The purpose of this paper is to deeper understand Swedish school counselors’ work to build trustful relationships with pupils and the counselors’ possibilities to discover child sexual abuse. This will be studied, considering that the school holds many different professions. This paper will also look into the social workers opportunities and obstacles in the profession. The result of the study has developed from qualitative interviews with five school counselors where they were asked questions about their experiences and current work situation. The result showed that all of the school counselors had both suspected and discovered child sexual abuse among the pupils. They try their hardest to be as efficient as possible and to build relations, although they consider time to be their biggest obstacle. The economy and the interest principals and politicians take in the counsellors, turned out to have an impact on the priority the school counselors’ work will have.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka skolkuratorns roll i arbetet mot mobbning. Systematisk litteraturgenomgång samt användande av innehållsanalys tillämpades för att besvara litteraturstudiens syfte och frågeställningar. Rollteori samt tidigare forskning utgjorde underlag för analys av resultat. Resultatet visade att begreppet mobbning av skolkuratorer kan tolkas olika och medför därav en syn på mobbning som är mångtydig. Skolkuratorer kan i sin förklaring av hur de ser på mobbning utgå ifrån ett eller flera perspektiv. Mobbning kan betraktas ur ett allmänorienterat, individorienterat eller miljöorienterat synsätt. Ett allmänorienterat synsätt utgår ifrån en helhetssyn kring eleverna. Ett individorienterat synsätt betraktar att elevers individuella svårigheter, kroniska tillstånd eller funktionsnedsättningar ger upphov till inblandning i mobbningsincidenter. Ett miljöorienterat synsätt innefattar en psykosocial syn där norm, kultur, familj, lärare samt klasskamrater betraktas som bidragande till involvering i mobbning. Arbetet mot mobbning betecknar en komplex funktion där skolkuratorns roll består av flera aktiviteter. Exempel på ett urval av aktiviteter involverar initiativ som individuella samtal, stödgrupper, medling samt samarbete med familj och skolpersonal. / The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of the school counselor in the work against bullying. A systematic review of literature and use of content analysis were applied to answer the aims and questions of the literature study. A role-theoretical framework and research provided the basis for analysis of results. The result showed that the concept of bullying by school counselors can be interpreted differently, and thus entails a view of bullying that is ambiguous. In their explanation of how they view bullying, school counselors can start from one or more perspectives. Bullying can be viewed from a general, individual or environmental view. A general-oriented view is based on a holistic view of the students. An individual-oriented view considers that students' individual difficulties, chronic conditions or disabilities give rise to involvement in bullying incidents. An environment-oriented view includes a psychosocial view where norm, culture, family, teachers and classmates are considered contributing to involvement in bullying. The work against bullying represents a complex function in which the role of the school counselor consists of several activities. Examples of a selection of activities involve initiatives such as individual discussions, support groups, mediation and collaboration with family and school staff.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how school counselors in high schools work with students that are exposed to honor-related problems and how they experience their work with these students. We have used a qualitative method and semi-structured interviews with seven school counselors who have experience of working with honor-related issues. To analyze the material we have used previous research along with Michael Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucracy with the concept of discretion and Carl Rogers' theory of the therapeutic relationship. The conclusions we can draw after completing our study is that school counselors experience organizational and honor contextual challenges, but their discretion can help them in their work. To be able to detect vulnerable students, the school counselor uses strategies by being where the students are and asking straight questions. Another important side of the work to succeed at drawing attention to vulnerability is that there is knowledge and that all staff at the school possess this in order to cooperate in identifying vulnerable students. To help students that are vulnerable the dialogue is important both with the students but also the student's parents to be able to talk about the problem and the school counselor contributes with knowledge and information regarding human rights. When the problem is too big for the school counselor's discretion, a strategy for helping will then be to contact other street-level bureaucrats that have the knowledge and discretion to help. Having a trusting relationship is described as the key to being able to discover and help vulnerable students and there are important qualities the school counselor can possess, which increases the conditions for being able to discover, help, create relationships and meet the challenges the work requires.

Debatten om ungdomar och pornografi är starkt polariserad och det finns en utbredd oro hos allmänheten kring pornografins påverkan på ungdomar. Enligt tidigare forskning råder det ingen konsensus vad gäller pornografins eventuella konsekvenser. Det finns lite forskning kring hur professionella, som arbetar med ungdomar, förhåller sig till ämnet. Syftet med denna studie var därmed att belysa hur det sociala arbetet kan se ut gällande ungdomars exponering för och konsumtion av pornografi samt fördjupa förståelsen för huruvida det kan ses som ett socialt problem. Detta genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod, genom sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med skolkuratorer som jobbar med ungdomar mellan 13 och 19 år. Det empiriska materialet analyserades med hjälp av sociala problem som ett teoretiskt ramverk för att förstå huruvida ungdomars pornografikonsumtion kan ses som ett socialt problem utifrån skolkuratorernas perspektiv och erfarenheter. Resultaten visar på att arbetssätten kring ämnet skiljer sig åt mellan skolkuratorerna. En del berör ämnet som permanenta inslag i undervisningen, medan andra inte gör det. Gemensamt för de alla är att de betonar vikten av att ha ett öppet och icke-dömande förhållningssätt för att avlasta från skam. Resultaten visar även på såväl positiva som negativa aspekter av porrkonsumtion. Utifrån resultatet råder det oklarheter om ungdomars exponering för och konsumtion av pornografi kan förstås som ett socialt problem. Men samtidigt är det ett viktigt ämne att beröra för att förebygga och minimera eventuella negativa konsekvenser. / The debate regarding adolescents and pornography is highly polarized and there is a widespread concern amongst the general public regarding its influence on adolescents. According to previous research, there is no consensus regarding the possible effects of pornography, and the research on how professionals, working with adolescents, handle the topic is limited. ​​Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine and highlight social worker’s ways of working within the field of exposure and consumption of pornography amongst adolescents, and furthermore, to deepen the understanding of whether this should be considered a social problem or not. This was conducted through a qualitative method, with six semi-structured interviews with school counselors, working with adolescents between 13 and 19 years of age. The empirical data was analyzed using social problems as a theoretical framework to illustrate whether adolescents’ consumption of pornography is seen as a social problem from the school counselors’ perspectives. The results show that the methods used regarding the subject differs between the school counselors. However, they all emphasize the importance of having an open and non-judgmental approach in order to relieve the adolescents from shame. The results also show that there are both positive and negative aspects of pornography consumption. Based on the results, there is an uncertainty to whether the exposure and consumption of pornography amongst adolescents can be considered a social problem. However, it is important to discuss the topic with adolescents to prevent and minimize any negative consequences.

The aim of this study has been to get a better understanding of school counselors experience of their room for maneuver in a pedagogical environment. Consequently, examine the meaning of legitimacy and cooperation with other professions within the school. Our study emanates from six semi-structured qualitative interviews with school counselors that have been analyzed from a thematic analysis. The study consists mainly of three key concepts room for maneuver, cooperation and legitimacy. The result shows that there is a duality around their perception of these key concepts. School counselors find both strengths and difficulties in their profession and role at the school. Our conclusion is that school counselors need a clearer job description and support from mainly principals to enable the work more health-promoting and preventive in school. The school counselors described a desire for a central manager with an educational background more similar to theirs in order to make it easier for them to find their role at the school. ,

Latest research on the mental health status of children indicates that schools are key providers of mental health services (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). The push for school mental health services has only increased as stakeholders have begun to recognize the significance of sound mental health as an essential part of academic success (Adelman & Taylor, 2002). However, while schools are recognized as playing an important role in the delivery of mental health services, it is not well understood about the types of mental health services provided, qualifications of providers, and the link to student outcomes (United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). The present study examined Florida school mental health service providers' perceptions about the types of mental health services provided in schools and school mental health service providers' qualifications to provide such services. Additionally, the study investigated the agreement about providers' qualifications to provide mental health services between providers, supervisors, and directors. Finally, this study investigated the perceptions of providers regarding the impact of mental health services on student outcomes. Results revealed that school mental health service providers considered several services, such as family counseling and mental health consultation, to be school mental health services. Services typically not viewed as mental health services were assessments, consultation improving academic concerns, early-intervention, universal screenings, and specialized intervention. School psychologists were the only mental health professional to receive a unanimous agreement from school mental health providers that they were most qualified of the three professionals to deliver a service (e.g., assessment). Additionally, with the exception of school psychologists, there was no consistency reported between administrators and school mental health service providers about providers' qualifications to deliver services. The following variables moderated perceptions about the qualifications of school mental health service providers: school level, SES status of school, and degree level. Lastly, school level and SES status of the school did not moderate perceptions about the impact of mental health services on academic and behavioral outcomes.

Skolkuratorns unika roll i skolan bidrar med ett psykosocialt perspektiv i syfte att främja elevernas välbefinnande och utveckling. Hur elevhälsoarbetet utformas kan dock se olika ut beroende på skolans behov och förutsättningar. Studiens syfte är att undersöka skolkuratorns upplevelse av hur elevhälsoarbetet med fokus på det främjande och förebyggande arbetet bedrivs och organiseras för eleverna i grundskolan. Författarna har utfört en kvalitativ studie genom fem semi-strukturerade intervjuer med skolkuratorer. Utifrån intervjumaterialet har en tematisk analys genomförts. De viktigaste slutsatserna innefattar bland annat att det främjande och förebyggande arbetet är prioriterat samtidigt som det akutstyrda arbetet tar mycket tid och resurser. En annan slutsats som nås är att samverkan har en stor betydelse för ett gott elevhälsoarbete. Utöver dessa slutsatser framkommer även ett flertal komplexa utmaningar som präglas av resurs- och ekonomibrist samt en brist på tidseffektivitet. Utifrån studiens resultat anser författarna att ytterligare forskning angående implementering av evidensbaserade metoder bör genomföras. Detta då skolkuratorer ofta inser vikten av dessa metoder men lyfter samtidigt fram att de inte alltid är tillräckligt anpassade till skolmiljön. / The school counselor's unique role in school contributes with a psychosocial perspective to promote pupils' well-being and development. However, how pupil health work is designed may differ depending on the school's needs and conditions. The aim of the study is to investigate the school counselor's experience of how pupil health work, with a focus on the promotive and preventive work, is conducted and organized for the students in elementary school. The study uses a qualitative method and the authors organized five semi-structured interviews with school counselors. The main conclusions include, among other things, that promotion and prevention are a priority, while emergency-controlled work takes a lot of time and resources. Another conclusion is that collaboration is of great importance for good pupil health work. In addition to these conclusions, several complex challenges are also emerging, characterized by resource and economic deficiencies and a lack of time efficiency. Based on the results of the study, the authors believe that further research on the implementation of evidence-based methods should be conducted. This is because school counselors often realize the importance of these methods but at the same time highlight that they are not always sufficiently adapted to the school environment.

Art has been used for centuries as a healing tool for adults and children; however, the use of art therapy in schools is a recent development. Art therapy, encompassing art, psychology, and therapy, is by nature interdisciplinary. Art experiences provided to students at risk of failing or dropping out of school may offer non-verbal communication that can be used effectively to satisfy a variety of developmental, social, or emotional needs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a curriculum-based art experiences model, combining the skills of art teachers and school counselors. Data were collected through a focus group consisting of seven art teachers and five school counselors representing the eight elementary schools in Johnson City, Tennessee. These elementary school specialists agreed that at-risk students could benefit from the use of art experiences that were suggested in the study. Four major issues were discussed regarding the mechanics of the proposed alliances of art teachers and school counselors: (a) identification of at-risk students, (b) the opportunity for collaborative time, (c) pulling at-risk students out of self-contained classrooms for art experiences, and (d) the additional space needed for consistency of the art experiences. Some suggested strategies for specific issues in the focus group were as follows: (a) to establish a clear method for identifying at-risk students, (b) to manage time schedules to allow opportunities for collaboration, (c) to organize in-service opportunities for the self-contained classroom teachers, and (d) to seek out in each participating school an appropriate area for use by the art teacher and school counselor. The results of this study suggested that collaboration of two elementary school specialists, an art teacher, and a school counselor in each school, could provide therapeutic art experiences for children identified as being at risk. Consequently, I have concluded that my proposed curriculum-based model could be adopted by almost any elementary school that has an art teacher and a school counselor without requiring any additional personnel.

Juvenile delinquency is a well known problematic issue in today's society, it is a social phenomenon that can jeopardize children and youths futures. Juvenile delinquency can lead to social problems and therefore is the prevention work crucial for children and youths that are affected by the matter. Previous research about juvenile delinquency and how it’s either prevented, or how it’s remedial has not focused on school counselors' work. School is an area where children spend much of their time, it’s interesting to find out how the schools work to counteract this social problem. The aim of this study is to investigate how counselors at different schools in Malmö work with prevention and remedial measures against juvenile delinquency. We also intended to find out what opportunities and difficulties the counselors experienced in their work. This is a qualitative study based on six school counselors and their experiences. The data has been collected from interviews with the school counselors, and previous research regarding juvenile delinquency. The theories that were used to analyze the result are The social bond theory and the theory on Sense of coherence. The results from this study presented different risk and protective factors that school counselors mean is connected to the development of juvenile delinquency. The results also showed that there is no specific work description made for school counselors work with the problematic matter and therefore the preventive and remedial work depends on the school counselor, and varies a lot from school to school. The school counselors believe that trust building with the students is an effective approach to the matter.

Denna studie utforskar hur skolkuratorer bemöter och hanterar hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck inom svensk skolmiljö. Mot bakgrund av att hedersförtryck identifieras som ett växande problem i Sverige, problematiserar forskningsstudien befintliga kunskapsgap kring skolkuratorers interaktioner med berörda elever. Utifrån tidigare forskning identifieras en stark avsaknad av riktlinjer och en misstro mot socialtjänstens förmåga att adekvat hantera sådana fall. Studien bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer med skolkuratorer, analyserade genom tematisk kodning. Resultaten visar att skolkuratorer står inför utmaningar relaterade till främst kulturella och religiösa dynamiker, resultatet belyser även ledningens engagemang och riktlinjer. Analysen som utgår från Lipskys teoribildning gällande gräsrotsbyråkrati belyser utmaningar och framgångsfaktorer gällande samverkan och handlingsutrymme. Diskussionen belyser vikten av ökad kunskap och stöd samt utveckling av specifika riktlinjer för att effektivare kunna stödja elever i riskzonen. Studien bidrar med insikter för både teoretisk förståelse och praktisk tillämpning i socialt arbete inom skolan, samt föreslår riktningar för framtida forskning inom området. / This study explores how school counselors address and manage honor-related violence and oppression in Swedish schools. Considering that honor oppression is seen as a growing problem in Sweden, the research study highlights gaps in knowledge regarding school counselors' interactions with affected students. Based on previous research, a significant lack of guidelines and distrust in social services' ability to properly handle such cases were identified. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with school counselors, analyzed through thematic coding. The results show that school counselors face challenges related to cultural and religious dynamics, and also highlight the involvement of management and guidelines. The analysis, drawing on Lipsky's theory of street-level bureaucracy, outlines challenges and success factors in collaboration and decision-making space. The discussion emphasizes the importance of increased knowledge and support, and the development of specific guidelines to better support students at risk. The study provides insights for both theoretical understanding and practical application in social work within schools and suggests directions for future research in the field.