Evaluation Of An Article Based A Multicultural Counseling...

School counselors have a duty to serve all students within an educational institution regardless of their sexual orientation. In addition to demonstrating empathetic emotional support for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students, school counselors must acquire adequate training and knowledge related to LGB issues in order to competently counsel LGB students. This paper is a review of an article based in multicultural counseling theory that examined high school counselors’ levels of competency, training and education in sexual orientation and amount of involvement in affirmative and supportive activity with LGB students. The article under review aimed to determine if a positive correlation exists between increased sexual orientation†¦show more content†¦Approximately 15% of adolescents identify as lesbian, gay, or bi-sexual (as cited in, Hall et al., 2014). It is imperative that school counselors are willing and able to address the complex issues associated with these LGB students (Hall et al., 2014). School counselors are taught to uphold ethical standards when counseling all students. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA, 2010) specifically outlines the importance of affording LGB students the opportunity to seek judgement free counseling from a school counselor. The ASCA (2010) recommends that school counselors attain sexual orientation education and training to increase counseling competency with LGB students. School counselors should strive to create a welcoming environment for all students, regardless of their personal values or opinions regarding sexual orientation (as cited in, Hall et al., 2014). Literature Review Despite the standards prescribed by the ASCA, current research suggests a lack of knowledge and education for many school counselors regarding sexual orientation and LGB specific issues. Furthermore, research such as that conducted by Fontaine (1998) and Monier and Lewis (2000) revealed that many counselors have negative attitudes about LGB students and do not engage in proactive positive behavior