Culturally-Affirming Service-Learning for Counselors-in-Training: Child-Parent Relationship Therapy Training with Spanish-Speaking Families

Authors

Karen M. Roller, Palo Alto UniversityFollow
Szu-Yu ChenFollow
Katrina Volante, Palo Alto UniversityFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-0984-6737

Author Biography

Karen Roller, PhD, MFT, is an Associate Professor of Counseling at Palo Alto University and Clinical Coordinator of Family Connections, a parent-involvement preschool system serving predominantly Spanish-speaking migrant families in the San Francisco Bay Area. Karen has spent her clinical career in family therapy through community mental health for the marginalized and underserved including fostered youth, adjudicated youth, and the Latine/x migrant community, as well as international trauma training outreach in Haiti. Publications focus on language access and bilingual clinical pedagogy, anti-oppressive service-learning, suicide intervention training, and trauma treatment approaches. Karen is a Fellow with the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, Diplomate with the National Center for Crisis Management, Certified Clinical Traumatologist and Compassion Fatigue Therapist, Certified in School Crisis Response, and a Registered Yoga Teacher. She is currently completing a 115-hour certification to become a Pre-and-Perinatal Educator with a Spanish-speaking mentor, and creating Spanish-English bilingual public service materials for community outreach across the lifespan.

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Child-parent relationship therapy, critical race design, culturally-affirming, service-learning, Spanish-speaking Latinx families

Subject Area

Counseling, Counselor Education

Abstract

The Spanish-speaking community is the largest underserved language group in the United States. To advance social justice advocacy and multicultural humility for this language group, the field of counselor education needs to create pedagogical scaffolding for non-Spanish-speaking counselors-in-training to work with interpreters to support Spanish-speaking families, while also enhancing language-concordant training for Spanish-English bilingual counselors-in-training. We utilized a critical race research design to explore six counselors-in-training’s experience participating in service-learning through online facilitation of Child-Parent Relationship Therapy with Spanish-speaking families. Interpretative phenomenological analysis of qualitative data yielded four major themes: (a) collaboration, (b) improved awareness, (c) growth and strength, and (d) the need for more resources. Findings highlight the importance of iterative pedagogical and service-learning opportunities and supervision to enhance counselors-in-training’s culturally affirming interventions, knowledge, and social justice advocacy skills. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Public Significance Statement

The Spanish-speaking community is the largest underserved language group in need of skillful trauma-informed counseling services; providing pro bono outreach with language-concordant support and student training is essential to bridge this language treatment gap. Scaffolded service-learning is one effective way to reduce barriers and begin building trust with this most underserved language group.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.70013/z1zu7vd2

Recommended Citation

Roller, K. M., Chen, S., & Volante, K. (2025). Culturally-Affirming Service-Learning for Counselors-in-Training: Child-Parent Relationship Therapy Training with Spanish-Speaking Families. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 19(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.70013/z1zu7vd2