Becoming the Movement: Counselor's Advocating for Social Justice
Conference Strand
Social Change, Leadership, and Advocacy
Abstract
Within the counseling profession many professionals find themselves acting in dual roles. Change Agent and Advocate are just two of the roles to which they become as they recognize that their clients, organizations, and/or communities in which they live need more than what counseling can provide. The session explores how today's counselors can be a part of a growing movement for social justice advocacy. It further explores how advocacy can be influential in the macro systems including political leadership, advocacy for counseling profession, advocacy for systems that support people that experience oppression, and defining ally skills.
Evidence
Comstock, Dana L., Hammer, Tonya R., Strentzsch, J., Cannon, Kristi, Parsons, J., & Salazar II, Gustavo (2008). Relational-cultural theory: A Framework for bridging relational, multicultural, and social justice competencies, Journal of Counseling and Development, 86, 279-287.
Ivey, Allen E., & Collins, Noah M. (2003). Social justice: A long-term challenge for counseling psychology, 31(3), 290-298.
Lens, Vicki (2005). Advocacy and argumentation in the public arena: A guide for social workers, Social Work, 50(3), 231-238.
Lewis, Judith A., Ratts, Manivong J., Paladino, Derrick A., & Toporek, Rebecca L. (2011). Social justice counseling and advocacy: Developing new leadership roles and competencies, Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, 3(1), 5-16.
McKenzie, Kathryn B., Christman, Dana E., Hernandez, F., Fierro, E., Capper, C., Dantley, M., Gonzalez, Maria L., Cambron-McCabe, N., & Scheurich, J.J. (2008). From the field: A proposal for educating leaders for social justice, Educational Adminstration Quarterly, 44(1), 111-138.
Roysircar, Gargi (2009). The big picture of advocacy: Counselor, heal society and thyself, Journal of Counseling and Development, 87, 288-294.
Speight, S. L., & Vera, E. M. (2004). A social justice agenda: Ready, or not?, The Counseling Psychologist, 32(1), 109-118.
Toperek, Rebecca L., Lewis, J.A., & Crethar, Hugh C. (2009). Promoting systemic change: Through the ACA advocacy competencies, Journal of Counseling and Development, 87, 260-268.
Format
Individual Presentations
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Karla L. Sapp is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC), Master Addiction Counselor (MAC), Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor, Licensed Professional Counselor in Georgia and Licensed Mental Health Counseling in Florida. She earned her Doctorate of Education in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University in 2014. Dr. Sapp is also a graduate of Armstrong Atlantic State University (BS Criminal Justice) and South University-Savannah. Dr. Sapp has been practicing for 10 years, specializing in mental health and addictions counseling, within the following settings: inpatient acute hospitalization, outpatient, drug court, and is currently a Drug Treatment Specialist with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where she works with incarcerated male offenders as well as the Southeast Regional Legislative Coordinator for the Council of Prison Locals-33. She has also worked with the military population, while providing services within the inpatient setting, as well as juvenile offenders as a Juvenile Probation/Parole Specialist II with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice for 5 years. Dr. Sapp is the owner of U Matter Consulting and Counseling, LLC located in Southeast Georgia. Dr. Sapp is an Adjunct Psychology Professor at Georgia Southern University-Armstrong/Liberty Campus and was previously an Adjunct Faculty member at South University in the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program.
Location
Session Six Breakouts: Embassy Suites Salon A
Start Date
2-8-2020 11:45 AM
End Date
2-8-2020 1:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Sapp, Dr. Karla L., "Becoming the Movement: Counselor's Advocating for Social Justice" (2020). National Cross-Cultural Counseling and Education Conference for Research, Action, and Change. 28.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ccec/2020/2020/28
Becoming the Movement: Counselor's Advocating for Social Justice
Session Six Breakouts: Embassy Suites Salon A
Within the counseling profession many professionals find themselves acting in dual roles. Change Agent and Advocate are just two of the roles to which they become as they recognize that their clients, organizations, and/or communities in which they live need more than what counseling can provide. The session explores how today's counselors can be a part of a growing movement for social justice advocacy. It further explores how advocacy can be influential in the macro systems including political leadership, advocacy for counseling profession, advocacy for systems that support people that experience oppression, and defining ally skills.
Description
While advocacy has always been a part of the practice of counselors, only recently has it become an integral part of a counselor’s professional identity. Counselors, along with many professional within the social service profession, have increasingly turned to advocacy as a means to achieve change. There are many opportunities for advocacy. A conventional understanding of advocacy assumes that advocacy aims to influence powerful decision makers through clearly defined messages and actions. Effective advocacy requires that counselor advocates are educated and empowered to lead the way with social justice advocacy, as well as requires that strong connections are built and communication must be had among many contexts.
Session Objectives: