Engaging Counseling Students in Sustainable Advocacy

Abstract

In addition to instructing students in social justice counseling and advocacy competencies, counselor educators also serve as mentors for aspiring advocates by exemplifying their commitment to the profession as counselors, advocates, and academics. The main point of this chapter will describe an example of an experiential, field-based, service-learning project that students complete in their second year of a part-time master's in counseling degree with a hybrid learning format. Additionally, an overview of the S-Quad framework for social justice advocacy will be provided. This serves as a template for inclusive advocacy that educators can modify to be applicable when working in any program and within a variety of teaching modalities (i.e., synchronous, asynchronous, or hybrid). The final section of this chapter will include an analysis of current challenges to educator sustainability fostered by sociopolitical factors and manifestations of systemic oppression found in educational systems.