Counselors

Based on the relevant literature—as described in the Literature Review section—we identified a few teacher characteristics that could be related to Self-Efficacy for Integrating Technology in Teaching and to Success in Teaching in ERT. Hence, we measured variables in a few categories, as described below. Descriptive statistics for these variables are reported in the Research Population section.
Demographic variables. Participants were asked to report on their Gender [Men, Women], Age (by reporting on birth year), and Mother Tongue [Hebrew, Arabic, Other]. Our participants included 599 females and 136 males (81% and 19%, accordingly), ranging in age between 21 and 69 years of age (M = 44, SD = 8.7, N = 735). These characteristics are largely aligned with the demographics of the Israeli teaching staff (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2020 ). Note that we assume normality for the age variable, as tests for skewness and kurtosis resulted with satisfyingly low values of 0.10 and − 0.31, respectively. Of the participants, 59% (437 of 735) reported that their Mother Tongue was Hebrew, 33% reported on Arabic (246 of 735), other languages were reported to relatively low degrees, hence we grouped them as “Other” (52 of 735, 7%); these ratios are slightly biased towards the Arab-speaking population, as teachers in the Arabic sector in Israel are about 22% of the overall teaching force at secondary education (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2021 ).
Teaching-related variables. We measured a few variables that helped us distinguish between teachers based on their professional characteristics. Specifically, we measured the following: Teaching Experience [years]; Experience in Teaching with Technology [5-point Likert scale]; Leading Role at School [yes/no for each of the following: grade coordinator, domain coordinator, ICT coordinator, counselor, vice principal, principal] – while processing the data, we aggregated this into a binary variable of managing position [yes/no]; Teaching Domain [Mathematics; Science; Technology; Language (mother tongue or second language); Humanities; Social Sciences; Arts; Physical Education; Other] – these values were chosen based on the way the Israeli curriculum is built, however while processing the data, and based on the responses, we defined only three categories: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Humanities and Social Sciences, and Language (either mother tongue of second language).
Our participants had an average Teaching Experience of 14.7 years (SD = 8.9, N = 735), with an average index of Experience of Teaching with Technology of 3.4 of 5 (SD = 1.1, N = 735). Note that we assume normality for these two variables; tests for skewness and kurtosis for Teaching Experience resulted with satisfyingly low values of 0.67 and − 0.34, respectively, and for Experience of Teaching with Technology they were − 0.10 and − 0.61, respectively. Of the participants, 32% (238 of 735) had a leading role at school, being part of the management team. Regarding their Teaching Domains, we had similar ratios of teachers teaching STEM (33%, 241 of 735), Language (either mother tongue or second language, 30%, 224 of 735), and Social Sciences or Humanities (37%, 270 of 735).
COVID-19-related variables. Finally, we measured a few variables that were unique to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The variable Risk Group [Yes/No] indicates whether the participant or one of their household members were defined as being in a risk group for a severe illness from COVID-19; this group includes, among others, pregnant women, people over 60 years old, those who have a background of critical medical condition, and people who live in nursing homes. Additionally, we surveyed for four factors that were perceived as challenging working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, each of which was ranked on a 3-point Likert scale: Physical Space Difficulties, Technology Difficulties (infrastructure-wise), Familial Difficulties, and Emotional Difficulties.
Of our participants, 24% (177 of 735) were in a Risk Group for COVID-19. Regarding the factors that influenced their working from home, Familial Difficulties where the most common (M = 1.96, SD = 0.75, N = 714), followed by Emotional Difficulties (M = 1.73, SD = 0.68, N = 708), Physical Space Difficulties (M = 1.633, SD = 0.73, N = 728), and finally Technology Difficulties (M = 1.627, SD = 0.73, N = 724).

Eligibility for the program was assessed in three phases. Our first phase was at the organizational level—eligible mental health organizations were required to (1) have two lead administrators willing to serve as point persons for the study (henceforth referred to as “administrators”); (2) have a minimum of five mental health providers (henceforth referred to as “therapists”) eligible and willing to participate in the program; (3) be able to make autonomous decisions regarding the organization’s policies and procedures (e.g., paperwork changes); and (4) not be explicitly branded as an LGBTQ+ focused, substance use rehabilitation, or faith-based services organization. Once organizations were deemed eligible, research staff scheduled an “orientation” meeting with administrators to confirm their eligibility, review the study components and timeline, and discuss the next steps. Following the orientation, administrators solicited interest in the study from a targeted six eligible therapists—five being the minimum and seven being the maximum to remain eligible—from their organization to participate in the study by sharing a therapist orientation video and an FAQ page. Administrators were also required to complete an organization-level online baseline comprehensive assessment of their LGBTQ+ climate and a participant contact form.
The second phase of organizational eligibility focused on therapist eligibility. Once recruited by administrators, therapists were asked to complete a baseline self-assessment of their demographics, client demographics, and their LGBTQ+ competence, which allowed researchers to assess eligibility. Therapists were required to (1) be either provisionally or fully licensed therapists (i.e., clinical social workers, mental health counselors, licensed professional counselors, licensed psychologists, and licensed marriage and family therapists), (2) work at the organization for a minimum of 20 hours a week, and (3) have at least 10 active clients 16 years old or older at the enrolled organization. If administrator and therapist participants appeared eligible, a research team member contacted them to clarify any remaining questions about eligibility.
Organizations took about 3 weeks to complete all enrollment data collection. Once eligibility screening was completed, organizations were officially enrolled in the study and randomized to a study condition (i.e., intervention or control). The intervention and control condition therapists received a list of approximately 15 publicly accessible free online LGBTQ+ clinical competency webinars (https://www.samhsa.gov/lgbtq-plus-behavioral-health-equity?&), whereas the intervention condition therapists also received the SGDLC workshop and SGDLC clinical consultations. The intervention, but not control, condition administrators received the SGDLC workshop and the SGDLC technical assistance. To facilitate engagement in the program components, all study administrators and therapists were given access to an informational website outlining their study condition’s program components, related resources, and timeline of tasks. They were also added to the study condition email list, which provided weekly email updates for administrators and therapists with instructions for upcoming training and data collection activities.