School Counselor Perceptions and Knowledge of Trauma-Informed Practices

The American School Counselor Association developed a comprehensive set of school counseling guidelines to enhance the school counselor's role within schools in the United States. This study looks at counselors’ and principals’ perceptions of the school counselor's role in a Midwestern, regional rural educational environment. Results suggest that the perceptions of school counselors, counselors-in-training, and principals are, for the most part, similar. Differences occur in relation to addressing student (i.e., special education program versus student guidance) and administrative (i.e., clerical, secretarial, disciplinary duties) needs given limited personnel and economic resources. Limitations are discussed and suggestions for future research and advocacy are presented.

Social anxiety is highly prevalent but goes untreated. Although school-based CBT programs are efficacious when delivered by specialized psychologists, it is unclear whether school counselors can implement these interventions effectively, which is essential to promote sustainable school programs. We present an initial consultation strategy to support school counselor implementation of group CBT for social anxiety and an evaluation of counselors' treatment fidelity. Counselors were highly adherent to the treatment, but competence varied based on measurement. Counselors and consultants demonstrated good agreement for adherence, but relatively modest correspondence in competence ratings. We discuss future directions for school-based implementation efforts informed by these initial findings.

Middle school students go through a variety of changes as they transition from childhood to adolescence. Early adolescence is a period of tremendous variability among youngsters of the same gender and chronological age, according to the National Middle School Association (NMSA, 2003, p. 3). The changes and variability have implications for middle school counselors seeking to foster the growth, development, and of early adolescents. While school counseling has roots in developmental practice, middle school counseling programs and counselors in particular must be developmentally responsive. Even though there is currently some debate about the efficacy of the middle school concept (Swaim, 2004), the unique characteristics of early adolescents must be considered in developing school counseling programs designed to meet the needs of early adolescents, regardless of the school configuration in which one works (e.g., K-8, 7-8, 6-8). The primary goal for school counseling programs is to and enhance student learning (Campbell & Dahir, 1997, p. 11). responsive middle school counseling programs, activities, and interventions address the heterogeneity and academic, personal/social, and career development of students. For example, middle school counselors facilitate early adolescents' educational and career decision making and goal setting with an increase in choices available (e.g., academic tracks, extracurricular opportunities). Further, middle school counselors' expertise can be used to promote student engagement in and parental involvement in their children's education. These types of activities often are designed to facilitate the key transitions from one educational level to the next (e.g., elementary to middle to high school). The ASCA National Model[R] (American School Counselor Association, 2003) and the counseling approach of Developmental Advocacy (Galassi & Akos, 2004) provide an overarching framework for middle school counselors striving to foster and strengthen the academic, personal/social, and career development of middle school students. Developmental advocacy can be used to enhance a comprehensive middle school counseling program designed to address the needs of early adolescents. According to NMSA (2003), Developmentally responsive middle level schools promote abundant opportunities for students to develop and maintain healthy minds and bodies and to understand their personal growth (p. 31). Developmental advocacy emphasizes proactive approaches to help students build skills and to enhance the asset-building capacity of the school (NMSA, p. 155). NMSA (2003) recommended multifaceted guidance and support services (p. 7) and noted that counselors, as specialists in the schools, use their expertise to collaborate with teachers and administrators to promote student development and progress. Collaborating with various stakeholders (e.g., teachers, parents) to create an environment conducive to development and is critical for students. Such an environment is characterized by safety and support, high expectations, active learning, an adult advocate for each student, and partnerships with families and communities (NMSA). While the middle school concept is relatively new, there is limited research or scholarship about school counseling with early adolescents. One goal of this special issue was to present relevant articles that will facilitate the understanding and implementation of developmentally responsive middle school counseling programs. Another goal was to address issues relevant to the development of early adolescents and to present implications for middle school counseling programs. …

With the advent of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) in schools, counselor preparation programs are once again challenged to further extend the education and training of pre-service and in-service school counselors. To introduce and contextualize this special issue, an MTSS's intent and foci, as well as its theoretical and research underpinnings, are elucidated. Next, this article aligns MTSS with current professional school counselor standards of the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) School Counselor Competencies, the 2016 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) Standards for School Counselors and the ASCA National Model. Using Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Response to Intervention (RTI) models as exemplars, recommendations for integrating MTSS into school counselor preparation curriculum and pedagogy are discussed.

Chapter 8, “Understanding How to Manage Your School Counseling Program Using the ASCA National Model,” contains practical suggestions for organizing and administering school counseling tasks throughout the academic year. Considerations such as the school counselor’s office arrangement and space, assessments, and tools that facilitate these tasks such as management agreements, the advisory council, the use of data, action and lesson plans, and calendars are discussed to aid in your understanding of how the school counseling program can be best organized.

This study explores practicing school counselors’ attitudes related to trauma-informed practice and how these attitudes may be influenced by their training and work experience. The design includes a quantitative survey titled Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care survey (ARTIC) and demographic questions regarding their training and work experiences. Data were obtained by emailing a Qualtrics survey through the state and national organizations for school counselors. Data were analyzed using correlational analyses and ANOVA to examine relationships between attitudes related to trauma informed practice and their training and work experiences. This study found that school counselors have positive attitudes towards trauma-informed practice that is not correlated with demographic characteristics. Other findings include a correlation between school counselors’ sense of support from their school and the degree to which trauma-informed practices are implemented in their schools.

This study explores the personal experiences of talented adolescents in facing often-overlooked challenges and examines the role of school counseling programs in addressing their needs. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, the research involved 15 gifted students aged 13–17 enrolled in academic enrichment programs at three secondary schools, along with 3 school counselors as supporting informants. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and participatory observations, then analyzed using NVivo-assisted thematic analysis. The findings reveal three key themes: excessive academic pressure and anxiety, difficulties in building peer relationships, and limitations of counseling programs that emphasize learning issues over psychosocial needs. Additionally, communication gaps among students, teachers, and counselors were identified, contributing to feelings of isolation. The study concludes that counseling programs should adopt a holistic approach integrating academic, social, and emotional support. Theoretically, it enriches understanding of the psychosocial dynamics of gifted adolescents, while practically offering recommendations for more adaptive and inclusive policies and counseling services.

Following more than a decade of influence by the Transforming School Counseling Initiative (Education Trust, 1998, 2007) that promoted a new vision of school counselors as assertive advocates and social activists (House & Hayes, 2002; House & Martin, 1998; Martin, 2002), professional school counselors are currently in a pivotal role to collaboratively lead school transformation at the local, state, regional, and national levels (Kaffenberger, Murphy, & Bemak, 2006). The importance of school counselors as leaders is evidenced in the ASCA National Model[R] (American School Counselor Association, 2005), wherein leadership is indicated as one of the four major themes of school counseling along with collaboration and teaming, advocacy, and systemic change. Beyond being leaders in the design, implementation, management, and evaluation of comprehensive school counseling programs, school counselors play a ubiquitous role in leading the education mission and process for the development of student academic, career, and personal/social growth. Further, as school systems become more diverse and complex, the resounding call for professional school counselors to be leaders of social justice and educational reform continues. Scholarly discourse on the role of the school counselor as an advocate and agent of social justice has been well documented (Baker & Gerler, 2004; Education Trust, 1998, 2007; Lee & Goodnough, 2007; Walker, 2006). Indeed, the preamble to ASCA's (2004) Ethical Standards for School Counselors explicates that school counselors are leaders and advocates who affirm diversity while promoting equitable access to educational resources, excellence in education, and postsecondary education for all students. Unfortunately, in spite of the focus to reform schools toward equity, the historical gaps between student groups have continued to persist (Roberts, 2004). As schools and communities continue to become more demographically diverse (Roberts), recognizing and challenging systemic oppression become key skills for school counselors in support of their advocacy for students and their efforts to remove social barriers that impede achievement (Bemak & Chung, 2005; Kiselica & Robinson, 2001; Ratts, DeKruyf, & Chen-Hayes, 2007). Preparing for the professional roles of change agent and promoter of social justice is crucial and involves a personal commitment to affirming diversity (Holcomb-McCoy & Chen-Hayes, 2007). Beyond this essential commitment, having the competencies to advocate is also critical. As editors and counselor educators, we believe that at the core of school counselor social justice practice is leadership. However, the related literature on school counselor leadership theory and practice has only recently begun to gain prominence. For example, Amatea and West-Olatunji (2007) explored the role of school counselors as leaders in high-poverty schools. In their article they illuminated the need for school counselors to collaborate with teachers and to assist school-based professionals in creating a climate of cultural acceptance while encouraging the success of all students. The focus of the article by Amatea and West-Olatunji was unique in that it underscored how school counselor leadership may positively impact access to community resources, educational outcomes, and systemic support of impoverished students. Following their lead, our intent as co-editors was to highlight, specifically, research and conceptual works dedicated to leadership in school counseling. In this special issue of Professional School Counseling, articles were selected that represent contributions to school counselor leadership theory and practice in order to stimulate further thought on the topic, as well as to motivate readers to conduct additional research on school counselor leadership. We further hope to encourage an ongoing professional dialogue about what are the salient characteristics of school counselor leadership and how counselor educators can teach and model leadership and advocacy skills in order to prepare professionals who are ready to actively participate in educational reform to benefit all students. …

As a form of exclusionary discipline, student placement into an alternative learning program (ALP) may lead to negative outcomes for students (e.g., lower academic achievement, attrition, involvement in the juvenile justice system; Anderson and Ritter in Educ Policy Anal Arch 25(49):1–33, 2017). School counselors are called to address inequitable policies, procedures, and conditions that may limit students’ personal/social and academic development, college access, and career readiness (ASCA, The ASCA national model: a framework for school counseling programs, 3rd edn. American School Counselor Association, Alexandria, VA, 2012). Additionally, school counselors should be unbiased in their decision-making (ASCA, Ethical standards for school counselors. American School Counselor Association, Alexandria, VA, 2016). The researchers utilized a true experimental design to examine the impact of student race (African American or White), gender (male or female), and socioeconomic status (SES; economically advantaged or disadvantaged) on practicing school counselors’ (N = 334) decisions to place students in ALPs for disciplinary reasons. A factorial analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant differences in school counselors’ likelihood of placing students in ALPs for disciplinary reasons based these student demographic factors. The study also revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between school counselors’ belief in a just world, as measured by the Global Belief in a Just World Scale (GBJWS; Lipkus in Personal Individ Differ, 12(11): 1171–1178. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(91)90081-L, 1991), and likelihood of referring students to ALPs for disciplinary reasons. Implications for school counselors and educational stakeholders are discussed.

School counseling programs must provide counselors-in-training with effective and multifaceted leadership skill-building opportunities (Brott, 2006; DeVoss & Andrews, 2006; Dollarhide, Gibson, & Saginak, 2008; Kaffenberger & Murphy, 2007). The Girls' Leadership Experience Camp (GLEC) was created by the authors to enhance the leadership abilities of local girls while providing a training ground for future school counselors to develop their own leadership abilities. The camp participants included 16 rising sixth-grade girls who were potential first-generation college students and were identified by school personnel as possible leaders. The training experiences were framed using the core qualities and components of the ASCA National Model® (American School Counselor Association, 2005). This article describes the processes and outcomes related to leadership training of future school counselors via the GLEC.

Emotional Intelligence is highly necessary aspect that covers students’ ability to use their emotion effectively in the learning process. Good Emotional Intelligence provides the students with appropriate ability which can help them take the best decision for their future. The lack of Emotional Intelligence often makes students feel stressed and depressed. It leads the students to destructive behaviors such as uncontrolable anger, lack of decision-making ability, and despair. Therefore, the students need to be trained to recognize, control, and develop their Emotional Intelligence in a positive way. This research is a library research, which is done by searching, reading, studying, and analyzing the content of related books and various supporting literature. Based on the research, it is concluded that school plays an important role to provide a professional counselor who can help the students improve their Emotional Intellligence effectively. The counselor is expected to have various approaches in developing student Emotional Intellegence, one of which is Humanistic and Existential Approach. This approach covers essential concepts the students have as human beings, such as what they are meant to be and what potentials they have. Through this approach, a school counselor can help students understand more about managing and controlling emotion in a positive way.

This study examines the convergent validity and divergent validity of the Student Engagement in School Success Skills (SESSS) survey. The SESSS is easy to administer (it takes fewer than 15 minutes to complete) and is used in schools to provide educators with useful information about students' use of skills and strategies related to school success. A total of 4,342 fifth graders completed the SESSS; the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) Cognitive Strategy Use, Self-Regulation, Self-Efficacy and Test Anxiety subscales; and the Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning (SESRL). The three subscales of the SESSS (Self-Direction of Learning, Support of Classmates' Learning and Self-Regulation of Arousal) correlated highly with the MSLQ Cognitive Strategy Use and Self-Regulation subscales, moderately correlated with the Self-Efficacy subscale and the SESRL, and did not correlate with the MSLQ Test Anxiety subscale. Future research is needed to use the SESSS subscales as discriminable dimensions.Keywords: school success, convergent validity, divergent validity, Student Engagement in School Success Skills survey, educatorsFor more than a decade, researchers have placed increased emphasis on evidence-based practice and a programmatic approach to school counseling (Carey, 2004; Green & Keys, 2001; Gysbers, 2004; Lapan, 2005; Myrick, 2003; Paisley & Hayes, 2003; Whiston, 2002, 2011). This emphasis from the school counseling profession reflects national initiatives. In 2001, the Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, was established to determine, through rigorous and relevant research, what interventions are effective and ineffective for improving student achievement and education outcomes. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), an initiative of the Institute of Education Sciences, was created in 2002 to identify studies that provide credible and reliable evidence of the effectiveness of education interventions. The purpose of WWC is to inform researchers, educators and policymakers of interventions designed to improve student outcomes.The American School Counselor Association's (ASCA, 2005) response to emerging national policy and initiatives included a call for school counselor-led interventions that contribute to increased student achievement as part of a comprehensive school counseling program. The need for more research to identify evidence-based interventions tying school counselors to improved student academic performance also surfaced in a school counseling Delphi study, which identified the most pressing research questions in the profession (Dimmitt, Carey, McGannon, & Henningson, 2005). The top priority cited by this Delphi study was the need to determine which school counseling interventions resulted in the greatest student achievement gains. In addition, five major reviews of school counseling research all discussed the need for more research to strengthen the link between school counselor interventions and student achievement (Brown & Trusty, 2005; Dimmitt, Carey, & Hatch, 2007; Whiston & Quinby, 2009; Whiston & Sexton, 1998; Whiston, Tai, Rahardja, & Eder, 2011). However, researchers continue to report limitations in the school counseling outcome research. Among the limitations are conclusions drawn from studies based on nonstandardized outcome assessments. For instance, in a review of school counseling studies, Brown and Trusty (2005) concluded that school counseling research has been limited by the lack of valid and reliable instruments that measure the skills, strategies and personal attributes associated with academic and social/relationship success. More recently, Whiston et al. (2011) completed a meta-analytic examination of school counseling interventions and also determined the dominance of nonstandardized outcome assessments in school counseling research as a significant limitation. These limitations continue to be a hindrance for the school counseling profession, given the goal of establishing evidence-based practices that link school counselor interventions to improved student outcomes. …

School counselling is not an isolated school-based intervention but rather as part of a more holistic social wellbeing system where there are many stakeholders. Studies have examined students’, school counsellors’, teachers’, and administrators’ perceptions of school counselling. Research that focuses on the perceptions of community counsellors of school counselling is rare. This paper reports on a quantitative survey study of community counsellors’ perceptions in Singapore. Findings indicate some expectations such as school counsellors could offer some family counselling and perceptions such as confidentiality could be strengthened in schools, were widely held among community counsellors. Findings also suggest deeper understanding of both school and community counsellors’ perceptions is needed to strengthen collaboration for better mental health support for children and youths.

Problem Statement : School administrators are the first responsible body for the implementation of the counseling and guidance program. For sharing this responsibility, school administrators should be in cooperation with school counselors. Administrators’ perceptions on school counseling and guidance services show that school administrators have positive attitudes toward counseling services and they cooperate with the counselors at school. School administrators describe counseling services as necessary and successful activities. However, other studies show that school administrators are of the opinion that counselors should perform tasks that are not in their job descriptions. In short, school administrators’ perceptions on school counseling and guidance services and the tasks and missions of school counselors vary greatly and there is no consensus among the administrators. It is important to investigate the perceptions and views of school administrators towards counselors. Therefore, the present study aimed to contribute to the current literature via offering suggestions to increase the productivity and effectiveness of school counselors. Purpose of the Study : The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of school administrators who are important shareholders in carrying out school counseling and guidance services. The sub-aims of the study are to investigate the status of school counselors, and the school administrators’ expectations of school counselors, both in terms of personal and professional qualifications and in terms of the status and duties of the counselors. Method : This qualitative study investigates the perceptions of school administrators towards school counselors in terms of their roles and duties. The current research utilizes a phenomenological design. The participants of the study were 13 school administrators who were working in primary and secondary schools in downtown Diyarbakir. A semi-structured interview, developed by the researchers, was used to collect the data. Gathered data were first analyzed in terms of descriptive analyses and then digitized. Findings : Research findings show the administrators’ positive perceptions of counselors being necessary and important in educational and instructional activities for every shareholder of education. School administrators listed a set of personal and professional qualifications for school counselors. In addition, school administrators are of the opinion that school counselors have some privileges apart from other teachers in terms of their status and role at the school. It is found that school administrators are well aware of the necessity and importance of school counselors, who serve as field experts at schools. Conclusion and Recommendations : In this study it is found that school managers are very aware of and positive about the school counseling and guidance field and counselors’ teaching duties and responsibilities. The quality and efficiency of school counseling services should be increased, and the counselors’ job description should be clarified by the Ministry of Turkish National Education to prevent confusion. School administrators and other shareholders should support the creation of a common professional identity for school counselors. Keywords : School counselors, school administrators, roles and duties Problem Statement : School administrators are the first responsible body for the implementation of the counseling and guidance program. For sharing this responsibility, school administrators should be in cooperation with school counselors. Administrators’ perceptions on school counseling and guidance services show that school administrators have positive attitudes toward counseling services and they cooperate with the counselors at school. School administrators describe counseling services as necessary and successful activities. However, other studies show that school administrators are of the opinion that counselors should perform tasks that are not in their job descriptions. In short, school administrators’ perceptions on school counseling and guidance services and the tasks and missions of school counselors vary greatly and there is no consensus among the administrators. It is important to investigate the perceptions and views of school administrators towards counselors. Therefore, the present study aimed to contribute to the current literature via offering suggestions to increase the productivity and effectiveness of school counselors. Purpose of the Study : The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of school administrators who are important shareholders in carrying out school counseling and guidance services. The sub-aims of the study are to investigate the status of school counselors, and the school administrators’ expectations of school counselors, both in terms of personal and professional qualifications and in terms of the status and duties of the counselors. Method : This qualitative study investigates the perceptions of school administrators towards school counselors in terms of their roles and duties. The current research utilizes a phenomenological design. The participants of the study were 13 school administrators who were working in primary and secondary schools in downtown Diyarbakir. A semi-structured interview, developed by the researchers, was used to collect the data. Gathered data were first analyzed in terms of descriptive analyses and then digitized. Findings : Research findings show the administrators’ positive perceptions of counselors being necessary and important in educational and instructional activities for every shareholder of education. School administrators listed a set of personal and professional qualifications for school counselors. In addition, school administrators are of the opinion that school counselors have some privileges apart from other teachers in terms of their status and role at the school. It is found that school administrators are well aware of the necessity and importance of school counselors, who serve as field experts at schools. Conclusion and Recommendations : In this study it is found that school managers are very aware of and positive about the school counseling and guidance field and counselors’ teaching duties and responsibilities. The quality and efficiency of school counseling services should be increased, and the counselors’ job description should be clarified by the Ministry of Turkish National Education to prevent confusion. School administrators and other shareholders should support the creation of a common professional identity for school counselors. Keywords : School counselors, school administrators, roles and duties

Several authors have noted a lack of useful evaluation in school guidance and counseling programs. Robie, Gansneder, and Van Hoose focus on one frequently cited reason for insufficient evaluation—l...