9 TPC Digest Clark D. Ausloos, Madeline Clark, Hansori Jang, Tahani Dari, Stacey Diane Arañez Litam A Call for Action T rans people face pervasive marginalization and discrimination in the workplace, in homes, within politics, and in schools. Trans students face much higher rates of discrimination when compared with their cisgender peers and others within the LGBTQ+ communities. In addition, COVID-19 has exacerbated challenges for trans students, including increasing health and wellness issues, housing and family issues, and lack of access to critical care and support. In schools, there is often a lack of clear policies and procedures for gender-inclusivity and a lack of clear response in the wake of discrimination against trans students. Teachers, administrators, staff, and school counselors lack competence in working with trans students. School counselors are positioned to be supportive of and advocate for (and with) trans students, but we continue to find that practicing school counselors feel uncomfortable and unprepared to work with gender-diverse students. Additionally, our study, among others, indicates that counselor education training programs are not providing adequate attention to gender-expansive issues and, therefore, are not appropriately preparing school counselors. School counselors frequently must attend professional development opportunities to receive the information they need, many of which lack critical discussion of trans issues beyond pronouns. Based on existing literature and our own hypotheses, we examined factors that contribute to school counselor competence in working with trans students, including whether the school counselor has received postgraduate training on trans issues or populations, whether the school counselor has worked with self-identified trans students, whether the school counselor knows someone who identifies as trans outside of the school setting, and the school counselor’s gender identity. We surveyed 389 licensed public school counselors in the United States using a demographic survey and the Gender Identity Counselor Competency Scale. We used multiple regression analyses as our statistical method. Results indicate that school counselors who worked with trans students, attended rigorous professional development opportunities, and knew someone personally who identified as trans had higher rates of competence, especially in the areas of knowledge and skills. Our study highlights the need for increased attention to trans issues in many domains—among school counselors, within school counseling training programs, and in existing professional development offerings. School counselors should continue to learn about the evolving language, trends, and needs of the trans community, ideally from those who are part of the community. Additionally, school counselors should engage with and use resources from professional trans-affirming organizations. This study also highlights the importance of building community and connections with trans people in and outside of professional settings, leading to increased school counselor competence. Clark D. Ausloos, PhD, NCC, LPC, LPSC, is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Denver. Madeline Clark, PhD, NCC, ACS, LPC (VA), LPCC (OH), is an associate professor at the University of Toledo. Hansori Jang, PhD, NCC, is an assistant professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Tahani Dari, PhD, NCC, LPC (MI), LPSC, is an assistant professor at the University of Toledo. Stacey Diane Arañez Litam, PhD, NCC, CCMHC, LPCC-S, is an assistant professor at Cleveland State University. Correspondence may be addressed to Clark D. Ausloos, 15578 John F. McCarthy Way, Perrysburg, OH 43551, clark.ausloos@du.edu. 9 | TPC Digest School Counselor Competence in Working With Trans Students
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