School Counselor Advocacy Recommendations for Policy and Practice for and With LGBTQ+ Youth

Rationale

“Regardless of the particular setting in which she or he works, each counselor is confronted again and again with issues that cannot be resolved simply through change within the individual” (Lewis & Bradley, 2000, p. 3). This truth is at the heart of school counselor advocacy. In their roles as change agents and advocates, school counselors recognize that to meet students' needs, they must address larger systemic issues. Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) specifically require advocacy across multiple systems. LGBTQ+ youth describe schools as hostile environments due to bullying, harassment, and discrimination (Kosciw et al., 2018). Approximately 62% of LGBTQ+ students report experiencing discriminatory policies and practices in their schools (Kosciw et al., 2018). A school counselor's first thought may be to address issues of building climate and school culture. While school culture and climate are perhaps some of the most immediate areas to investigate, school counselors also know that climate and culture are informed and influenced by a host of factors outside the school. One of those factors is policy. As part of the leadership team, school counselors should be actively involved in how building policy is crafted and implemented. When school counselors engage in this important work, they have the potential to create safe and supportive environments that are welcoming. Supportive school environments in turn lessen student victimization and improve the academic and psychosocial outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth (Goodrich et al., 2013; Kosciw et al., 2018; Ratts, 2013).

In this chapter, the authors use a case scenario to examine school counselor advocacy for LGBTQ+ youth. We examine the differences between policy and law as well as the role of educational initiatives and school counselor ethics. Second, we provide an overview of pertinent laws and policies regarding LGBTQ+ youth that can have direct implications for schools today. Last, through the lens of the American Counseling Association's (ACA) advocacy levels (Lewis et al., 2003), we suggest different advocacy behaviors for which school counselors can use for and with their LGBTQ+ students. Specific recommendations are made for school counselors who feel caught in the middle of state-level law and how that law is articulated in local-level policies and procedures.