Recognition of Community-Based Youth Programming in Counseling Psychology Journals: A 30-Year Analysis

• Published in: The Counseling psychologist Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 275 - 298
• Main Authors: Jensen, Laura E., Case, Amanda S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-02-2022; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Community psychology; Community-based programs; Content analysis; Counseling psychology; Oppression; Social justice; Youth; community-based interventions; community-based programs; content analysis; youth development; youth research
• ISSN: 0011-0000; 1552-3861
• DOI: 10.1177/00110000211057913

As a field, counseling psychology distinguishes itself through its values of building on client strengths, developmentally-informed and preventative approaches to treatment, social justice efforts to confront individual and systemic oppression, and treatment of individuals across the lifespan. Community-based youth programs offer a culturally-responsive way to advocate for and challenge the systemic inequities faced by youth today. Despite the connections between counseling psychology values and community-based programs, it is unclear how, and to what extent, the field has contributed to this literature. To address this issue, we conducted a content analysis of the three major counseling psychology journals to determine how community-based youth programs have been represented in the field. From January 1990 to March 2019 only 10 articles were published about community-based youth programming, representing only .17% of the articles published during that time period. Implications and future direction for researchers, journals, and the field as a whole are addressed.