March 30, 2026
Counseling group pushes far-left agenda in the name of mental health support
USPIE: ‘The American School Counselor Association is another example of a professional organization committed to undermining real education and instead indoctrinating children’
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The organization that sets the agenda for the 130,000 school counselors across the U.S. is promoting a left-wing activist program that advocates critical race theory and transgender ideology, United States Parents Involved in Education (USPIE) is warning.
The American School Counselor Association, whose membership includes about 42,000 of the nation’s estimated 131,230 school counselors and which releases guidance for the entire profession, held a webinar last month promoting the Lean In Girls program.
“The American School Counselor Association is another example of a professional organization committed to undermining real education and instead indoctrinating children through school counselors,” said Sheri Few, founder and president of USPIE. “Troubled kids are especially vulnerable to being steered into identifying as either victims, perpetrators or people who need to change their sexual identity. All of this is child abuse.”
A report, first provided to The Daily Signal, exposes Lean In Girls’ support for critical race theory and transgender ideology. The Lean In Girls Handbook includes resources from the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), GLISTEN (formerly GLSEN), and the British LGBTQ nonprofit Stonewall.
The report faults the handbook for promoting the idea that American society is systemically racist despite the progress of civil rights laws and that it requires fundamental change to root out “white supremacy.” The handbook’s section on “Counteracting Biases and Barriers in Group Settings” directs facilitators to “educate yourself about ways people with traditionally marginalized identities are stereotyped and treated unfairly.”
“This is typical left-wing programming,” Few said. “Children are to be counseled that America was never good, is fatally racist, and needs to become socialist to ensure that ‘social justice’ is established on the basis of race, ethnicity or sexuality.”
During the webinar, “Confidence Counts: Leadership Skills as a Tier 2 Intervention for Girls,” Lean In Girls’ official Kelly Meredith urged school counselors to adopt the Lean In Girls program as part of the requirements for students who need behavioral or mental health support.
The handbook’s section on “Gender Inclusion” warns facilitators that “some teens in the program may identify strongly with being a girl, while others may be exploring their gender identity or may feel uncomfortable with the label ‘girl.’”
In its recent report, “Are Government School Redeemable,” USPIE notes that teacher colleges, certifications and unions are serious hurdles to fixing schools.
“Despite the dramatic decline in student population, the number of school counselors continues to grow. There is no indication that school counselors positively impact student learning, but they may, in fact, be contributing to children’s mental health problems,” Few said. “Parents can easily be fooled by the titles of these counseling programs, while boys and girls will be lured into woke ideologies, including sexual confusion, victim/victimizer models of relationships and the demonization of meritocracy.”
To hear more from USPIE’s Founder and President, Sheri Few, tune in to the latest episode of USPIE’s podcast, “Unmasking Government Schools with Sheri Few,” on Tuesday, March 31, where Few is joined by special guest Will Estrada, senior legal counsel at the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and president of ParentalRights.org. Estrada has fought for homeschooling parents’ rights for years and has been actively involved in numerous legal victories that have defended families against unconstitutional restrictions and discriminatory practices. USPIE’s “Unmasking Government Schools with Sheri Few” is a weekly podcast that exposes the dangers of education shaped by government bureaucrats and social engineers, while exploring practical ways to protect children and preserve America’s freedom. Listen to “Unmasking Government Schools with Sheri Few” on YouTube, Facebook, Spotify and X.
United States Parents Involved in Education (USPIE) is a nonprofit, nationwide coalition that is fighting to return education to its proper local roots and restore parental authority over their children’s education by helping parents and local communities to escape federal and other national influences. It is the vision of USPIE to create a culture where parents, empowered with the authority to choose what and how their children learn, are the undisputed primary educators of their children, where local schools operate in support of families, and where education is unencumbered by federal mandates.
USPIE’s powerful documentary, “Truth & Lies in American Education,” addresses some of the most glaring issues in the American education system and helps parents experience a paradigm shift in how they think about education and the role of their local schools. The film follows Few’s daughter-in-law, April, as she seeks to learn more about the system she was planning on exposing to her own children and learns the shocking truth. “Truth & Lies in American Education” is available for streaming on SalemNOW, as well as available on DVD.
For more information on United States Parents Involved in Education, visit www.uspie.org or follow USPIE on Facebook or X.
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To interview a representative from United States Parents Involved in Education, contact Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.
