The CSCORE School Counseling Scholar Retreat was started to create an opportunity for school counselor educators (SCEs) to connect through deep conversation about school counseling, social justice, and other experiences and aspirations related to the education. We went into higher education and counseling with hopes that these professions would provide chances for rich discussions, change efforts, and connections with others. And we have found that in moments – but we want more of that, and the pandemic interrupted many of those opportunities. So, we decided to create a shared space for SCEs intellectual engagement, intentional community creation, support for synergy for the work, and some relaxed time together as well. More than anything, our goal is for this event to be inspirational and generative.

 

The structured retreat time consists of individual research presentations and group conversation, with each participant talking about some aspect of their scholarship (@15 minutes), followed by a discussion with 8-12 other scholars on the topic (@15 minutes). This provides SCEs with an opportunity to share their work and potentially garner new insights and partnerships. Additionally, the larger group engages in broader conversations about school counseling, youth development, and societal equity. We eat lunch together, and dinner as a group is an optional event as well. There is plenty of time for random conversations and socializing, as we think the best way to continue to grow as a profession is to find the positive spark and community that is possible when we gather with intentionality.

 

The pilot retreat was held at UMass Amherst in the summer of 2023. The retreat is facilitated by CSCORE Director Carey Dimmitt and Associate Director Matthew Lemberger-Truelove. We initially invited a small group of school counselor education (SCE) leaders and upcoming scholars to keep the event small. We have subsequently expanded the invitation list every year since – currently there are over 100 names on our list – through both word of mouth and awareness of scholarly activity.  The event is now capped at 20-25, depending on the context, as we want to be small enough to feel like a coherent community.