Abstract
Although school counseling candidates in faith-based schools may possess an extraordinary résumé, it is essential that their beliefs and behaviors be compatible with the mission and philosophy of the school for which they are interviewing. If hiring practices are not addressed in faith-based schools, these schools run the risk of losing their identity. This article offers a pastoral model for interviewing and hiring Catholic school counselors. It is a model that assists school leaders and those responsible for hiring school counselors in faith-based schools to transform what would otherwise be a functional job into a pastoral ministry, thereby advancing the religious identity and unique mission of their schools.
Highlights
School counseling candidates in faith-based schools may possess an extraordinary résumé, it is essential that their beliefs and behaviors be compatible with the mission and philosophy of the school for which they are interviewing
Safeguarding the unique role of the school counselor to ensure that the Catholic identity and mission are embodied in the school’s counseling program is the daily responsibility of both Catholic school leaders and counselors, a responsibility that begins with the hiring interview of the Catholic school counselor
The spirit of openness established by Vatican Council II has called Catholic schools and their counselors to invite administrators, faculty, staff, and students to new ways of living and decision making, ways that are informed by academic, religious, and psychosocial training
Summary
It is a model that assists principals and those responsible for hiring school counselors in faith-based schools to transform what would otherwise be a functional job into a pastoral ministry, thereby advancing the religious identity and unique mission of their schools. Effective implementation of this interview model first requires a clear consensus on the mission and vision of Catholic education as well as agreement on the skills and qualities required of candidates for counseling positions in Catholic schools. The clarification of these skills and qualities necessitates an understanding and appreciation of the role of counseling, as it affirms the goals of Catholic education as articulated in the Second Vatican Council’s (1966a) Declaration on Christian Education
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