Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder affecting approximately 1 in every 365 African American births. Students with SCD are likely to experience ongoing complications that will interfere with their attendance, functioning at school, and overall daily functioning throughout their lives. This article provides education about SCD…

Spina bifida (SB) refers to a subgroup of congenital defects where the neural tube fails to fuse, often resulting in a protruding spinal cord. This is often due to a defect or absence of vertebral arches resulting from a failure of the mesoderm to organize over the region of the defect. SB occurs during gestation between the third and sixth week…

The Case Study Compilation was developed with and for educators to provide examples of practice related to three questions: (1) What does it mean to focus on social-emotional development and the creation of positive learning environments?; (2) How can educators integrate their approaches to social, emotional, and academic development?; and (3)…

School counselors have the challenging task of implementing a comprehensive, developmental school counseling program to serve a large number of students. We present the creative use of a garden program to promote the development of students through the integration of the natural environment. Additionally, we describe activities and metaphors…

The purpose of this paper is to provide educators and counselors with a framework for understanding the academic self-concepts of gifted students. As academic self-concept is theoretically linked with other constructs, including academic achievement and aspirations, it is vital that educators and counselors are aware of the experiences gifted…

This article discusses eight topics on the social and emotional development of gifted children. These issues bring to light some of the current thinking that can be helpful to parents, teachers, and counselors. Understanding what giftedness actually is and is not, how to identify it, moving from an entity model of giftedness to an incremental…

School counselors promote student social and emotional learning (SEL), which is fundamental to a school's academic mission. However, while recognizing the importance of SEL, many school stakeholders view it as secondary and/or important for only some students. To ensure delivery of SEL to all students, school counselors must embrace a service…

"Crash" (P. Haggis, 2004) depicts the intersection of race, ethnicity, religion, and social class in a culturally and politically charged environment. The result is a film that places the viewer in situations that are void of simple right and wrong solutions. The authors describe an experiential learning activity that is based on using "Crash" to…

Playing checkers, football or more recently, computer games, is an important part of the latency child's culture. The ability to play games demands a level of emotional development similar to that needed to cope with the emotional/developmental demands characteristic of latency. A game shared by the therapist and child provides a picture of the…

The transition from high school to college is challenging for many students. In addition to the typical challenges faced by students starting college, students with previously diagnosed psychiatric disabilities have illness-related challenges to face as they transition to college. This article provides information on the current state of concerns…

The process of making meaning is a core determinant of human experience. Understanding this process, developmentally, is a vital part of integral counseling. In this article, the authors introduce the concept of ego development stages as increasingly complex and flexible systems of meaning making. An understanding of ego development stages can…

Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID), a sensory processing problem that afflicts about 15% of children, sets many children on a developmental trajectory of emotional and social problems. Children with SID often unintentionally alienate parents, peers, and teachers in their efforts to modify the amounts of sensory stimulation they receive. They…

Students in Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs) have a variety of behavior problems. School counselors in DAEPs have the opportunity to address emotional, academic, social, and behavioral concerns of these students. Counselors may use the strengths-based wellness paradigm as an alternative method of addressing students' holistic…

Counseling concerns of highly able students may reflect characteristics associated with giftedness. Yet school counselor training programs give scant attention to this phenomenon and to the social and emotional development of these students. School counselors therefore may be unaware of and unequipped to respond to these concerns. Referencing…

The author describes internal working models as unique, individualized conceptualizations of self that are embedded in and influenced by the surrounding sociocultural environment. These models, composed of beliefs, goals, and strategies, provide a framework that defines identity. Distorted, damaged, or self-defeating internal working models fail…