Counseling Southeast Asian American male students: Insights from community college counselors

Counseling Southeast Asian American male students: Insights from community college counselors

Engagement with counselors has been documented to positively impact the success of male students of color in community colleges. However, there is limited understanding of this engagement experience from the counselor perspective. This study highlights findings from a qualitative study focused on counselor engagement with male students from Southeast Asian ethnic backgrounds (e.g., Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Vietnamese). Specifically, the current study sheds light on the different ways in which community college counselors engage with Southeast Asian American male students. Two themes emerged from the data and emphasized the significance of humanizing the counseling experience and providing intrusive counseling support. The first theme described how counselors individualize interactions with each student and invest time to understand the student’s story and frame of reference. The second theme described how they create conditions contributing to student’s willingness to disclose information and discuss educational goals. Implications for community college research and practice are discussed.

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