Program Evaluation of a Community-Engaged Partnership Between a Counselor Preparation Program and Adult Probation Services

This study evaluated counseling services provided by counselor trainees to individuals on probation within a partnership between a counselor training program and a community supervision department. Eighty-one participants were included in the program evaluation, with 65 reporting demographics. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 74 and included 35 men and 30 women. Of those 65, 67.7% identified as White, 24.6% as African American, 6.2% as another race not specified, and 1.5% Native American or Alaskan Native. Additionally, 83.1% identified as non-Hispanic and 16.9% as Hispanic. Pre–post assessments were completed and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests revealed statistically significant reduction of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms, anger reactions, and relapse symptoms, and a statistically significant increase in presence of meaning in life, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction. Percentage improvement revealed more than half of the participants had clinically significant improvement in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Results indicate promise for community-engaged partnerships to provide no-cost responsive counseling services to individuals on probation.Keywords: Program evaluationcounseling outcomesprobationcommunity-engaged partnership Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationNotes on contributorsJessica M. HolmJessica M. Holm, PhD, LPC, is an Associate Professor of Counseling at The University of Texas at Tyler. Her research interests include counseling outcomes, counseling preparation, addictions counseling, and adolescent mental health.Elizabeth A. ProsekElizabeth A. Prosek, PhD, LPC, NCC, is an Associate Professor of Counselor Education at Penn State University. Her research interests include counseling military populations; community engagement and program evaluation; co-occurring presenting concerns; and ethics, exemplar practice, and professional identity development in counseling and counselor education. She currently serves the profession as an Associate Editor for Qualitative Research for the Journal of Counseling & Development and an editorial board member for Teaching and Supervision in Counseling. She has previously served as the President of the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling.Justin R. LockhartJustin R. Lockhart is a Doctoral Candidate and Fellow in Counselor Education and Supervision at The University of Texas at San Antonio. His research interests are workplace mental health, counselor advocacy, counselor identity development, program evaluation, and culturally inclusive counseling practices. He also serves as a Board Member for both the Texas Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling and for the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce.Melanie S. RawlsMelanie S. Rawls, JD, is a MA candidate in the clinical mental health counseling program at the University of Texas at Tyler. Her research interests focus on integration of traditional healing and ceremonial practices with empirically-based interventions used in the treatment of substance use in Native American communities, as well as, suicide and domestic violence awareness, prevention, intervention, and postvention in Native American communities.Jessica GertheJessica Gerthe, MA, NCC, is a doctoral student in counselor education at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests focus on adolescent suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.