In this article, the popular children's book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J. K. Rowling, 1997) is discussed as the basis for an activity in teaching and eliciting empathy from beginning-level school counseling students. A description of the application of the book to this activity, the students' evaluations, and teaching recommendations…

Over the last few years, counselor training has focused more on formal diagnosis, but this increased focus has been questioned. In the end, the question seems less about whether formal diagnosis will be taught and more about how it will be taught. The author argues that diagnosis should be taught from a social constructionist rather than an…

The authors examine the counseling skill of immediacy, emphasizing its importance in counselor education. Ways of addressing and teaching the skill are proposed, with an emphasis on a "gentle approach" to reduce risks associated with applying the skill and to minimize students" resistance to applying it. Examples are provided of narratives that…

Service learning integrates classroom instruction with community service to augment learning. This method of instruction facilitates humanistic counseling skills by enhancing counselor awareness and knowledge of unique needs and strengths of diverse peoples while promoting personal, social, civic, and professional responsibility. This article…

The authors present a model of student development that illuminates the process students undergo as they deal with gender issues in counselor training. The model is based on the foundational concepts of the Relational-Cultural Model. Methods of teaching are discussed to provide counselor educators with strategies for facilitating mutual growth…

A multicultural transformational pedagogy based on existential and humanistic principles is applied to counselor education. C. E. Vontress's (1979, 1985, 1988) and J. A. Banks's (1981, 1993, 1998) cross-cultural counseling and multicultural education principles provide the framework for a new counselor education pedagogy. Suggestions for…

D. A. Kolb's (1984) 4 processes of experiential education are presented as guidelines for humanistically based training in group counseling. Specific training activities are described, and recommendations for improving training methods are outlined. The authors present qualitative data obtained from graduate counseling students who participated in…

A person-centered approach to teaching multicultural counseling resulted in a broad array of significant learning experiences. This article describes the instructor's nondirective attitudes, the class-chosen content and process topics, and outcome data. This article also compares and contrasts this approach with conventional and other humanistic…

The popular film "The Hours" (S. Rudin, R. Fox, & S. Daldry, 2002), which portrays several characters struggling with mood disorders and other mental health problems, is discussed as an effective tool for teaching diagnosis. The author discusses the movie and characters, the methods used to incorporate the film into instruction, and students'…

The authors describe the creation and implementation of a graduate-level counseling course in ecotherapy. Specifically, the rationale for the course, the selection of students, and course content and activities are outlined. In the spring of 2001, the authors developed and offered a team-taught special topics course in ecotherapy in the…

Although counseling and counseling psychology have experienced a rapid growth of professional preparation courses and have seen a proliferation of literature on multicultural counseling, few changes have been reported on how to teach from a multicultural perspective. Provides personal account of how one professor structures a multicultural…

Transformative learning and development in adult education, as defined in humanistic and critical perspectives, are examined. The transformative potential of counseling education is explored in this article in terms of: (1) program philosophy; (2) pedagogy and curricular features; and (3) student outcomes. Challenges for a transformative approach…

An experiential Native American healing practices course, co-taught by a Native American pastoral counselor and a counselor educator, was offered to graduate counseling students to help them better understand Native American worldviews. A student participant's reflections are included. Students attended Native American ceremonies and learned…