Counseling Hispanic American Middle School Girls

The recent increase in the number of immigrant students in elementary and secondary schools, especially those of Asian and Hispanic descent (U.S. Department of Education, 1997), has posed a significant challenge for school counselors. These immigrant students often suffer from social adjustment difficulties and language barriers, which prevent them from excelling both academically and socially in the school setting (Sam, 2000; Cole, 1998; Suarez-Orozco, 1989). In order to be effective in counseling these students, counselors must be able to address the distinctive mental health issues confronting them such as their adjustment difficulties and cultural barriers (Lockhart & Keys, 1998; Reynolds, 1999). Essentially, student counselors who adopt a multicultural perspective must be able to acknowledge the effects of cultural factors underlying the causes of the students' problems. Similarly, they need to take into consideration the cultural factors in their formulation of an appropriate treatment plan (Constantine & Ladany, 2000).

In this paper, the unique counseling needs and problems of Hispanic American middle school girls will be described and discussed. First, the paper will identify the distinctive cultural backgrounds and issues, which undermine this student population's ability to succeed in the school setting. Second, the cultural factors that should be considered by school counselors with regard to their treatmen

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ential setbacks that will inevitably arise in this process. Instead of being discouraged by some regressions in the students' efforts, student counselors must maintain their supportive and understanding attitudes toward them. Without this support, students are likely to succumb to the negative effects of their adjustment difficulties (McLatchie, 1997; Nguyen, Messe & Stollak, 1999). In order to offer adequate support to these students, student counselors must be able to address each of these interrelated problems confronted by Hispanic-American middle school girls: Academic, social and psychological difficulties in adjusting to the school environment and a different culture: All immigrant students who are first thrust into an unfamiliar cultural environment all experience difficulties in adapting to the situation. Before they can function successfully, they must overcome culture shock, learn about the rules and practices of the new culture and implement them appropriately (Mak, Westwood, Ishiyama, & Barker, 1999). Throughout this process, they are likely to encounter prejudice and racist behavior, which can essentially undermine their progress (Constantine & Gushue, 2003). Conflicting expectations between home and school:
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Approximate Word count = 2322
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)