“Listening beyond words”: Unforgetting histories in bilingual counseling

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Saturday 9:45 am
  In Poster Session: Counseling Poster Session B

Abstract

This qualitative case study examines how bilingual school counselors engage with Latinx multilingual learners through language variation, migration histories, and cultural narratives. Drawing on sociocultural theory and critical consciousness, we conducted three pláticas with three Spanish-English simultaneous bilingual counselors serving majority Latinx and Black student populations in the mid-Atlantic. Findings reveal that effective bilingual counseling extends beyond language matching, encompassing relational linguistic practices, attention to migration histories as emotional landscapes, and cultural reflexivity as ethical practice. These approaches resist deficit-based views of bilingualism and affirm students’ cultural and linguistic repertoires as sources of resilience and knowledge. The study highlights the need for counselor education that integrates linguistic, cultural, and historical competence to better serve Latinx students.

Authors

• Mariana L. Sánchez, University of Maryland

• Marina Sanchez, The George Washington University