School Counseling Practice Research Articles

Defining Systemic Change in School Counseling: A Delphi Study

ABSTRACT Systemic change is regarded as a key component of professional school counseling practice for increasing positive, equitable outcomes for PreK-12 students. Although related constructs like leadership and advocacy have been thoughtfully explored, systemic change requires consultation and collaboration with educational and community partners. To date, there has been a lack of clarity around how systemic change looks in practice for school counselors. The purpose of this study was to explore the foundational components of systemic change in school counseling. Using Delphi methodology, an expert panel of 22 participants consisting of professional school counselors, counselor educators, and school counseling supervisors developed a consensus list of 130 items describing the core beliefs, knowledge, dispositions, and skills necessary for school counselors to conduct systemic change. The findings suggest future implications for school counseling research, preparation, and consultation.

Career Counseling and Wellness: Recommendations for School Counseling Practice

Amid the escalating concern about students’ mental health and overall well-being within the K–12 educational settings, the role of the school counselor has prompted the examination of fostering positive outcomes. Research has indicated that challenges to students’ mental well-being lead to adverse consequences impeding students’ long-term growth, impacting college and career readiness. Thus, addressing these challenges is crucial for long-term student wellness and success. With the increasing complexities faced by students today, there is a pressing need for school counselors to equip themselves with tools to effectively promote child and adolescent well-being and career readiness. This article emphasizes how intentional and well-implemented programs within a comprehensive school counseling program can cultivate students’ career readiness while fostering positive mental health. By highlighting the importance of college and career literature, this article outlines a method for implementing interventions for mental wellness and optimizing student/human functioning. School counselors are uniquely positioned to provide such services and interventions to support the well-being of students, and this article outlines recommendations for implementation to enhance comprehensive school counseling programs.

Initial Development and Validation of the School Counselor 504 Activities Scale

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the School Counselor 504 Activities Scale, a practical tool to assess how often school counselors engage in various ASCA recommended and non-recommended duties. Utilizing a sample of 379 practicing school counselors, this process resulted in two subscales: (a) Collaboration, Advocacy, and Development and (b) Consultation, Clerical, and Administrative Tasks. This instrument can serve as a vital resource to support school counselors’ role congruence and advocacy efforts specific to Section 504 involvement. We describe implications for preparation and practice, and discuss limitations and future directions for research.

Organizational resources, burnout, and work engagement of school counselors: The mediating effect of professional identity

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the influence of organizational resources and professional identity on school counselor burnout and work engagement. We performed structural equation modeling using a sample of 345 practicing school counselors. The results of the analysis showed that organizational resources for school counselors were significantly related to professional identity, burnout, and work engagement, while professional identity significantly mediated the relationship between organizational resources and burnout/work engagement. We provided implications and recommendations for future research on school counselors’ work‐related attitudes and professional identity development.

School counselors' burnout, hope, and self‐efficacy: A sequential regression analysis

AbstractSchool counselors serve as frontline mental health professionals in schools. Although school counselors have a meaningful impact on students and the school climate, burnout negatively impacts school counselors’ self‐efficacy. Hope may serve as a protective resource for school counselors’ self‐efficacy. We conducted a sequential regression among 102 school counselors to determine if burnout and hope predicted their self‐efficacy. While burnout predicted school counselors’ self‐efficacy, hope contained the largest single explanative influence on self‐efficacy scores. In this study, we provide evidence to support hope as a statistically significant and substantial protective factor for enhancing school counselor self‐efficacy. We provide implications for school counseling practice, training, and research.

Ethical decision‐making approach of school counseling: A concurrent mixed methods study for taking actions

AbstractThe main purpose of this research was to identify ethical decision‐making approaches in school counseling. The study focused on the experiences of secondary school counselors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A concurrent triangulation mixed methods design was used for getting a complete understanding of ethical decision‐making approaches of school counseling. Forty participants were involved in the quantitative part of the study, while six participated in the qualitative part of the study. For the quantitative aspect, a survey was utilized, and the data were analyzed using tables, frequencies, and percentages. The result showed that participants used variety of approaches to deal with ethical challenges for school counseling, including open discussion, personal sense of morality, and respecting code of students' discipline. However, the least percentage (22.5%, n = 9) has observed for using of code of ethics in counseling profession. In the qualitative part, semi‐structured in‐depth interviews were used to explore the experiences of ethical decision‐making and the meaning of those experiences for secondary school counselors currently practicing at Addis Ababa city. Qualitative data were analyzed by using thematic analysis technique. The major ethical decision‐making approaches identified in school counseling were (a) building a good relationship and guaranteed confidentiality, (b) referral linkage, (c) training for students and collaboration, and (d) life experience and personal sense of morality. The most common meanings attributed to dealing with ethical challenges in school were the urge to share information with to get personal relief, feeling of stress, and gain personal satisfaction from acts of compassion. Implications are forwarded to support school counselors in taking an action for professional development and to promote quality of school counseling practices.

Factors Affecting the Development and Practice of School Counseling in Barbados

Factors Affecting the Development and Practice of School Counseling in Barbados

Social/Emotional Learning Implementation and Student Outcomes

This quantitative, nonexperimental study addressed the gap between research-established benefits and outcomes of social/emotional learning (SEL) implementation as compared to actual instances of implementation. Focusing on SEL and the specificity of use of CASEL SELect programs, the research questions of this study explored differences between implementation and usage, length of implementation, poverty classification, student growth composite (as measured by TVAAS composite), and attendance in elementary schools in Tennessee. I discuss specific implications for school counseling practice and consider the implementation of SEL as an intervention for holistic student success.

Voices of Support: Understanding the School Counseling Practices in Noveleta Cavite

Voices of Support: Understanding the School Counseling Practices in Noveleta Cavite

School counselor perceptions and practices of advising male high school students regarding a career in nursing

BackgroundThe literature describes how male high school students with an interest in a career in nursing have struggled to obtain guidance, support, and accurate information. PurposeThe purpose of this mixed-methods study was to understand the perceptions and practices of school counselors when advising male high school students about a nursing career. MethodSixty-one school counselors completed an online survey, and nine participated in online interviews between June 2022 and February 2023. ResultsUnlike previously published studies, school counselors have an overall positive view of men in nursing and were supportive of male high school students becoming nurses. ConclusionsSchool counselors need more accurate and consistent resources.

How Bright Is the Restorative Rainbow? The Experiences of Sexual/Affectual Minority Youth Within a Restorative School District

The widespread adoption of restorative practices in U.S. schools to address educational inequities has been significant. However, the existing literature on restorative practices lacks research regarding the impact of this approach on sexual/affectual minority students. In our study, we explore the experiences of sexual/affectual minority students in Grades 3–12 compared to heterosexual students within a school district implementing restorative practices. Our findings indicate that sexual/affectual minority students face more discrimination and feeling left out, and less sense of belonging in school, feeling supported by adults, and feeling valued in comparison to their heterosexual peers. They are also less likely to feel heard or safe during talking circles. The article reports on these findings and concludes by discussing the implications and recommendations for school counseling practice and future research.

Addressing K-12 Student’s Academic, Mental Health, and Career Development Needs During COVID-19

ABSTRACT Schools provide a place for children and their families to receive academic, mental health, and career development services. COVID-19 shifted the way schools address the needs in each of these areas, specifically the role of a school counselor has changed but the primary model, the American School Counselor Association Model, that school counselors follow has not since the pandemic. In our study, we used consensual qualitative research (CQR) to explore how school counselors addressed academic, mental health, and career needs of K-12 students during the outbreak of COVID-19. Understanding what school counselors prioritized during a crisis and how it changed the way they work, provides insight into how the role of a school counselor and the approach they use may need to adjust. We interviewed 14 practicing school counselors in South Carolina schools representing all the educational levels (i.e, elementary, middle, high). We found 8 domains that support our research question.

Using Poetry to Foster Positive Racial Identity in Middle School Black Girls: Implications for School Counselor Practice, Preparation, and Research

In this article, we contextualize Black racial identity in the current sociopolitical context, and present and discuss a group counseling intervention using poetry as the medium to explore issues that foster a positive sense of racial identity in Black girls. We used the phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory as a framework to unpack the group counseling lessons, which are presented in detail. We also discuss implications for school counselor practice, preparation, and research.

Theory‐informed school counseling: Increasing efficacy through prevention‐focused practice and outcome research

AbstractSchool counselors are front‐line providers to K‐12 students in the areas of learning, mental health, and career development, based on their foundation in prevention, development, wellness, and social justice. Although school counseling remains an important role within K‐12 schools, the profession faces existential threats to its continued existence due largely to the lack of applied outcome research validating its positive impact on student development. This conceptual article has two aims: (a) to reassert the unique importance of school counselors as a prevention provider who promote wellness, development, and social justice and (b) describe how theory‐informed school counseling practice is a solution using Advocating‐Student within Environment theory as an example. Implications for scholarship, training, and practice are described.

Helping High-Achieving, Low-Income, Black Students Gain Admission Into America’s Elite Colleges: Considerations for School Counselors

The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to limit affirmative action in college admissions could make it even more challenging for academically talented students of color to gain access to competitive schools. The importance of school counselors in guiding and supporting these students is now more crucial than ever. This qualitative study aimed to determine what school counselors need to know, do, and believe to help academically talented, Black students from low-income households gain admission into highly selective colleges and universities. Three broad themes and 10 subthemes emerged from the data analysis. The themes were (a) knowledge and awareness, (b) mindsets and beliefs, and (c) habits and practices. Implications for school counselor practice, training, and research are discussed.

Psychometric Properties of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9 in a School Counselor Sample Using Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory

The purpose of this study is to explore the psychometric properties of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9 (UWES-9) using both Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) approaches, with a sample of practicing school counselors (N = 356). The results of analyzing the UWES-9 included information on item-level statistics, internal consistency, structural validity, and concurrent validity. IRT findings based on the Graded Response Model (GRM) indicated the usefulness of the UWES-9 in measuring school counselors’ work engagement.

School counseling practices related to postsecondary STEM participation

AbstractThis qualitative exploratory cross‐case analysis analyzed the beliefs and practices of high school counselors related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academic advisement, postsecondary planning, and career participation. Interviews were conducted with high school counselors (N = 13) who were purposively sampled to represent a diversity of schools in terms of demographic variables. Findings indicated that high school counselors perceived that (a) sociocultural factors influenced student preparation for STEM, career planning, and decision making; (b) students’ STEM‐related career goals and academic behaviors were sometimes misaligned, and academic advisement often mediated this tension; and (c) their professional STEM knowledge, beliefs, and practices were influenced by professional preparation, workplace characteristics, and their academic experiences. Implications include the need for early, sustained high school STEM counseling and academic advisement; accessible professional development in STEM preparation and careers to promote multiple pathways and reduce school counselor bias; and encouraging family involvement in STEM career decision making.

Affinity groups to build homeplace and cultural humility practices of white school counselors

ABSTRACT Every school counselor must be fully prepared to build homeplace and Black Joy in K-12 education. For white school counselors, this requires an ongoing personal and professional commitment to cultural humility and racial identity development. Affinity groups can be an opportunity for white school counselors to develop cultural humility, racial identity, and prepare to thoughtfully engage in antiracist action with their larger school communities. In this article, we use our experience in facilitating and researching affinity groups for school counselors to provide recommendations for implementation.

Perception of School Counsellors on Family Therapy as a Panacea to the Phenomenon of Empty Nest Syndrome in Southwest, Nigeria

This study examined the perception of school counselors on family therapy as a panacea to the phenomenon of empty nest syndrome in Southwest Nigeria. The target population of the study was all school counsellors in Southwest Nigeria. The sample consisted of 1200 school counsellors representing 200 from each of the six states of the Southwest Nigeria using the multi stage sampling approach. A questionnaire was self-developed by the researcher to collect data for the study. The content validity of the instrument was established and the instrument was subjected to reliability test using test retest approach in which Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient formula was used to establish the coefficient. The Coefficient of 0.75 was obtained for the instrument which was considered high enough for the instrument. Four hypotheses were raised to pilot the study and the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Data collected were analyzed using t-test statistics where two means were being compared while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze data where more than two means were being compared. The findings of this study revealed that there were significant differences in respondents’ responses on family counseling as an antidote to empty nest syndrome based on religion [F(2,1197)=8.61;P<.05], years of working experience [F(3,1196)=2.87;p<.05] and educational qualifications [F(3,1196)=3.32;P<.05], but there was no significant difference based on gender of respondents. The findings of this study have implications for school psychologists, school guidance counselors and educationists alike. It was therefore recommended that family therapy should be given a chance by practicing school counselors to help mitigate the effects of empty nest syndrome among parents in Southwest Nigeria. Keywords: School counselors’ perception, Empty nest syndrome, Family therapy.

“It's like losing a family member”: School counselors’ experience with student suicide

AbstractGiven 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.