<p> The following research study answered the following question: &ldquo;What is the experience of high school counselors implementing an ASCA-based school counseling program?&rdquo; School counselor experiences of the process were largely absent in the current and previous literature, as well as the profession&rsquo;s representation in qualitative research. To fully understand the results and experiences they had, an education change theory was incorporated that not only benefitted the study, but was also bolstered and extended into another compatible profession. Generic qualitative research was conducted through interviewing 10 Pennsylvania high school counselors. To participate, school counselors were required to have involvement in implementing comprehensive programming at the high school level. Their interviews were transcribed by an outside transcriptionist, and an inductive thematic analysis was conducted to organize the data. Results indicated that high school counselors were generally only involved in the career domain of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model, administrators were vital in the support and promotion of school counselors, their programs, and their identities, and the level of resources greatly impacted their roles and responsibilities. Additionally, involvement in comprehensive program implementation increased professional identity, and in turn, job satisfaction even for those who reported negative relationships with administrators.</p><p>

This study examined the perceptions of Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) master's-level school counseling program coordinators and faculty members about the importance and relevance of family systems theory and techniques coursework in their program curriculum. Family-systems theory coursework is lacking in two-thirds of those accredited programs, although mandated by their major accrediting body, CACREP. CACREP issued curriculum standards and guidelines to ensure proper training of school-counseling students and the American School Counselor Association--the foundation that expands the image and influence of professional school counselors through advocacy, leadership, collaboration, and systemic change--has issued guidelines for the training and practice of school counselors in family systems. The ASCA goal is to ensure school-counseling professionals are adequately and appropriately trained to work with children and adolescents in the school setting. Participants were 45 chairs, coordinators, or faculty members of master's-level school counseling programs from across the United States who consented to participate. Five factors influenced perceptions of the relevancy of family-systems theory for school-counseling-program respondents: the status of a family-systems course in the school-counseling program (stand-alone or not stand-alone), respondent's role as a coordinator or faculty member, single or double accreditation, formal training in family-systems theory, and attitude about family-systems theory as an enhancement to professional development. Results from other analyses included internal influences, external influences, past and future influences, demographic distinctions, limitations, suggestions for future research, and implications for the field.