Child Sex Trafficking and Professional School Counselor Preparedness in Texas

Authors

Devon E. Romero, University of Texas at San AntonioFollow
Claudia G. Interiano-Shiverdecker, University of Texas at San AntonioFollow
Katherine E. McVay, Texas A&M University-Corpus ChristiFollow
Brenda Jones, University of Texas at San AntonioFollow

Document Type

Article

Keywords

child sex trafficking, school counselor, training, school counselor preparedness, at-risk youth

Subject Area

Counselor Education, School Counseling

Abstract

Professional school counselors in Texas responded to a questionnaire about training received and their needs concerning preparedness to identify and work with youth exposed to child sex trafficking (CST). The study utilized a convergent parallel mixed methods design. Quantitative results indicated many participants did not find that their graduate degree program prepared them to work with CST and less than half felt their school and/or district provided adequate training opportunities. In addition, thematic analysis revealed two themes characterizing Texas school counselors’ needs to identify and work with CST: (a) concerning preparedness: “so much going on” and (b) “specific training”: a comprehensive review of CST. This article concludes with implications and recommendations for practice and future research.

Recommended Citation

Romero, D. E., Interiano-Shiverdecker, C. G., McVay, K. E., & Jones, B. (2024). Child Sex Trafficking and Professional School Counselor Preparedness in Texas. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 18(2). Retrieved from https://research.library.kutztown.edu/jcps/vol18/iss2/5