To begin the special issue and set the stage for the subsequent articles, the authors provide an overview of humanism. Specifically, the authors discuss ideological foundations, cultural barriers to the adoption of humanism, and visions for the future of humanism in the counseling profession.

College counselors work collaboratively with professionals in a variety of disciplines in higher education to coordinate gatekeeper training to prepare university community members to recognize and refer students in mental distress to support services. This article describes the cross-validation of scores on the Mental Distress Response Scale (MDRS), a questionnaire for appraising university community members' responses to encountering a student in mental distress, with a sample of faculty members. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed the dimensions of the MDRS were estimated adequately. Results also revealed demographic differences in faculty members' responses to encountering a student in mental distress. The MDRS has implications for augmenting the outreach efforts of college counselors. For example, the MDRS has potential utility for enhancing campus-wide mental health screening efforts. The MDRS also has implications for supporting psychoeducation efforts, including gatekeeper training workshops, for professional counselors practicing in college settings.

The authors implemented a small series (N ¼ 4) single-case research design to assess the effectiveness of a nine-session Relational-Cultural Therapy (RCT) intervention with adolescent females incarcerated in a youth detention facility. Analysis of participants' scores on the Relational Health Inventory using the Percentage Of Data Points Exceeding the Median procedure yielded treatment effects indicating that RCT may be effective for promoting relational empowerment and engagement with others; however, treatment was not associated with a greater amount of relational authenticity with others. Discussion of systemic variables that limit relational development during incarceration is provided.

As the number of older adults increases, it is important to understand how attitudes toward aging influence society, the aging process, and the counseling profession. Ageism-defined as social stigma associated with old age or older people-has deleterious effects on older adults' physical health, psychological wellbeing, and self-perception. In spite of research indicating that the pervasiveness of ageism is growing, there are few studies, whether conceptual or empirical, related to the impact of ageism within the practice of counseling. This article includes an overview of existing literature on the prevalence and impact of ageism, systemic and practitioner-level consequences of ageism, and specific implications for the counseling profession. Discussion of how members of the counseling profession can resist ageism within the contexts of counselor education, gerontological counseling, advocacy, and future research will be addressed.

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