Perspective Coaching with S.T.E.A.M., Neurofeedback, MBSR and Virtual Reality Perspective Taking (VRPT)

Abstract

T Our unique Master of Science in School Counseling academic program is located in New York City and is rooted in community-based counselor training with a focus on culturally relevant social and philosophical concepts. This counselor training framework translates into perspective taking skills that are primarily developed through coaching candidates during their fieldwork experiences. Candidates are trained in various schools of thoughts- to include existential approaches with socio-cultural elements and transactional analysis with cultural scripts- so that they are able to work as part of interdisciplinary teams and engage with local underserved and underrepresented communities. Engaging candidates from graduate level behavioral health training programs in perspective taking has always been a challenge. In this article we discuss some of the challenges in training counselors to work in diverse settings. This article will further discuss how the use of perspective coaching with candidates in our program, in how it is instrumental for their overall personal and professional development. With perspective coaching the candidates also reflect on issues of poverty and violence and on how people have lost perspective of the fact that we need to be living in a functioning society- where now people are seeing happiness as something that happens only personally. Perspective Coaching allows us to put happiness in a new existential light where happiness to one person will mean that others in the community are also treated with basic respect and consideration. We also discuss the need to integrate advanced approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (S.T.E.A.M), involving neurofeedback, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Virtual reality Perspective taking (VRPT). A professional development plan was juxtaposed with a rubric for measuring developmental levels of Perspective Taking and Empathic Understanding. Our preliminary finding show that there is a consensus among course instructors and field supervisors per the need for inter-rater reliability in measuring candidates’ developmental level at the beginning and at the completion of the practical experience. As a result candidates will be coached through perspective taking activities. The coaching will involve both the course instructors and field supervisors in order to develop a professional counselor disposition that is consistent with the social and philosophical concepts within the candidates’ overall developmental plan as well as provides them with unique training for emerging technologies.