ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a school psychologist’s perspective on short-term school counseling with a Black Deaf Adolescent female who had disordered eating habits. The problem of eating disorders among the Black deaf community is discussed in a sociocultural context using a cognitive behavioral therapy approach. This counseling approach lends itself well to the cultural complexities of mental health service provision for this client, who was diagnosed with binge eating disorder. An essential component of the case study is the role intrapersonal intelligence (i.e., self-awareness) played in the counseling process. The Minnesota Social Skills Checklist for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students and the Informal Inventory of Independence and Self-Advocacy Skills for Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students were used as data collection, session planning, and progress monitoring tools. Treatment included 30 weekly counseling sessions with the school psychologist and a postcounseling continuum-of-care plan. The client’s binge eating behavior was in full remission at the completion of the 30-week counseling intervention. It is hoped that this case study advances the work of practicing school psychologists in the ever-evolving 21st-century educational experience.
