This study examined the construct validity of the Broaching Attitudes and Behavior Survey-Clients Abbreviated (BABS-CA) scale in a sample of African origin clients. Both the confirmatory factor analysis and multiple-indicators multiple-causes (MIMIC) model revealed excellent model fit. The findings indicated that respondents who were older, college educated, female, and who attended 7 or more counseling sessions were less likely to perceive their counselors as engaging in problematic broaching behaviors such as missing opportunities to discuss their cultural concerns, committing microaggressions, and engaging in ruptures. Parent background, which was used as a proxy for respondents' racial/ethnic background and socialization, did not predict respondents' broaching experience. Implications for counseling are addressed.
Broaching readiness, introduced to describe a clinician's preparedness to discuss race, ethnicity, and culture in therapy, lacks a validated measure. This study describes the preliminary development and content validity of the Broaching Readiness Scale (BRS) using a two-round Delphi method. Experts' qualitative feedback centered on clarity and language, and consensus was reached in Round 2, with interquartile ranges within 1.00 and validity indices exceeding 0.82. Implications for training, supervision, and research are discussed.
Broaching is a strategy used to discuss race, ethnicity, and culture (REC) with marginalized clients. This preliminary study outlines an empirically based model for training counseling students to adopt and engage in broaching attitudes and behaviors. This model was specifically designed for students with little to no experience discussing issues of REC. The study found the training model to be empirically significant in moving students further along the continuum of broaching styles.
As educational equity faces increasing political opposition, the success and well-being of historically marginalized and minoritized students depend in part on school counselors' ability to lead and sustain justice-focused, antiracist initiatives within schools and communities. Yet, navigating this hostile landscape requires more than just theoretical knowledge; it demands robust school counselor self-efficacy. This study explores the preliminary factor structure of the School Counselor Antiracist and Social Justice Self-Efficacy Scale (SCARSJ) using exploratory factor analysis with a national sample of 119 preservice and professional school counselors. Three distinct factors demonstrating robust internal consistency emerged: Racial Consciousness and Advocacy, Data-Informed Equity and Community Practice, and Cultural Self-Awareness and Reflexivity. The SCARSJ offers an initial psychometric framework to assess perceived school counselor self-efficacy for equity-oriented practice amid today's politically charged climate.
Black male student-athletes navigate school systems that exploit their athletic labor while neglecting their academic, psychosocial, and identity development (Harris 2020; Cooper 2016). School counselors are positioned to disrupt these inequities, yet often lack culturally grounded partnership models. We propose collaboration with the Black Church as a culturally anchored approach to counter identity foreclosure and affirm whole-student development. Integrating the Antiracist Strengths-Based School Counseling (ASBSC) framework (Harris et al. 2026) with the Village Model (Clemons 2024), we illustrate applications through a case example.
