anti-gay
bullying in the U.S.
An All-Too-Common
Problem
Prevalence statistics on anti-gay bullying depict a hostile school environment
for youth who identify, or are perceived
as, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or
questioning (LGBTQ) their sexual orientation. Bullying comes in many forms, but
(Continued on page 2)
CONTENTS
4
Counselor Education Grad
Guides Public Television
The Counselor Education
Newsletter
March 2011
Vol. 5, Issue 2
6Keith Wilson Finds That Help
Is Just a Skin Shade Away
7Expanding Turkish Connections
with Visiting Professor Binnur
Yesilyaprak
8 Josh Kerr Makes the Most
of His Internship
9
Pam Anderson Retires After
Twenty-four Years With
Counselor Education
10Heather Homan Moves to the
Dean’s Office
10
Master’s Students Win NBCC
Scholarships
11 Favorite Books
12 Faculty and Staff Updates
The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
Anti-Gay Bullying and Suicide
Continued from page 1.
The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight
Education Network’s (GLSEN)
school climate survey found
that approximately 61% of
LGBTQ youth reported feeling
unsafe in their school environments and 44% reported being
physically harassed due to their
perceived sexual orientation.
This unsafe sense is not just
a feeling, because 1 in 6
LGBTQ youth will be physically
assaulted so badly that
medical attention is needed.
Suicide Concern Signs
for LGBTQ youth, verbal harassment is
the most often reported. Statistics suggest
that youth hear anti-gay remarks approximately 25 times in an average school
day, or more specifically, once every 14
minutes. The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight
Education Network’s (GLSEN) school
climate survey found that approximately
61% of LGBTQ youth reported feeling
unsafe in their school environments and
44% reported being physically harassed
due to their perceived sexual orientation.
This unsafe sense is not just a feeling,
because 1 in 6 LGBTQ youth will be
physically assaulted so badly that medical
attention is needed.
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Recent research on the relationship
between anti-gay bullying and suicide
indicate that LGBTQ youth are at a higher
risk for physical and emotional abuse at
school and are at a higher risk for suicide.
The 2006 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey of over 3,500 participants
indicates that LGBTQ students were more
than twice as likely than their non-LGBTQ peers to attempt suicide. One recent
study suggests that anti-gay discrimination
increased symptoms of depression among
LGBT high school students overall and
increased risk of self-harm and suicidal
ideation among LGBT male high school
students in particular. Another study of
7,376 middle school students found that
LGBQ youth reported higher levels of
bullying, anti-gay victimization, depression, and suicidality when compared to
heterosexual youth.
Because suicide is increasingly associated with anti-gay bullying, it is important
that counselors know how to identify
signs of suicidal feelings among young
people. The American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry points out that
many symptoms of depression may also
indicate suicidal ideation among youth.
Counselors should be alert to major
changes in eating or sleeping habits, withdrawal from people and activities that are
normally interesting or fun to adolescents,
and frequent somatic symptoms (e.g.,
stomachaches, headaches). Adolescents
experiencing suicidal feelings may begin
or increase alcohol and drug use, may
runaway from home, or may react more
violently to stressful situations. Counselors should also be aware of indications
that an adolescent has begun planning a
suicide attempt. Comments such as “you
will miss me when I am gone” or giving
away important possessions such as an
Xbox, should be taken seriously.
(Continued on page 3)
The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
Anti-Gay Bullying and Suicide
Resources for
Counselors
Safe Schools Coalition:
Counselors & Social
Workers Resources
http://www.safeschools
coalition.org/RG-counselors_
socialworkers.html
Safe Schools Coalition is an international organization supporting
safety in schools for LGBT families,
students, and educators. This Web
site provides an abundance of online
resources including, but not limited
to, research, how-to guides, and
information about public policy.
The National Youth
Advocacy Coalition (NYAC)
http://www.nyacyouth.org/
The NYAC is a social justice organization that advocates for the physical
safety and emotional well being of
LGBTQ youth. Their Web site has
many resources such as free online
trainings and webinars, crisis and
suicide prevention help lines, and
news about LGBTQ health issues.
Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network
(GLSEN)
http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/
iowa/all/home/index.html
The GLSEN Web site is packed with
information and resources, including
current news and research, GLSEN
chapters around the U.S., a how-to
guide to create a Gay-Straight Alliance in your own school, LGBTQ
inclusive lesson plans, teaching
trainings, and many more.
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Continued from page 2.
When Counselors
Recognize Suicide Signs
What should you do as a counselor when
you observe these signs or when adolescents tell you that they want to kill themselves? Start by asking directly whether
they have thoughts of killing themselves
and assess suicidal ideation. If adolescents
indicate that they are thinking of killing themselves, one assessment model
counselors often remember is the P.I.M.P.
(Plan, Intent, Means, Prior Attempt) developed by Darcy and Paul Granello.
•Plan is questioning about specific
details of the plan. The more specific
the plan, the more dangerous is the
situation.
•Intent questions explore whether the
adolescent has had recent thoughts of
killing himself/herself. Did the person
feel suicidal this morning? Last week?
Last month? Last year? The more
recent the feelings, the more risk the
adolescent will attempt suicide.
•Means questions explore how lethal the
suicidal means are and how easy it is to
obtain those means. The more lethal and
easier to obtain, the more immediately
dangerous the situation becomes.
•Prior Attempt is a step that asks about
history of suicidal thoughts or attempts.
Has the person thought about or
attempted suicide before? The risk of
suicide also increases when people
know someone who has committed suicide, so asking about family members
or friends who have committed suicide
is another part of this question.
Use Professional Support
After the initial P.I.M.P suicide assessment, it is critical to consult with a supervisor or other professional colleagues
about how to proceed. Two professionals
in consultation will make better decisions
together than one will alone. Of course,
never leave the client alone to consult
with another professional. Suicides can
happen quickly, so make sure the young
person is not left alone while you consult.
Counselors have a responsibility to identify and intervene when there are any signs
of suicide. Adolescents being bullied as a
result of their perceived or actual sexual
orientation may be particularly isolated,
and this may be especially true in cases
when teens come out to their families and
are rejected by them. Then there is the
generally heteronormative environment of
many schools where school professionals
may passively endorse anti-gay bullying
or be afraid to speak up against it. The result can be isolation from friends, family,
and even school professionals that make
it particularly important for counselors to
look for these signs and intervene appropriately. 
“THESE MOST RECENT DEATHS ARE
A REMINDER THAT ALL AMERICANS
HAVE TO WORK HARDER TO OVERCOME BIGOTRY AND HATRED.”
—Bill Clinton (President 1993–2001)
The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
Counselor Education Grad Guides
Public Television
REMEMBER READING RAINBOW?
By Michael Hannon
R
emember the PBS program Reading Rainbow
with LeVar Burton from your childhood or your
children’s? You can thank Counselor Education
graduate Donald Boswell (’77 M.Ed.) for using his
counseling skills and creativity in the production of
that series.
Donald Boswell
“give
people
voice &
choice”
Now president and chief executive officer
of WNED, a public television broadcasting station in Buffalo, N.Y., Don has made
unique uses of his counseling background.
Perhaps his most visible example is
Reading Rocket, which we came to know
and love as Reading Rainbow and which
has won 32 Emmy awards. WNED’s
vision was to transform a local children’s
literacy program into a show with national
reach. A test on WNED’s success: Can
you recall the Reading Rainbow theme
song? (http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=Ug7Z9NLTXFw&feature=related)
Don was one of 23 Penn State alumni
honored with an Alumni Fellow Award on
October 14, 2010. The Alumni Association annually seeks nominees who have
made outstanding contributions in their
respective fields while maintaining strong
ties to the university community. Don fits
the description perfectly, and we are as
proud to have him as a counselor education graduate as he is to be one.
Penn State Experience
Don grew up outside of Pittsburgh and
always wanting to attend Penn State.
He was an explorer scout at Pittsburgh’s
local public broadcasting station,
WQED, during his high school years
and got sound counsel when he asked
about what major to pursue as a college
student, acknowledging his strong
interest in public broadcasting. The
president of WQED recommended
Don study community development,
he explained, because effective public
television is consistently in tune with
and responds to the needs of its local
community. After a bachelor’s degree in
community development at Penn State,
he worked a year in the Scranton, Pa.,
area doing production work for WVIA,
the local public station. Don wanted an
advanced degree, but he was unsure about
a good fit program for his career goals.
Talking with broadcasting mentors about
a potential course of study, Don was
advised that a counseling degree would
be best, since any leader in public
(Continued on page 5)
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The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
Counselor Education Grad Guides Public Television
television must have the ability to build
rapport, mediate conflict, and inspire
people around him. Soon afterward,
he was enrolled in Penn State’s M.Ed.
program in Counselor Education.
Continued from page 4.
Don will tell you that the principles guiding his everyday work
are transparency, self-awareness, and honesty (more counseling
basics). It is clear that his counseling roots are still well grounded
in his personal and professional life.
Counseling Skills Make
the Difference
When Don talked about the skills he uses
to be effective, you could hear the “counselor speak” as he reflected on “developing a genuine and sincere rapport with
people.” I offered that those skills line up
with Carl Rogers’ necessary and sufficient
conditions for therapy. He went on to say
how important it is to “give people voice
and choice.” I gently shared how that
seemed to reflect narrative and feminist
approaches to counseling. Don smiled and
easily admitted reaching into his “counseling bag” quite often, even as a seasoned,
high-profile executive.
Counseling skills are reflected in Don’s retelling of a story about his early relationship with LeVar Burton, who expressed
feeling of being under-appreciated and
under-acknowledged. Even in the seminal
film Roots or in his work on Star Trek,
LeVar disclosed to Don about not being
given much say in the process of creating
or enhancing the roles he played. Don,
sensing a great opportunity to tap into
LeVar’s talent and vision, was able to
engage in a highly collaborative relationship with LeVar that has made public
broadcasting history.
Don will tell you that the principles
guiding his everyday work are transparency, self-awareness, and honesty (more
counseling basics). It is clear that his
counseling roots are still well grounded in
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his personal and professional life.
Altruistic values seem to run through
his family as well. His wife, Marilyn
(Oliver) Boswell, a Penn State and
College of Education alum (‘74 E K Ed),
is a former elementary school teacher.
The Boswells’ daughter, Coral, just
began a master’s degree program in
occupational therapy with hopes of
working with school-aged children.
Meaningful Memories
When Don was asked to share the
projects that he is most proud of and his
aspirations for the future, the theme that
emerged was a desire to help people and
communities share their stories. The first
project he mentioned was Frank Lloyd
Wright’s Buffalo, which profiles the
prominent architect’s relationship with
the city of Buffalo. Wright grew so fond
of the city that only Chicago features
more of his work. More information
about this documentary can be found at
www.wned.org/productions/flwb/
default.asp.
A radio project titled Uncrowned Queens
(www.wned.org/pressroom/releases/
UQueens_gracie.asp) has been another
source of inspiration. The project features celebrated actress Phylicia Rashad
“highlighting the accomplishments
and viewpoints of exceptional AfricanAmerican women.” The series won the
Gracie Award from the American Women
in Radio & Television (AWRT) and was
awarded Outstanding Documentary.
Demystifying Dyslexia (www.youtube.
com/watch?v=4A-pcJkKzRE) was
yet another program that focused on the
prevalence of dyslexia; it featured U.S.
Olympian Bruce Jenner. The community
response to this project was overwhelming
and included a personal thank-you letter
from humanitarian Bill Cosby, whose son
was dyslexic.
In the future, Don simply wants to help
facilitate communities sharing their narratives with the world. We are indeed
thankful for the stories he’s helped share
thus far. 
“A GOOD TEACHER MUST BE ABLE TO
PUT HIMSELF IN THE PLACE OF THOSE
WHO FIND LEARNING HARD.”
—Eliphas Levi (French Author)
The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
Keith Wilson Finds
That Help Is Just a Skin
Shade Away
One racial or ethnic title does not fit the experiences of all.
Keith Wilson
By Susan Griffiths
It seems we are not as objective about
people as we might think. Professor
Keith B. Wilson has been conducting
research on how variations in racial or
ethnic observable characteristics
(phenotypes) can change the way we
evaluate a person. His research with black
and white Latinos in the vocational rehabilitation system has produced
interesting findings. “They haven’t really
been surprising,” he says. “Researchers
know these differences exist, but a lot of
people don’t attend to them or the impact
they can have.”
Keith’s research began about ten years
ago after a student stated that she was
treated differently as a white Latino. He
has since found that white Latinos, whose
phenotypes make them appear Caucasian,
tend to have more access to services (e.g.,
human services, less discrimination) than
black Latinos, whose phenotypes make
them appear “African American.” For
example, his findings show that white
Latinos receive higher acceptance rates
into vocational rehabilitation systems than
black Latinos.
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His publications also give attention to
implications for counselors. Keith says,
“In a plane you put your own oxygen
mask on before you can help someone else
with theirs. These findings are similarly
important in that counselors need to first
ask themselves the question, “Have your
biases and prejudices pulled you closer
to folks who are different or pushed you
more distant to people who are different?”
Knowing where your negative thoughts
may come from so that you can help
others is important, but, says Keith, “You
can still be proud of who you are without
putting other people down.”
The differences in people and how we
perceive them causes Keith to emphasize
how counselors need to allow people a
chance to identify their race and realize
that a white Hispanic may experience outcomes more similar to a Caucasian than
to other Latinos. One racial or ethnic title
does not fit the experiences of all.
Early in his career, about half of Keith’s
research came from the Rehabilitation
Services Administration (RSA) 911
database, which is available from the
U.S. Department of Education. He used
this database to begin his research on
phenotype outcomes, and after two to
three weeks he was able to weed out the
discrimination specifically related to black
and white Latinos, after the visit from the
student who got him thinking about Black
and White outcomes related to Latinos.
The results also need interpretation, so he
advises researchers who are looking to
study phenotypes to remain open to what
they find and to be able to discuss many
different opinions to their findings.
The next step in his research is directed at
investigating youth and phenotypes. The
motivation to continue this research comes
from Keith’s keen interest in what he
finds, seeking generalizations to the larger
population, and using the information in
his teaching and work with students. 
The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
Expanding Turkish Connections with
Visiting Professor Binnur Yesilyaprak
By Richard Hazler
D
eveloping a diversity of ideas that arise in
different cultures requires stepping outside
your comfort zone, and that is what Counselor
Education has been privileged to have witnessed when
Dr. Binnur Yesilyaprak agreed to spend a year with us
as a visiting professor from Turkey. She brings a wealth
of knowledge and 30 years of experience, including
an appointment as president of the Psychological
Counseling and Guidance Association of Turkey, and
her current position as professor at Ankara University,
one of the most populer universities in Turkey.
Binnur Yesilyaprak
Binnur has published widely and also
worked with the Turkish Ministry of
National Education and the Ministry of
Labor and the Goverment Employment
Services. So she has a special interest in
career counseling that attracted her to our
program. She was attracted particularly
by the scholarship of Dr. Spencer Niles
and Dr. Ed Herr. Binnur says, “The need
of career counseling services is becoming
increasingly important in Turkey, particularly with growing globalization and
the economic crisis. Turkey has not yet
developed an adequate system of career
counseling for these changing times.”
Career counseling has been a major focus
of Binnur’s work here, and she is already
developing a proposal with selected
authors for a book that will advance this
movement in Turkey. Another area she has
explored while here is diversity and multicultural issues. She says, “The opportunity to attend some classes and interact
as a member of the Department Diversity
Enhancement Committee has promoted a
new awareness about myself and caused
me to look at diversity in my own culture
differently and in valuable ways.”
“THIS WORLD WAS NOT OUR CREATION. WE ARE JUST A PART OF IT. WE HAVE
TO APPROACH THINGS HUMBLY, AND WE HAVE TO ALWAYS BE OPEN FOR NEW
THINGS.” —Andrew Young (Politician and Human Rights Activist)
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The relationship between Binnur and
the Counselor Education faculty began
when the Psychological Counseling and
Guidance Association of Turkey sponsored visits from Drs. JoLynn Carney,
Richard Hazler, and Niles, which is
when they first met Binnur. The
connection has grown, and she is strongly
encouraging Turkish students and faculty
to consider coming to Penn State for its
supportive atmosphere and many resources. Binnur’s year here has been great
for us, and she feels much the same way.
“I really appreciate my sponsor, Dr, Niles,
and also Dr. Hazler, who supported me in
the process, but all the faculty, staff, and
students have been wonderful for their
scholarly and humanly warm and friendly
interest and support.” 
The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
Josh Kerr
Makes the
Most of His
Internship
By Jeff Sattora
No Traditional Internship
Josh Kerr was not your average coun-
Josh searched for an internship that fit his
desire for adventure as well as working
with people with disabilities. Searching
for places that met both criteria, he found
an internship in Colorado working for the
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The
work included a little bit of everything in
those few months. “It really was a varied
job description that got me exposure to
many things I needed to see,” he said.
selor education student. Not only is his
career path unique, having originally been
a meteorology major, but his experiences
this past summer are just as unique. Josh
didn’t want to spend his internship in a
Pennsylvania school or office. He wanted
to stretch himself, make a special kind of
difference, and that is what he did.
Josh has had a passion for helping people
his whole life. “Growing up I was very
involved with my church that lead me
to many mission trips where we assisted
individuals, many of whom were disabled,
with various housing projects,” he said.
Those experiences confirmed for Josh that
he wanted to make helping individuals
who didn’t have his advantages the focus
of his future. “But it was only in college
that I realized the desire to work with individuals with disabilities,” he said.
From Idea to Life
Commitment
Josh Kerr
It is one thing to think
you want to work with a
particular population, but
another to experience it.
It is one thing to think you want to work
with a particular population, but another
to experience it. Josh had become a leader
of mission trips in college, and on one
trip he befriended a homeowner stricken
with a physically debilitating cancer. This
connection confirmed and expanded his
life plans. Josh stated, “It was helping
this man that week that made me realize
that I not only wanted helping individuals
with disabilities to be a part of my life, but
rather this was what I wanted to do for my
life.” The realization pushed Josh to seek
new ways to make the most of his future
as a rehabilitation counselor and to do it in
a way that fit his own style.
“CONGRESS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SOCIETY’S ACCUMULATED MYTHS AND FEARS
ABOUT DISABILITY AND DISEASE ARE AS HANDICAPPING AS ARE THE PHYSICAL
LIMITATIONS THAT FLOW FROM ACTUAL IMPAIRMENT.” —William J. Brennan
(Supreme Court Justice)
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The beginning was mostly observation, watching other counselors work,
and learning what the division actually
required of counselors. A little experience
expanded the job description to conducting intake-counseling sessions, completing eligibility determinations and case
closures, and working with clients on job
prospecting, job interest, skills assessments, and resume development. He also
began making connections with local
service providers, learning their roles, and
how their services were utilized. No two
days were the same, which is just what
Josh wanted. He couldn’t believe how
much he was learning.
Counselors need to keep themselves
physically and mentally well enough to
deal with counseling challenges and the
continuing need for learning, and this
Colorado internship helped on multiple
levels. Josh is an enthusiast of snowboarding, hiking, and numerous other activities
that have kept him fit; having family in
the area added other healthy plusses. It
was also a great place for expanding his
academic interests. He said, “I have been
really interested in studying and learning about counseling individuals with
traumatic brain injuries (TBI), specifically
veterans, and how the use of therapeutic recreation or leisure activities can
help individuals with a TBI during their
recovery process. The Colorado Springs
area included four different military bases
plus the Air Force Academy that offered
plenty of opportunities to explore these
interests.”
(Continued on page 9)
The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
Josh Kerr Makes the
Most of His Internship
Continued from page 8.
Josh’s dedication to recreation
therapy as a tool for counseling
and all of the resources he found
really gave him a chance to grow
and learn during the internship. His
ideas about recreation activities for
individuals with disabilities like
swimming, biking, running, and
many others were supported, but he
was also seeing the need for other
counseling supportive activities.
Social and community clubs, cooking or photography groups, and a
variety of other social activities
were also turning out to be more
valuable in the rehabilitation process than he expected.
And One More
Benefit
The energy Josh put into finding
this internship 2,000 miles from
Penn State was well worth the experience. Combined with the work
he put into that summer internship,
there was one more BIG benefit.
Josh’s skills, knowledge, and work
ethic impressed co-workers and
administrators enough that they
requested he come back as an employee once he graduated this past
December. Congratulations on your
new job, Josh! 
“LIFE IS EITHER A GREAT
ADVENTURE OR NOTHING.”
—Hellen Keller (Author and
Educator)
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Pam Anderson Retires
AFTER TWENTY-FOUR YEARS
WITH COUNSELOR EDUCATION
There is no doubt
who the person
is that has helped
the most Counselor Education
students over the
past two decades.
It is not a faculty
member, but
our longtime
essential staff assistant, Pam Anderson.
Pam is retiring in March so she and her
husband David can start their next life in
Atlantic, Va. No one will be missed more
than Pam.
faculty are a different breed. Sometimes
they are rushed and frustrated, but most
of the time they have always been kind,
understanding, helpful, and fun—good
friendly people.”
Pam moved around the East Coast to
finally find her way to Penn State. Growing up in New Jersey, she decided on
adventure for college. So off she went to
High Point University in what seemed
like faraway North Carolina to become an
elementary school teacher. College was a
big success and relatively uneventful, with
only one all-nighter for a major test. That
was in her senior year after a blind date
turned out really well in every way except
for the exam prep. You have to give up
something when your eventual husband
(David) pops into your life.
Pam and David are getting their longtime
home in Centre Hall ready for sale in the
near future and will then move to a home
in Atlantic, VA. There is talk of reading,
crafts, and the beach, but no one here
figures that will satisfy for long. Pam is
already talking about reading support for
students at area schools, and we expect
she will be connecting with lots of people
and projects to fill the void created by no
longer needing to take care of counselor
education students and faculty.
A year of teaching included a class
composed of 20 energetic, squirming first,
second, and third graders. What a way to
start! Good thing she loved it. Marriage,
children, and life moved Pam and David
around before she ended up in our Counselor Education program. There were lots
of opportunities to move into other departments, so what kept Pam with Counselor
Education all these years? Pam answered,
“First of all, I think that these counseling
Pam’s enjoyment of helping and seeing
students grow has always been a plus, but
couldn’t it get boring over 24 years? Pam
made it clear: “It is much more than just
the students and faculty. There was always
something new. Learning new technology
was a constant. Faculty come and go, and
new students arrive every year. Boredom
was certainly never a problem.”
Her daughter Sharon and son Eric will
certainly be coming to the beach to visit
(summer we suspect), but there will be
three other permanent houseguests. If
you know Pam at all you know how she
and David love cats, and their three feline
buddies—Lilly, Fletcher, and Lester—will
provide the in-house entertainment.
Scores of faculty, students, graduates, and
staff will miss you, Pam. But we’re also
very happy for you and David and wish
you the very best. You certainly deserve it.
The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
Master’s Students Win
NBCC Scholarships
Heather Homan
Moves to the
Dean’s Office
If you need to move from a place
you like, you might as well move
up in the world. That’s what
Heather Homan did in December,
becoming the new staff assistant
in the Dean’s Office. Counselor
Education and Rehabilitation
Services had seven great years
while Heather worked with us and
we will miss her greatly. When our
department was asked to reduce
its number of staff and the dean
needed a top-quality staff member
replacement, Heather was the
clear choice.
Congratulations to Amy Stewart and Kristen Keim for being two of only five
winners of national awards to students committed to practice as school counselors in
rural settings. These $3,000 scholarships are awarded by the National Board of Certified
Counselors Foundation based on scholarship, experience, and commitment to working
as counselors in rural areas. Both Amy and Kristen are elementary school counseling
master’s students who will graduate this spring. The following brief portions of the
applications they submitted provide a glimpse of their dedication to counseling,
scholarship, and practice in support of rural communities.
AMY STEWART
“Images of tractors, cornfields, and a small school free from violence and drugs often
pop into one’s mind when the word rural is mentioned. Although these images can be
accurate, rural communities have many of the same problems and characteristics that
are usually associated with urban communities. Similar to the federal government
and ASCA, my philosophy is to improve academic achievement in order to keep small
schools in rural communities flourishing…(and) to produce well-rounded students
who become contributing members to society.”
KRISTEN KEIM
“The reason I am so interested in this scholarship is because I have spent my
life living in a rural area and while there are many benefits, there are also many
challenges not seen in a metropolitan area. I suffered as a student because I did not
have a school counselor to advocate for me, and that is why I plan to work in a rural
setting upon graduation.”
So with a new position for Heather
and some big personal plans in the
near future, it will be quite a year
for her. Next year looks like the
time for Heather to be getting married and moving into a new home.
Heather: The faculty, staff, and
students already miss you and wish
you the best, but at least your move
has given us more reasons to visit
the Dean’s Office.
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Amy Stewart (left) and Kristen Keim
Favorite Books
The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
& Disgrace
& Unbearable Lightness
Deirdre O’Sullivan
Liz Saucier
(Counselor Education Faculty)
(Rehabilitation Counseling Student, 2012)
Disgrace, by J. M. Coetzee (2003
Nobel Prize winner in literature) is a
book I re-read every few years (am
doing this now), because it is so well
written that it inspires me to be a
better writer. Coetzee has a way of
creating understandable characters
that do despicable things, which leads
to re-examining my own values and
biases about people. I also just enjoy
the story.
Unbearable Lightness (2010) by
Portia de Rossi is a great memoir
about an actress who has experienced
a serious eating disorder, but it is much
more than that. The book also tells
about the Australian-born actress’s
experience as a young woman coming
into adulthood “in the closet” and
the difficulty of being openly gay in
Hollywood. The book was an opportunity to look deeply into an individual’s
life to see who she really is and how
she navigated life. I read this book in
two days because I simply couldn’t put
it down. It is a quick, easy, interesting
read that leaves you filled with hope.
& The Geography of
Thought: How Asians
and Westerners Think
Differently...and Why
Hodya Margolis
(Rehabilitation Counseling Student, 2011)
The Geography of Thought: How
Asians and Westerners Think Differently...and Why by Richard E.
Nisbett describes the large and small
ways that Westerners and Easterners
talk, think, and interact differently.
For example, frank debate in China
or Japan is considered rude and even
socially devastating, but in the West,
it is a fundamental part of the scientific method and debate. I knew that
culture shapes how we interact with
others, but I still questioned why Far
Eastern cultures could have drastically different ideas from people in the
West. This book provided underlying reasons for these differences and
helped me see new ways to foster
understanding of others and be a better colleague, friend, and counselor.
The Spirit Catches You
& and You Fall Down:
A Hmong Child, Her
American Doctors, and the
Collision of Two Cultures
Lindsey Nichols
(Doctoral Student)
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall
Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two
Cultures by Anne Fadiman reinforced
for me the importance of understanding other cultures and acknowledging
that there are many ways to look at
the world. It made me realize that no
matter what I learn about the beliefs of
others, I will always need to pay attention to the individual needs and beliefs
of each person. Issues of culture,
immigration, medicine, and the war in
Laos are explored in ways that make
reading captivating.
“READING IS A BASIC TOOL IN THE LIVING OF A GOOD LIFE.”
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—Mortimer J. Adler
The Counselor Education Newsletter March 2011
Department of Counselor
Education, Counseling
Psychology, and
Rehabilitation Services
College of Education
327 CEDAR Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: (814) 865-3428
Fax: (814) 863-7750
[email protected]
Faculty & Staff Updates
Publications:
Jim Herbert, Barrett, Evenson, &
Charles Jacob. (2010). Work roles and
functions of undergraduate rehabilitation
services alumni: A pilot study. Rehabilitation Education, 24: 149–166.
Jim Herbert, Lorenz, & Jerry Trusty.
(2010). Career assessment practices for
high school students with disabilities and
perceived value reported by transition
personnel. Journal of Rehabilitation,
76 (4): 18–26.
www.ed.psu.edu/educ/cecprs/counselor-education/
Visit us on the Web at
CounseLion
Elizabeth Mellin. (2010). Identifying
reasons for joining the profession. In S.
C. Nassar-McMillan & S. G. Niles (Eds.),
Developing your identity as a professional
counselor: Standards, Settings, and Specialties (37–55). Belmont, CA: Cengage
Learning.
Elizabeth Mellin, Brandon Hunt, &
Lindsey Nichols. (2011). Collective
approaches to helping: Counselor professional identity and interprofessional
collaboration. Journal of Counseling &
Development, 89: 140–147.
Lindsey Nichols, & Brandon Hunt.
(2011). The significance of spirituality
for individuals with chronic illness:
Implications for mental health counseling.
Journal of Mental Health Counseling,
33 (1): 51–66.
Strauser, Deirdre O’Sullivan, and Wong.
(2010). The relationship between contextual work behaviors and work personality:
An initial analysis. Disability and Rehabilitation, 32 (24): 1999–2008.
Jerry Trusty. (2011). The role of research
in counseling. In S. C. Nassar-McMillan
& S. G. Niles (Eds.) Developing your
identity as a professional counselor:
Standards, settings, and specialties
(149–170). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Susan Woodhouse. (2010). Dyadic
interactions as precursors to attachment
security: Implications for intervention
and research. Attachment and Human
Development, 12: 151–157.
Susan Woodhouse, Ramos-Marcuse,
Ehrlich, Warner, & Cassidy. (2010). The
role of adolescent attachment in moderating and mediating the links between
parent and adolescent psychological
symptoms. Journal of Clinical Child and
Adolescent Psychology, 39: 51–63.
Grants Awarded:
Dierdre O’Sullivan. (2011–2012). Self
efficacy, self stigma, and self help seeking
among participants of substance dependence peer support groups: Investigation
of factors relevant to relapse prevention.
College of Education Research Incentive
Grant ($9,000).
Elizabeth Mellin. (Project Evaluator)
S.U.M.M.I.T. (Student and family-driven
priorities; Understanding risk and protective factors; Merging resources; Monitoring outcomes; Interventions with evidence; and Technology for dissemination).
U.S. Department of Education’s Grants
for the Integration of Schools and Mental
Health Systems ($373,704).
This publication is available in alternative media upon request.
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including harassment. The Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination
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The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA
16802-5901; Tel 814-865-4700/V, 814-863-1150/TTY. U.Ed. EDU 11-46