Co-Constructing Healing-Centered Educator SEL: A Critical Participatory Action Research Study of School Counselor Praxis

• In Event: Reimagining Youth Agency: Pedagogies of Voice, Power, and Possibility

Abstract

Purpose
This study explores how PhD-level school counselors (PhD-SCs) implemented Educator Social-Emotional Learning (EduSEL) interventions to support educator well-being while deepening their own clinical, counseling, and supervisory capacities. The dual purpose was to: (1) enhance educator social-emotional competence (SEC) and reflection through small-group and individual sessions, and (2) examine the professional growth and identity development of school counselors engaging in healing-centered EduSEL practice. It also aims to inform counselor education, supervision, and policy for sustainable EduSEL integration in schools.

Theoretical Framework
This study is grounded in an integrated framework combining the Healing Research Methodology Framework (HRMF; Lee et al., 2023), critical perspectives on power, privilege, and intersectionality (Author et al., 2024; Author et al., 2022b), and bioecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). HRMF embeds healing, empowerment, and relational inquiry into research—especially with marginalized communities—by prioritizing social justice and cultural sensitivity. It views participants as co-researchers and healing as both a method and outcome. Critical frameworks interrogate inequities through intersectionality, while bioecological systems theory emphasizes how individuals interact within larger sociocultural systems. Together, these perspectives inform a healing-centered, reflective design that advances both educator wellness and counselor development.

Methods
This qualitative CPAR study engaged a team of PhD-SCs over two semesters as they designed and facilitated EduSEL interventions in their K-12 practicum sites. The researchers met bi-weekly for reflective supervision, collaborative planning, and analysis. Techniques included narrative inquiry, supervision dialogues, reflective journaling, and iterative coding across implementation phases. The study emphasized co-construction of knowledge, positional reflexivity, and counselor praxis transformation.
Evidence

Data included: (1) session field notes and reflection forms completed by PhD-SCs; (2) transcripts of supervision dialogues; (3) pre-/post-reflective prompts and identity maps; (4) facilitator journals; and (5) artifacts from educator sessions (e.g., group responses, quotes). Analysis used critical thematic coding grounded in CPAR cycles of reflection, action, and meaning-making.

Results
Findings revealed EduSEL created co-healing spaces where educators reconnected with their purpose, gained SEL tools, and increased emotional awareness. Simultaneously, PhD-SCs developed a more integrated counselor identity, sharpened their clinical skills, and practiced leadership in advocacy and systemic SEL. EduSEL, implemented through critically reflexive frameworks, benefits both educators and counselors while helping shift school climate toward relational wellness, and is ready to support student agency.

Scholarly Significance
This study addresses a key gap in SEL by focusing on educators as central to systemic well-being. It offers a model for embedding EduSEL in counselor preparation, using CPAR and healing-centered pedagogy for transformative practice. The findings emphasize relational trust, regulation, and collaboration as conditions for equity-focused reform. Student voice thrives when educators are emotionally well.

Authors

• Kara Ieva, Rowan University

• Erica Figueroa, Rowan University

• Melissa Franzosi, Rowan University

• Indra L. Owens, Rowan University

• Jordon Beasley, Augusta University

• Sam Steen, George Mason University