4 TPC Digest 5 TPC Digest 5 TPC Digest Kelly Emelianchik-Key, Bridget Glass, Adriana C. Labarta Teen Dating Violence: Examining Counseling Students’ Responses to Gendered Vignettes T een dating violence (TDV) is pervasive in the United States and affects youth’s emotional and physical safety. The consequences of TDV are long-term and often trickle over into future adult relationships, leading to pervasive mental and physical health problems. In teens, gender symmetry is prevalent, which means that both people in the dating relationship experience and perpetrate violence equally, but not necessarily in terms of severity or frequency. Despite the alarming impacts of TDV, research has found that counselors may be unprepared to work with TDV because of gaps in graduate education and continuing education across counseling settings. Counselors may also hold biases concerning perpetrators and survivors, which can perpetuate the stigma associated with TDV. Because TDV is a clinical concern that affects teen clients’ safety and other areas of their lives, counselors must be adequately trained and aware of personal biases that may influence the assessment and treatment of abuse survivors. We conducted a qualitative study to explore how counseling students conceptualize and propose treatment for TDV. First, we developed two identical case vignettes with only one key difference: the gender of the client. Each participant was randomly assigned one of the two cases and was asked to respond to a series of client conceptualization and treatment questions. After analyzing counseling students’ responses to various prompts, we found six overarching categories with 19 related themes. The overarching categories included (a) case conceptualization and clinical impressions, (b) diagnostic impressions, (c) relationship considerations, (d) clinical concerns, (e) treatment approaches, and (f) gender bias. The most notable finding of the study was gender bias, with all categories highlighting gender disparities in the treatment of TDV. For example, some counseling students used the term “survivor” to describe the female client, while none used the term to describe the male client. Our findings highlight the importance of enhanced counselor training and preparation in TDV during graduate school and beyond. Additionally, counselors must engage in self-reflection and explore personal biases and assumptions related to TDV that may negatively impact treatment and perpetuate stigma. Recommendations for enhanced TDV training include an increased focus on (a) trauma-informed and strengths-based treatment approaches; (b) theoretical frameworks to deconstruct TDV stigma, such as feminist theory and conflict theory; (c) case conceptualization and assessment skills; and (d) ethical issues relevant to the treatment of TDV. We conclude our paper by reviewing the limitations of our study and directions for future research to continue bridging research–practice gaps. For example, we encourage counselors and researchers to consider the impact and experiences of TDV on clients with underrepresented gender identities, such as transgender and nonbinary individuals. Overall, our findings illuminate the need for ongoing advocacy and training within the counseling profession to serve adolescent clients better and effectively treat TDV across counseling settings. Kelly Emelianchik-Key, PhD, NCC, ACS, LMFT, LMHC, is an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University. Bridget Glass, PhD, LMHC, is an assistant professor at South University. Adriana C. Labarta, PhD, LMHC, is an assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University. Correspondence may be addressed to Kelly Emelianchik-Key, 777 Glades Road, Bldg 47, Room 275, Boca Raton, FL 33431, Kemelian@fau.edu. 4 TPC Digest Read full article and references: Emelianchik-Key, K., Glass, B., & Labarta, A. C. (2023). Teen dating violence: Examining counseling students’ responses to gendered vignettes. The Professional Counselor, 13(2), 98–112. doi: 10.15241/kek.13.2.98
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