School Counselor Role Advocacy

Introduction

School counselors play a crucial role in the personal, academic, and career development of all students. With the delivery of a developmental, comprehensive counseling program, school counselors respond to the social and emotional needs of students while supporting the school’s academic vision (ASCA, 2019b). According to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), school counselors should spend the vast majority of their time at school providing direct and indirect services to students (ASCA, 2019b). Direct services are defined as “in-person interactions between school counselors and students” (ASCA, 2019b, p. 77). Direct student services include the delivery of social/emotional curriculum instruction and individual and group counseling. Conversely, ASCA defines indirect student services as “services provided on behalf of students as a result of the school counselor’s interactions with others” (ASCA, 2019b, p. 77). Indirect student services include consultations with parents and teachers, outside referrals, and interactions with people in the community. Overall, ASCA requires school counselors to prioritize the delivery of student services.

School counselors are tasked with facilitating the social, emotional, and academic growth of all students through the implementation of a comprehensive counseling and guidance program. Moreover, school counselors are mental health professionals who are specifically trained to identify and work with students who have been impacted by trauma. However, school counselors are often given responsibilities that do not fall under the umbrella of appropriate activities for school counselors and have little to do with counseling (Wilder, 2018). Trauma-informed school counselors must be prepared to advocate for appropriate role responsibilities with their administrators. Research has shown that school counselors experience higher levels of job satisfaction and have more time to provide services to students when they are assigned appropriate duties that align with the ASCA National Model (Hickman, 2020; Kim & Lambie, 2018; Mullen & Gutierrez, 2016). Professional advocacy in the field of school counseling is critical to promote the profession and help school counselors establish a clear professional identity. Ultimately, unambiguous role definition serves to advocate for students who need the services that professional school counselors are uniquely qualified to provide.

Brief History Of The School Counseling Profession

The role of the school counselor has changed significantly over the last 100 years. The school counseling profession began as vocational guidance in the early 1900s. During this time, teachers and administrators served in the role. Other than a list of responsibilities, a clear definition of the role did not exist. In the 1920s, the role shifted from vocational guidance to a clinically-focused approach emphasizing personal adjustment and “mental hygiene” (Gysbers, 2010). During the 1930s, a new organizational structure known as pupil personnel services emerged. This shift resulted from discussions within the field about how school counseling services were delivered and who was responsible for providing them. In the 1940s and 1950s, the profession shifted again as a result of efforts related to World War II. After World War II ended in 1945, discussions within the field resumed on how to provide counseling services in schools. With the passage of the Vocational Education Act in 1946 and the National Defense Education Act in 1958, the hiring and training of school counselors received additional attention and support. Additionally, the American School Counselor Association was established in 1952 to provide structure and guidelines for a rapidly growing field (Gysbers, 2010).