INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE: SCHOOL COUNSELORS TRANSFORMING SCHOOLS FOR LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, AND QUEER (LGBTQ) STUDENTS

The special issue of Professional School Counseling on "School Counselors Transforming Schools for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Students" contains six empirical studies practicing school counselors and school counselor educators can use to inform their own training and refine their interventions with LGBTQ students in order to transform the school environment into an affirming one for LGBTQ students. [...]when accounting for other LGBTQ-related school supports (i.e., supportive student clubs; positive representations of LGBTQ people, history, and events in the curriculum; and comprehensive antibullying/harassment policies), Kosciw, Palmer, Kull, and Greytak (2013) found that supportive school staff had the strongest positive effects on the school environment and student well-being. [...]at a system level, school counselors can engage in activities that promote the well-being and positive development of the student body, such as developing and implementing school-wide prevention programs, consulting with teachers regarding student performance and well-being, curriculum planning, and advocating for programs and policies that promote safer and more welcoming school environments (DePaul, Walsh, & Dam, 2009; Singh & Burnes, 2009). Since its inception, the ASCA National Model (American School Counselor Association [ASCA], 2003, 2005, 2012) has moved toward embedding advocacy for all students within the school counselor role. Research also has suggested that many advocacy strategies work in the real world for school counselors in addition to using data, such as working with all stakeholders within the school, consciousness raising, and teaching students self-advocacy skills (Singh et al., 2010). [...]increased attention to empirical work with school counselors and LGBTQ students can help school counselors enhance their advocacy strategies with this group.