Power politics: Advocacy to activism in social justice counseling.

2013

Tammy Jorgensen-Smith
[email protected]
813-974-0973

The authors seek to initiate a broader dialog within the social justice movements across disciplines to include a deeper understanding of how power politics plays out in the social/political domain of the public arena outlined in the American Counseling Association (ACA) Advocacy Competencies. In this domain, counselors act as legislative/policy change advocates. However, in recent years social justice advocates within the profession have called for a more activist stance focusing on changing social structures of unjust systems and institutions as an adjunct to legislative/policy advocacy. Activities engaged in by policy/legislative advocates and structural change activists are discussed. Delineation between the differences in perception of power by political operatives and counseling professionals is examined so counselors may have a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with being social change agents.

social justice counseling, advocacy, activism

Peer-reviewed publications in scholarly journals submitted

Professionals

Electronic (disc, CD, 508 compliant web posting)

N/A