“My Vision Isn’t The Only One”

As school counselors and counselor educators, it is imperative to remain knowledgable of trends and changes in school counseling. With the current emphasis on the ASCA National Model[R] (American School Counselor Association, 2005), the transformed role of the school counselor (Education Trust, n.d.), and school counseling program accountability (Green & Keys, 2001; Paisley & McMahon, 2001), the focus on the role of school counselors is more prominent than ever. While school counselors experience the daily events and relationships in a school setting, school counselor educators stay informed about trends or changes in school counseling by reading relevant scholarly literature, attending professional conferences and workshops, and supervising school counselors-in-training in their field experiences in schools. However, counselor educators cannot truly emulate the experience of being a practicing school counselor, despite interaction with or supervision of graduate school counseling students in the field. In the late spring 2004, I was given a unique opportunity to return to the school counseling field. As a counselor educator, I had not been involved in schools as a practitioner for 5 years. I accepted a position to substitute during the maternity leave of the elementary school counselor in the building where I had previously served as a counselor for 8 years (1990-1998). The decision to return to this position was based on two questions: (1) What changes have occurred in elementary school counseling over the 6-year period? And, (2) would my return to school counseling result in insights or observations that might have implications for school counselors and school counselor educators working with school counselors-in-training? I worked three full days per week in the elementary school during a 6-week period (beginning of May through mid-June). Approximately half the faculty had been faculty in the school when I was previously the school counselor. The current school principal was the assistant principal when I was there before. Prior to beginning the substitution period, I met with the elementary school counselor who was leaving and we went into each classroom so I could be introduced as the counselor who would be in the building while she was gone. While the younger students had no familiarity with me, the fifth graders in the building were in kindergarten when I left the position in 1998. Returning to the same site where I had been the school counselor provided a good basis for comparison about changes over time. THE SETTING The school in this study is an elementary school (K-5) in suburban Northern Virginia with a total enrollment of 574 students in the 2003-04 school year. Students represented a wide range of socioeconomic status groups, and the racial composition at the time of the study was 44% Caucasian, 16% African American, 35% Hispanic, 4% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1% American Indian. The school employs one full-time counselor and an itinerant for one day per week. During the time I substituted in the school, I conducted 35 classroom guidance lessons (K-5), met with approximately 15 students individually (5 on a weekly basis), and served 16 students in small-group counseling (three small groups). Data collection was through personal journal writing about a day's activities and events. Over the course of 6 weeks, there were 11 journal entries and I wrote when I felt there was a point of comparison or observation and insight I wanted to document. The journals reflected the concrete activities of the day, personal reactions to those events, and recollections of my earlier experiences as an elementary school counselor in the building. School counseling roles and activities during the 6-week study included classroom guidance; small-group counseling; individual counseling; consultation with school personnel, parents, and the community (Child Protective Services and law enforcement officers); and coordination of Career Day. …

Given the increase of violence against Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), there is no doubt a need to tackle racialized violence in schools. This phenomenological study draws on semi-structured interviews with school counselors to explore their experiences and practices to disrupt the racialized disciplinary practices that disproportionally target Black, Indigenous, and Students of Color. We draw on theories of racialized organizations and organizational routines to better understand how school counselors make sense of their practices in racialized disciplinary practices that dehumanize and criminalized youth of color. Findings from this study revealed two themes: 1) school counselors’ perceived neutrality towards disciplinary practices and 2) school counselors’ advocacy in racialized school discipline practices. This study offers some implications for professional school counseling organization, counselor educators, and school counselors to inform their anti-racist pedagogy to dismantle racialized punitive practices in schools.

The article is a personal and professional account by 2 counselor educators who worked together as professional school counselors in the same high school setting. Both reflect on the “storied” nature of their professional development and define participatory leadership in school counseling as emerging from engagement and participation in collaborative efforts to bring about systemic change in schools by advocating for all students, especially those who have been traditionally marginalized.

Social justice in the education of all K‐12 students begins with school counselors; preparing school counselors as advocates and leaders who can implement these principles in U.S. schools begins with counselor educators. Suggestions for intentional preparation of school counselors to be social justice advocates in schools by integrating the principles of the National Center for Transforming School Counseling with the American School Counselor Association National Model for School Counseling Programs (2005) and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs 2009 Standards are described. Ideas for educating school counselors as effective advocates in the context of specific training experiences throughout counselor training programs are provided.

In this study, we enacted critical participatory action research (CPAR) within an online community of practice (CoP). The CoP was designed to build a community of outdoor play and learning (OPAL) practitioners. This paper describes how a cohort (n=18) of experienced Kindergarten to grade eight (K-8) teachers from across British Columbia shared their OPAL experiences and practice and the collective action taken. Regularly scheduled meetings over a six-month period resulted in dialogue that identified the need for quality resources that were accessible for all teachers. The concept of a website, developed for teachers by teachers experienced with OPAL, was initiated within the CPAR process. This article describes findings related to participation in a CPAR CoP, and the process of deciding upon and enacting shared action to support OPAL elementary school teachers.

This chapter explores the potential of communities of practice (CoPs) in universities to foster academic identity and social learning through a critical, reflective account of a faculty-based teaching community of practice (T-CoP). This ‘T-CoP’ is situated in a multi-disciplinary, multi-campus business faculty in a large Australian university. Our chapter begins by situating the T-CoP within its disciplinary, faculty, institutional and national contexts, and explaining how and why we intentionally designed it in order to foster inclusion and shared ownership. Key findings from our ongoing critical participatory action research project conducted in, and with the T-CoP are interrogated in order to address the following three questions. Firstly, how can we develop leaders, and a practice of distributed leadership, appropriate to the work of CoPs in universities? Secondly, how might CoPs in universities counter the still dominant traditional paradigm of ‘professional development’ as acquisition, and encourage their members to move towards more transformational approaches to professional learning? Thirdly, how do we negotiate the tensions between the need for a CoP to develop its own distinctive identity as a community and domain of practice and yet remain open and accessible to new members?

This article uses a healing research methodology to describe how school counselors create, implement, and facilitate psychoeducational Educator Social-Emotional Learning (EduSEL) interventions. Using individual and small group interventions, school counselors sought to improve educators’ social and emotional competence, which fosters healthier school and classroom environments (Jagers et al., 2019). This study applies Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) to investigate how the facilitators of these interventions perceive educators’ wellness. School counselors report that EduSEL sessions fostered deeper professional learning for teachers and enabled them to develop personal insights, participate in healing, and learn practical strategies to translate into the classroom. Simultaneously, school counselors participated in a parallel SEL process, deepening their own social and emotional competence, along with their professional and clinical practices, to improve the effectiveness of SEL interventions and enhancing their role in promoting SEL across the school community. We briefly discuss several implications for school counselors within the context of EduSEL practice/training, policy, and research.

Section 1: Introduction to the Field of School Counseling. History of School Counseling. A Concept of Best Practices in Training School Counselors. School Counseling: Moving Towards Standards and Models. Student Accomplishment: Equity and the School Counselor's Role. Understanding Yourself as a School Counselor. Section 2: Diversity and School Counseling. The Acculturative Environment of Schools and the School Counselor: Goals and Roles that Create a Supportive Context for Immigrant Adolescents. Immigrant Children and Youth in Schools. Racial Harassment in American Schools. The Role of Ethnic Identity in the Practice of School Counseling. Understanding and Implementing Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning Affirmative Practices as School Counselors. Social Class in School Counseling. Disability in the Schools. Race and Ethnicity in School Counseling. African American Empowerment in Secondary School Counseling. Section 3: Student Development Facilitating Personal and Social Development. Physical Health and Emotional Development: A Primer for School Counselors. Adolescent Sexual Health and Development. The School Counselor's Role in Promoting Literacy in Elementary School-aged Children. Designing Culturally Responsive School Counseling Career Development Programming for Youth. Section 4: School Counselor Competence. School Counselor Training: School and Societal Needs in the 21st Century. Supervision of Professional School Counselors. Multicultural Competence of School Counselors. Consultation with Teachers, Administrators, and Counseling Agencies. Creating Caring School Communities. Section 5: School-based Interventions. Youth Development and Prevention in the Schools. Individual Counseling as Intervention in Schools. Focused, But Flexible: A Developmental Approach to Small-Group Work in Schools. Conducting Groups in Schools: Challenges and Rewards. Families in Context: An Essential Component of School Counseling. Crisis Management in the Schools. Collaboration and Consultation as Essential Services for School Counseling Programs. Career Development Interventions in Schools. Creative Arts Counseling in Schools: Toward a More Comprehensive Approach. Counseling the Gifted and Talented. Cultural Identity Enhancement Strategies for Culturally Diverse Youth. Section 6: Working with Socio-Emotional Challenges. Interpersonal Relationships. Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention. Working with School Failure. Measuring and Evaluating Adolescent Connectedness. Bullying and Peer Victimization. School Violence. Substance Abuse. Section 7: Accountability and Professional Issues in School Counseling. Evaluation of School Guidance and Counseling Programs: Past, Present, and Future. Research in and on School Counseling. The Essential Role of School-Community Partnerships in School Counseling. Law and Ethics in School Counseling. Professional Activities in School Counseling.

This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of 10 high school counselors who worked with students identified both as having autism spectrum disorder and as academically gifted, operationally defined as 2eASD. Using thematic analysis, we conducted individual interviews to develop an understanding of the counselors’ perceptions of their roles and successful practices in working with 2eASD students. School counselors reported using various differentiated, research-based practices with students identified as 2eASD. These strength-based and individualized counseling practices included opportunities for these students to participate in advanced classes and interest-based activities. Each of the school counselors recommended, for example, participation in extra-curricular activities and provided various broad types of social and emotional support. Half of the school counselors suggested applications to local, less competitive colleges for these capable students. The sample of school counselors often described their use of Multi-Tiered System of Supports, including Tier 2 targeted and Tier 3 individualized supports, grounded in the American School Counselor Association National Model. We conclude this article by discussing these findings and providing implications for school counselors working with this population of students in the future.

Given the prevalence of suicide among school‐aged children and youth, school counselors may experience a student death by suicide in their careers. Yet, there is little empirical research exploring the nuances and depth of school counselors’ experiences with student suicide. In this study, the authors employed consensual qualitative research to explore the experience of 12 school counselors who encountered student death by suicide. Three domains emerged consisting of five general, four typical, and four variant categories highlighting school counselors’ experiences learning about the student suicide, the long‐term impact of the student death on school counselors’ personal and professional lives, and their advice for school counselors who experience a student suicide at some point in their careers. Findings have implications for school counseling practice, counselor educators, and future research.

Data and research serve as powerful advocacy tools in highlighting the effectiveness of school counselors and school counseling programs. School counselor educators can be key mentors who support practitioners in sharing the findings of local school action research. This article focuses on four unique projects by school counselors that demonstrate specific outcomes in student achievement and the mentoring efforts in guiding the dissemination of their results. The authors discuss recommendations for school counselors and counselor educators based on the mentoring process and publishable action research projects.

Although district-level school counseling supervisors often assist with school counselors’ transition from preparation to practice, including hiring practices, research on this phenomenon is limited. Thus, we conducted an exploratory thematic analysis examining 12 district supervisors’ experiences with and perceptions of hiring preservice school counselors. Results included the following two themes: (a) prioritizing the American School Counselor Association National Model and (b) the relevance of school counselors’ previous teaching experiences. The results also provided insight into supervisors’ appreciation of school counselors’ educational identity.

Increasing criticism of public education in United States cities and metropolitan areas has prompted members of educational specialties (e.g., teacher education, school administration, school counselor education) to lead urban school reform initiatives (Holcomb-McCoy, 2005b). School Counseling has joined the urban school reform movement. In particular, The American School Counseling Association's (ASCA) development of the National Standards and the National Model (ASCA, 2005), as well as the Transforming School Counseling Initiative a component of the Education Trust (2003), are responses by members of the counseling profession to contribute to the most recent school reform efforts. The ASCA National Model is a call for school counselors to design, coordinate, implement, manage, and evaluate comprehensive school counseling programs. In particular, the Model is a call to action for school counselors to promote student success by closing the existing achievement gap between underachieving students (many of whom are students of color or poor) and their more advantaged peers (ASCA, 2005). The Transforming School Counseling Initiative extended ASCA's call to action for school counselors and with regard to how they serve students in urban schools. According to Lee (2005), urban schools largely reflect their neighborhood/residential environment and are typically in geographical areas characterized by a high concentration of people of color, higher rates of poverty per capita, and inequities in the educational system. Within this context, urban school educators have had to contend with a lack of resources, high drop-out rates, and institutional racism (Butler, 2003; Holcomb-McCoy, 1998, 2005, 2010; Moore, Henfield & Owens, 2008; Owens, Pernice-Duca, & Thomas, 2009). Based on these contextual issues that confront urban school personnel, the National Center for Transforming School Counseling made the following recommendations. First the school counseling profession should shift its focus to meet the needs of students for whom schools have been the least successful -low-income students and students of color. Second school counselors should be trained to serve as effective advocates for these particular student populations (Education Trust, 2011; Forbes, 2007; Martin, 2002; Martin, 2007). Empirical evidence on school counselor activities that are reflective of these initiatives has emerged in the school counseling literature. For example, Holcomb-McCoy and Mitchell (2005) examined the activities of 102 school counselors who resided in six urban cities on the east coast (e.g. New York City, Newark, New Jersey). The study's participants perceived low family function, lower academic achievement, and poverty as prevalent issues facing urban schools. The authors acknowledged the need for school counselors in urban settings to be able to work in schools that offer minimal educational opportunities to their students, diminished access to resources, and unstable financial funding. They recommended that future studies should be devoted to examining school counseling activities that specifically address the academic needs of low income students and students of color. Similarly, in a 2009 study of 60 school counselors employed in urban school districts, Owens et. al. (2009) found that school counselors were overwhelmed with addressing issues such as high dropout rate prevention and encouraging low achieving students to be successful. School counselors are ethically bound to develop comprehensive school counseling programs that advocate for and affirm all students from diverse backgrounds (ASCA, 2005). The primary reason for having a comprehensive guidance program in place is to clearly articulate what school counselors do in that particular school or school district. Although the role of school counselors has been studied and described in urban schools, there is a dearth of information available on the activities of school counselors in urban schools that are predominately African American. …

Photovoice is an innovative approach that uses photography to promote empowerment and social action. Although photovoice has been recognized as a valuable intervention for youth, projects involving this approach primarily have been facilitated by university–school partnerships or community organizations. Aligned with the American School Counselor Association National Model, this article proposes photovoice as a practical tool that school counselors can incorporate into a comprehensive school counseling program to advocate for social action and change.

This chapter highlights the implementation and evaluation of a youth participatory action research (YPAR) training program for school counselors to address gaps in cultural sustainability and antiracism in traditional group counseling with adolescents. The authors describe the creation of a unique counselor education curriculum rooted in YPAR, exploring the value of experiential and immersive professional development for school counselors. Findings indicate how school counselors’ theoretical and practical knowledge for group work can be elevated through YPAR. Practical implications are drawn for both school counselors and school counselor educators. A reflective exercise is offered at the end of the chapter with the goal of aiding both school counselors and school counselor educators in building a foundation for YPAR work in their respective institutions.