COUC 504 EXAM 2026 QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS (GRADED A+)
Social Justice Counseling - ANSWER-refers to counseling that recognizes the
impact of oppression, privilege, and discrimination on the mental health of individuals
social injustice - ANSWER-refers to the unequal distribution of rewards and burdens.
oppression - ANSWER-is pervasive and exists across multiple groups (e.g., people
of color, people of lower socioeconomic status or social class, gay men, people with
disabilities) and at varying levels (e.g., individual, institutional, cultural). Oppression
can be said to have two modalities (i.e., oppression by force and oppression by
deprivation) and be of three types (i.e., primary, secondary, and tertiary)
*result of oppression is imbalance of power
oppression by force - ANSWER-involves the act of imposing, on an individual or a
group, an object, a label, a role, an experience, or a living condition that is unwanted
and that causes physical or psychological pain. Examples directed at individuals or
marginalized groups include sexual assault, negative media images of minority
groups, kidnapping (of either an individual or members of a marginalized group), and
physical violence toward an individual or a group of individuals.
oppression by deprivation - ANSWER-includes the act of depriving an individual or a
group of an object, a label, a role, an experience, or a living condition that hinders
physical and psychological well-being. Examples include neglecting individuals and
withholding job promotions from them because of their minority status, denying
certain groups a rich educational experience on the basis of their skin color or
socioeconomic sta-tus, making it difficult to find affordable transportation from home
to a place of employment, and making it practically impossible to find safe, affordable
housing
primary oppression - ANSWER-consists of overt acts representing either of the two
modalities of oppression (i.e., oppression by force, oppression by deprivation)
secondary oppression - ANSWER-involves individuals benefiting from overt
oppressive acts against others. Although individu-als involved in secondary
oppression do not actively engage in oppressive acts, they do not object to others
who do engage in overt oppressive acts and do benefit from the oppression
tertiary oppression (internalized oppression) - ANSWER-refers to the identification of
the dominant message by members of the minority group, often to seek acceptance
by the dominant group. Like secondary oppression, tertiary oppression can be
passive in nature
structure violence (institutional oppression) - ANSWER-results when social, political,
economic, and other institutional entities and processes intentionally or
, unintentionally erect barriers to development, wellness, dignity, and human potential.
Structural violence can be overt, although it is often covert, making it harder to
detect.
ex. providing insufficient funding to inner-city and rural schools, limiting access to
healthy and affordable food, accepting high unemployment rates for certain minority
groups, limiting access to quality health care and preventative care, and making it
difficult to find affordable transportation.
privilege - ANSWER-made up of several components, such as having power,
access, or unearned advantage, and holding a majority status
*oppression and privilege are inversely related
empowerment - ANSWER-the process by which people, organizations, or groups
who are powerless and mar-ginalized (a) become aware of the power dynamics at
work in their life context, (b) develop the skills and capacity for gaining reasonable
control over their lives, (c) which they exercise, (d) without infringing on the rights of
others, and (e) which coin-cides with actively supporting the empowerment of others
in their community.
*goal of social justice counseling involves empowering disenfranchised groups
resilience - ANSWER-the set of behaviors and attitudes that clients identify as
beneficial in coping with stressful situations and adversity
Milestones - ANSWER-1. 1971. Counseling and the Social Revolution. a special
issue of the Personnel and Guidance Journal (currently known as the Journal of
Counseling & Development) is published. The publication encourages counselors to
actively engage in the social change process and address issues related to racism,
sexism, destruction of the environment, and ending warfare.
2. 1987. the American Association for Counseling and Development (currently the
American Counseling Association [ACA]) publishes a position paper on human rights
that urges counselors to advocate for social change through personal, professional,
and political activities.
3. 1992: Sue et al. (1992) publish the multicultural counseling competencies and
standards.
4. 1998: Social Action: A Mandate for Counselors, edited by Courtland Lee and
Garry Walz, is published.
5. 1999: A special issue of the Journal of Counseling & Development, a publication
edited by Tracy L. Robinson and Earl J. Ginter, is dedicated to racism.
6. 2003: ACA endorses the Advocacy Competencies developed by Lewis, Arnold,
House, and Toporek (2003).
7. 2005: The revised ACA Code of Ethics places an increased emphasis on
multiculturalism and social justice issues in counseling. In particular, the new
standard E.5.c. directs counselors to "recognize historical and social prejudices in
the misdiagnosis and pathol-ogizing of certain individuals and groups and the role of
mental health professionals in perpetuating these prejudices through diagnosis and
treatment."
8. 2007: The Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) adopts
the theme "Vanguards for Change: ACES and Social Justice" and sponsors a Social
AND ANSWERS (GRADED A+)
Social Justice Counseling - ANSWER-refers to counseling that recognizes the
impact of oppression, privilege, and discrimination on the mental health of individuals
social injustice - ANSWER-refers to the unequal distribution of rewards and burdens.
oppression - ANSWER-is pervasive and exists across multiple groups (e.g., people
of color, people of lower socioeconomic status or social class, gay men, people with
disabilities) and at varying levels (e.g., individual, institutional, cultural). Oppression
can be said to have two modalities (i.e., oppression by force and oppression by
deprivation) and be of three types (i.e., primary, secondary, and tertiary)
*result of oppression is imbalance of power
oppression by force - ANSWER-involves the act of imposing, on an individual or a
group, an object, a label, a role, an experience, or a living condition that is unwanted
and that causes physical or psychological pain. Examples directed at individuals or
marginalized groups include sexual assault, negative media images of minority
groups, kidnapping (of either an individual or members of a marginalized group), and
physical violence toward an individual or a group of individuals.
oppression by deprivation - ANSWER-includes the act of depriving an individual or a
group of an object, a label, a role, an experience, or a living condition that hinders
physical and psychological well-being. Examples include neglecting individuals and
withholding job promotions from them because of their minority status, denying
certain groups a rich educational experience on the basis of their skin color or
socioeconomic sta-tus, making it difficult to find affordable transportation from home
to a place of employment, and making it practically impossible to find safe, affordable
housing
primary oppression - ANSWER-consists of overt acts representing either of the two
modalities of oppression (i.e., oppression by force, oppression by deprivation)
secondary oppression - ANSWER-involves individuals benefiting from overt
oppressive acts against others. Although individu-als involved in secondary
oppression do not actively engage in oppressive acts, they do not object to others
who do engage in overt oppressive acts and do benefit from the oppression
tertiary oppression (internalized oppression) - ANSWER-refers to the identification of
the dominant message by members of the minority group, often to seek acceptance
by the dominant group. Like secondary oppression, tertiary oppression can be
passive in nature
structure violence (institutional oppression) - ANSWER-results when social, political,
economic, and other institutional entities and processes intentionally or
, unintentionally erect barriers to development, wellness, dignity, and human potential.
Structural violence can be overt, although it is often covert, making it harder to
detect.
ex. providing insufficient funding to inner-city and rural schools, limiting access to
healthy and affordable food, accepting high unemployment rates for certain minority
groups, limiting access to quality health care and preventative care, and making it
difficult to find affordable transportation.
privilege - ANSWER-made up of several components, such as having power,
access, or unearned advantage, and holding a majority status
*oppression and privilege are inversely related
empowerment - ANSWER-the process by which people, organizations, or groups
who are powerless and mar-ginalized (a) become aware of the power dynamics at
work in their life context, (b) develop the skills and capacity for gaining reasonable
control over their lives, (c) which they exercise, (d) without infringing on the rights of
others, and (e) which coin-cides with actively supporting the empowerment of others
in their community.
*goal of social justice counseling involves empowering disenfranchised groups
resilience - ANSWER-the set of behaviors and attitudes that clients identify as
beneficial in coping with stressful situations and adversity
Milestones - ANSWER-1. 1971. Counseling and the Social Revolution. a special
issue of the Personnel and Guidance Journal (currently known as the Journal of
Counseling & Development) is published. The publication encourages counselors to
actively engage in the social change process and address issues related to racism,
sexism, destruction of the environment, and ending warfare.
2. 1987. the American Association for Counseling and Development (currently the
American Counseling Association [ACA]) publishes a position paper on human rights
that urges counselors to advocate for social change through personal, professional,
and political activities.
3. 1992: Sue et al. (1992) publish the multicultural counseling competencies and
standards.
4. 1998: Social Action: A Mandate for Counselors, edited by Courtland Lee and
Garry Walz, is published.
5. 1999: A special issue of the Journal of Counseling & Development, a publication
edited by Tracy L. Robinson and Earl J. Ginter, is dedicated to racism.
6. 2003: ACA endorses the Advocacy Competencies developed by Lewis, Arnold,
House, and Toporek (2003).
7. 2005: The revised ACA Code of Ethics places an increased emphasis on
multiculturalism and social justice issues in counseling. In particular, the new
standard E.5.c. directs counselors to "recognize historical and social prejudices in
the misdiagnosis and pathol-ogizing of certain individuals and groups and the role of
mental health professionals in perpetuating these prejudices through diagnosis and
treatment."
8. 2007: The Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) adopts
the theme "Vanguards for Change: ACES and Social Justice" and sponsors a Social
