Research Guides: Counseling Research Guide: Background Info

Counseling Reference Works

The Counseling Dictionary by Samuel T. Gladding
Publication Date: 2017
This authoritative reference book by one of the most distinguished leaders in the profession features 4,000 commonly used terms and abbreviations in counseling.
The ACA Encyclopedia of Counseling by American Counseling Association
Publication Date: 2009
This premiere counseling reference book is ideal for students, educators, supervisors, researchers, and practitioners seeking to quickly update or refresh their knowledge of the most important topics in counseling.
The Professional Counselor's Desk Reference by Irmo Marini (Editor); Mark A. Stebnicki (Editor)
ISBN: 9780826171818
Publication Date: 2015
A unique interdisciplinary approach inclusive across all counseling disciplines and features contributions from over 110 highly regarded experts in counselor education, research, and practice. It is based on the core content and knowledge areas outlined by CACREP and CORE accreditation standards and disseminates, in 93 chapters, both contemporary insight and practical strategies for working with the complexity of real-life issues related to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of diverse clients.
Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling by Joshua Watson; Michael K. Schmit
Publication Date: 2019
Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling presents a broad overview of the field of clinical mental health and provides students with the knowledge and skills to successfully put theory into practice in real-world settings. The text introduces students to emerging paradigms in the field such as mindfulness, behavioral medicine, neuroscience, recovery-oriented care, provider care, person-centered treatment planning, and holistic wellness, while emphasizing the importance of selecting evidence-based practices appropriate for specific clients, issues, and settings. Aligned with 2016 CACREP Standards and offering practical activities and case examples, the text will prepare future counselors for the realities of clinical practice.

Reference Sources Online

These full-text reference sources - specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, etc. - are available online to students, faculty and staff of TAMU-CC.

These sources are useful when you don't know a lot about a topic. They give good overviews and background information on many topics related to education.

Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Provides electronic access to reference books. Browse or search one reference source or all at one time. Content and/or interface may be translated into a selected languages upon request. Entries may be downloaded, and persistent URLS saved for future use.
Oxford Reference Online: Premium Collection This link opens in a new window
Dependable, reputable reference works for quick fact-checking and deeper research.

Credo Reference search box

Literature Reviews

Literature Review - a systematic review of the published material, or scholarly writings, on a specific topic or research question. The primary goal is analysis - and not simply summarization - of these scholarly writings. This analysis serves to provide background information on your topic and detail the connection between those writings and your research question. After all, we cannot know where we're going until we know where we've been.

Often, when researching for your literature review, you will not find exact matches to your research question - this is ok, and often expected. Your goal will be to pull relevant information regarding aspects of your research, analyzing these writings, and (as previously mentioned) connecting them to each other and your topic.

A Literature Review will help you achieve the following:

Provides background on research topic
Guides you in detailing or focusing your own research question
Provides a framework for research or future research - identifying major themes and concepts
Offers insights on unexplored ideas related to a topic, gaps in the research
Assists with avoiding repetition of earlier research
Tests assumptions; may help counter preconceived ideas and remove unconscious bias
Identifies points of disagreement, or potentially flawed methodology or theoretical approaches

Searching the psychology and education databases, and others such as Web of Science and Dissertations & Theses, is the way you are able to discover the research that has been done on any given subject.

The "Find Articles" tab in this research guide is where you can begin this search.

Elements in a Literature Review
- Locate major formative works in the field
- Ascertain key researchers working on this topic
- Find main ideas conclusions and theories
- Establish similarities & differences
- Notice main methodologies & research techniques
- Identify gaps in existing research
- Show relationships between previous studies / theories
- Provide context for your own research
- Explore existing information in the fields of research

Copyright Resources

"Intellectual Property Rights"
From Encyclopedia of Education, 2003. Gale Virtual Reference Library (database).
Copyright Resources with Links
Fair Use Checklist from Kenneth Crews, formerly of Copyright Advisory Office, Columbia University

Smart Copyright Compliance for Schools by Rebecca P. Butler
Call Number: KF 3080 .B88 2009
ISBN: 9781555706463
Publication Date: 2009-03-01
This guide has been written for school administrators, teachers, technology coordinators, school boards and library media specialists, in order to facilitate the introduction of copyright compliance programs.

Counseling Research Guide:Background Info

Counseling Reference Works

Reference Sources Online

Credo Reference search box

Literature Reviews

Copyright Resources