Anti-LGBTQ+ school legislation has proliferated across the United States in recent years, with potential consequences for both students and school counselors. Florida's controversial 2022 Parental Rights in Education Act offers one such example. In this descriptive, phenomenological, qualitative study, we examined the experiences of 10 Florida…

The practice of using microaffirmations enables positive outcomes through small acts of active listening that encourage feelings of inclusion and shared cultural intimacy. Microaffirmations can be intersectional and are beneficial to a wide range of populations, including people of color, LGBTQIA + individuals, and people with disabilities. School…

Although a vast amount of research now exists concerning the provision of competent counseling services to LGBTQ+ clients and students, a gaping aperture remains in the literature regarding the experiences of counselors who identify as LGBTQ+. This gap in the literature is especially evident for the profession of school counseling. In this study,…

Background: Suicide attempts and suicide completion are on the rise for children and adolescents and even more so for LGBTQ+ youth. Despite some social progress, LGBTQ+ individuals still face oppression socially and legally. With much of the restrictive LGBTQ+ legislation occurring within educational settings, school counselors have an important…

The widespread adoption of restorative practices in U.S. schools to address educational inequities has been significant. However, the existing literature on restorative practices lacks research regarding the impact of this approach on sexual/affectual minority students. In our study, we explore the experiences of sexual/affectual minority students…

Anti-transgender school policies have proliferated in the United States from 2019 to 2024, impacting school climate for transgender and nonbinary learners. In this quantitative study, we examined differences in the experiences of school climate factors (e.g., safety, mattering, mental health outcomes, etc.) between male, female, and nonbinary high…

This qualitative study explored the experiences and perspectives of eight school counselors who attended a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)--related professional development event at a Midwestern University. The researchers identified three themes: (a) commitment and motivation, (b) learning from and connecting with others,…

School counselors completed measures of school counselor activity and role beliefs; competence with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQQI) issues; and school-based LGBTQQI advocacy and awareness. Hierarchical multiple regression identified that LGBTQQI clinical skill predicts school counselor LGBTQQI…

This study examined how demographic variables and the school counselor-principal alliance influenced school counselors' advocacy for LGBTQ students as measured by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Active Advocacy Scale--Revised (LGBAAS-R). We surveyed 169 practicing school counselors with at least one year of experience in their current building and…

Having an affirming and inclusive school environment is pertinent to the well-being of LGBTQ+ students of color. However, research indicates that existing school policies and protections are insufficient to support this population. The present study investigates how LGBTQ+ individuals of color perceived their K-12 experiences related to their…

Systemic inequity in education compels school counselors to widen their scope of advocacy beyond their local school environment. Fortunately, the tools of evidence-based, data-driven school counseling can be scaled up to influence change in larger systems. We present an advocacy project undertaken by an elementary school counselor who was alarmed…

The purpose of this study was to develop the School Counselor Transgender Intersex Advocacy Competence Scale (SCTIACS). The SCTIACS is a training tool to use in teaching school counselors and other school stakeholders to advocate for gender minority students. Development of the SCTIACS involved a three-step process: generating items, reducing…

Using a directed form of qualitative research proposed by Mayring, this qualitative study applied Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to examine the efforts of nine self-identified school counselor advocates to advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. This study is warranted because LGBTQ…