Experiences With Elementary School Counseling Advocacy

Abstract

Elementary school counselors are instrumental in student success and well-being; unfortunately, school counselors at the elementary level also have higher caseloads and more tenuous job opportunities. Thus, there exists a need to advocate for elementary school counseling. Previous research has examined school counseling advocacy across K–12 settings and included advocacy as one aspect of larger studies. Given this gap in the literature, we conducted a phenomenological investigation to examine the lived experiences of professionals who reported successfully advocating for elementary school counseling positions and roles. We discuss findings and implications, including applying results to the school counseling profession, in an effort to bolster elementary school counseling and better school counseling services to students.