Using a Consultation Assignment to Enhance Trainees’ Understanding and Implementation of Consultation and Social Justice in Career Counseling

Social justice advocacy and career counseling are foundational competencies for professionals. However, training in consultation outside of the classroom (i.e., community) is infrequent courses, despite conceptualizing systemic issues, often focus on individual-level interventions. There an opportunity to merge these into a single experience graduate trainees. Graduate students clinical psychology master’s program completed pilot, semester-long assignment their class, which required them work as consultants organizations social oriented, focused project. We used multi-method qualitative approach analyze students’ theory knowledge application advocacy. Data were generated through written assignments. Using coding reliability thematic analysis, data indicated most able describe consultant individual difficulties from advocate framework, but about half struggled integrate frames theories Five themes relating student development emerged (e.g., recognizing privilege, self-efficacy), alongside three related logistics design implementation. Results discussed how improve assignment.