Six hundred fifty-seven (657) members of the American School Counseling Association responded to the researcher-developed survey, the School Counselors Perceptions of Family Systems Perspectives Questionnaire (SCP-FSPQ). The instrument assessed school counselors’ perceptions of preparedness, competency, importance and frequency of use of family systems perspectives when working with youth in the school setting. The purposes of this quantitative study were to understand school counselors’ perceptions of their educational preparation in family systems perspectives; whether school counselors are using family systems strategies and, if so, how often; and how important school counselors believe those strategies are when implemented. This study also explores the barriers school counselors may face when working with a family systems perspective. Items from the SCP-FSPQ were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, t-test, Pearson correlation and principal component analysis. When exploring the relationships between school counselors’ type of degree, methods of learning, frequency of usage, beliefs about preparedness, competence and importance of family systems perspective, significant relationships were identified among all the variables. The results of this study supported the need for required family systems education that prepares school counselors to work with students and their families in the school setting. Findings resulted in training and education recommendations for school counselors, counselor educators, counselor education programs and the school counseling accreditation bodies.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka skolkuratorers upplevelse av arbetet med nyanlända elever inom skolans organisation. Fem skolkuratorer som arbetar i en kommun med många nyanlända elever intervjuades i en kvalitativ undersökning genom en fokusgruppsdiskussion. Resultatet har analyserats med hjälp av organisationsteori och har jämförts med tidigare forskning. Resultatet visade att skolkuratorerna i denna undersökning saknar tydliga rutiner från organisationen i arbetet med nyanlända elever. Kuratorerna arbetar självständigt och har diffusa riktlinjer från ledningen som ändras regelbundet. Språkförbistringar och problematik i samband med tolk anses utmanande. Genom en tydligare styrning och struktur från ledningen skulle en högre grad av samsyn mellan olika professioner och andra organisationer möjliggöras i arbetet med nyanlända elever.  Avslutningsvis diskuteras skolkuratorernas möjligheter att bidra till att inkludera elever och hur samverkan skulle kunna förbättras. / The aim of the study was to examine school counsellors experience of working with newly arrived immigrant students within the school’s organisation. Five school counsellors working in a municipality with many newly arrived immigrant students were interviewed in a qualitative study through a focus group discussion. The results were analysed using organisational theory and compared with previous research. Results showed that the school counsellors lacked explicit organisational routines in the work with newly arrived immigrant students, and that the counsellors worked independently but the guidelines from management were vague and changed on a regular basis. Linguistic confusion and interpretation issues were considered challenging. With more distinct control and structure from management a higher degree of consensus between different professions and other organisations would be made possible in working with newly arrived immigrant students. Finally, school counsellors contribution on how to include students and how collaboration could be improved were discussed

Esta tese trata da formação política e da participação política dos conselheiros de escola que atuaram no município de Suzano São Paulo, no período de 2005 a 2009, particularmente no que diz respeito aos familiares das crianças. Procuramos analisar em que medida esse tipo de formação contribui para a luta pela democratização da gestão da escola e para a elaboração de propostas de formação política por parte do poder público. O estudo foi organizado de modo a abordar no primeiro capítulo a questão da formação e da participação política. A partir de um conceito amplo de educação, ressaltamos a educação não formal e popular desenvolvida no mundo da vida, em diferentes processos participativos como campo privilegiado para a formação política preocupada com a tomada de decisões e com a democratização das relações. No segundo capítulo, privilegiamos o tema da institucionalização dos espaços de participação, tecendo considerações sobre a escola e sobre o Conselho de Escola, entendendo que não basta a criação de espaços democráticos de participação para que se garantam direitos legalmente firmados. Na sequência, apresentamos o contexto desta pesquisa, expondo, além das características do município de Suzano, as diversas ações voltadas à democratização da gestão da escola ali desenvolvidas e os participantes desta investigação. No último capítulo, à luz da teoria apresentada, identificamos e analisamos as concepções elaboradas pelos conselheiros de escola, participantes desta pesquisa, sobre formação, participação, representação, direito, escola e Conselho de Escola. Os dados foram obtidos por intermédio de: 1. consulta e análise de vários documentos da SME referentes às ações democratizantes elaboradas pelo município de Suzano/SP, no período entre 2005 e 2009; 2. entrevistas com doze conselheiros de escola, familiares das crianças, que atuaram no mesmo período. Nas conclusões, apresentamos, a partir do mapeamento realizado, aspectos de natureza temática, estratégica e estrutural que consideramos importantes para a elaboração de políticas públicas voltadas à formação política do conselheiro de escola com vistas à transformação da escola e da sociedade. / This thesis deals with the political formation of the school counselor, specifically the parents segment, who worked in the city of Suzano - São Paulo (2005-2009). Our goal was to analyze to which extent this kind political formation helps in the struggle for democratizing the school management and in the creation of political formation proposals made by the government.The study was organized to address, in the first chapter, the issue of political education and participation. From a broad concept of education, we emphasize the non-formal and popular education developed in the world of life, in different participatory processes, as a privileged field for the political education concerned with participation in decision-making as well as the democratization of relations. On the second chapter, we focus the question of institutionalization of spaces involvement with considerations about the school and the School Council, understanding that just the creation of democratic spaces of participation such as the School Council is not enough to ensure that the relationships there stabilished will guarantee the existence of rights legally signed, being democratic practices and relationships necessary for this warranty to become a reality. Following, we present the research context of the city of Suzano bringing characteristics of the various actions aimed at the democratization of school management developed there. In the last chapter, in light of the theory presented, we plot the concepts developed by school counselors on formation, participation, representation, law, school and the school council. To conduct the study, the data was obtained by: 1) SME documents that were organized, consulted and analyzed, related to democratizing actions developed for that municipality in the period between 2005 and 2009. 2) Interviews with twelve school counselors, from the parents segment, who acted in the same period. In conclusion, we return to the conceptions developed by the counselors, from the mapping done, thematic, strategic and structural aspects that we consider important for the elaboration of public policies for formation of school counselors with emphasis on transforming the school and society.

Studier visar att stödsamtalet kan ses som otydligt och tycks sakna en bestämd utformning. Syftet med denna studie var därför att undersöka vad stödsamtal innebär för skolkuratorer som arbetar på högstadium samt hur de tillämpar stödsamtal i praktiken. Studiens insamlade data baseras på kvalitativa intervjuer med sex skolkuratorer. Det insamlade datamaterialet analyserades mot bakgrund av en teoretisk tolkningsram bestående av perspektiv på stödsamtal, samtalsfärdigheter samt verktyg och metoder tillämpbara i samtal. Datamaterialet analyserades även mot tidigare forskning. Studiens resultat visar att stödsamtal ses som otydligt och icke-behandlande samt att stödsamtalet uppfattas som ett hantverk. Stödsamtalet ses även som flexibelt och utformningen anpassas utifrån elevens behov och dennes situation. Framträdande var vikten av en samtalsstruktur, allians med eleven samt skolkuratorns förhållningssätt i stödsamtalet. Studiens resultat påvisar även att motiverande samtal är en metod som används samt att skolkuratorerna tillämpar ett integrerat arbetssätt i stödsamtalet. / The aim of this study was to examine what counselling means to school counselors who work at lower secondary schools and how they use counselling in their practice. The collected data is based on qualitative interviews with six school counselors. The data was analyzed towards a theoretical framework consisting of perspectives of counselling, counselling skills as well as tools and methods which can be used in conversations. The data was also analyzed towards previous research. The result shows that counselling is seen as unclear, a non-treatment method and counselling apprehends as a handicraft. The counselling is flexible and the design can be adapted to the pupils needs and situation. It’s important with a structure in conversations, the alliance with the pupil and the school counselors approach in counselling. The result also shows that motivational interviewing is used and that the school counselors is using an integrated work procedure in counselling.

The aim of this study is to deepen the knowledge of the significance of mentors presence for the psychosocial work in the school. The study is qualitative and was done with seven semi structured interviews. We interviewed six mentors and one school counselor all from the same school. The mentors have worked for almost one year and is a new profession in the school that has taken over the teacher's assignment as a mentor. The mentors main task is to be the students’ primary contact between the students and the school. The results we found shows that the mentors have contributed with more psychosocial knowledge which has enabled the school to reach more students and to meet more of the students’ needs. The results shows that the school counselor didn’t have as much time before with the preventative work in the school, but with the mentors’ help the preventive work in the school has increased. The results also shows that it’s many times a fine line between the mentors and the school counselor in the way they work. For example several of the mentors provide the students with counseling, like the school counselor do. The line shifts though, depending on the education and experience of the mentor. Finally, the results show that the mentors’ presence has a significant role on the psychosocial work in the school, because both mentors and the school counselor are all working together for the students wellbeing.

Esta tese trata da formação política e da participação política dos conselheiros de escola que atuaram no município de Suzano São Paulo, no período de 2005 a 2009, particularmente no que diz respeito aos familiares das crianças. Procuramos analisar em que medida esse tipo de formação contribui para a luta pela democratização da gestão da escola e para a elaboração de propostas de formação política por parte do poder público. O estudo foi organizado de modo a abordar no primeiro capítulo a questão da formação e da participação política. A partir de um conceito amplo de educação, ressaltamos a educação não formal e popular desenvolvida no mundo da vida, em diferentes processos participativos como campo privilegiado para a formação política preocupada com a tomada de decisões e com a democratização das relações. No segundo capítulo, privilegiamos o tema da institucionalização dos espaços de participação, tecendo considerações sobre a escola e sobre o Conselho de Escola, entendendo que não basta a criação de espaços democráticos de participação para que se garantam direitos legalmente firmados. Na sequência, apresentamos o contexto desta pesquisa, expondo, além das características do município de Suzano, as diversas ações voltadas à democratização da gestão da escola ali desenvolvidas e os participantes desta investigação. No último capítulo, à luz da teoria apresentada, identificamos e analisamos as concepções elaboradas pelos conselheiros de escola, participantes desta pesquisa, sobre formação, participação, representação, direito, escola e Conselho de Escola. Os dados foram obtidos por intermédio de: 1. consulta e análise de vários documentos da SME referentes às ações democratizantes elaboradas pelo município de Suzano/SP, no período entre 2005 e 2009; 2. entrevistas com doze conselheiros de escola, familiares das crianças, que atuaram no mesmo período. Nas conclusões, apresentamos, a partir do mapeamento realizado, aspectos de natureza temática, estratégica e estrutural que consideramos importantes para a elaboração de políticas públicas voltadas à formação política do conselheiro de escola com vistas à transformação da escola e da sociedade. / This thesis deals with the political formation of the school counselor, specifically the parents segment, who worked in the city of Suzano - São Paulo (2005-2009). Our goal was to analyze to which extent this kind political formation helps in the struggle for democratizing the school management and in the creation of political formation proposals made by the government.The study was organized to address, in the first chapter, the issue of political education and participation. From a broad concept of education, we emphasize the non-formal and popular education developed in the world of life, in different participatory processes, as a privileged field for the political education concerned with participation in decision-making as well as the democratization of relations. On the second chapter, we focus the question of institutionalization of spaces involvement with considerations about the school and the School Council, understanding that just the creation of democratic spaces of participation such as the School Council is not enough to ensure that the relationships there stabilished will guarantee the existence of rights legally signed, being democratic practices and relationships necessary for this warranty to become a reality. Following, we present the research context of the city of Suzano bringing characteristics of the various actions aimed at the democratization of school management developed there. In the last chapter, in light of the theory presented, we plot the concepts developed by school counselors on formation, participation, representation, law, school and the school council. To conduct the study, the data was obtained by: 1) SME documents that were organized, consulted and analyzed, related to democratizing actions developed for that municipality in the period between 2005 and 2009. 2) Interviews with twelve school counselors, from the parents segment, who acted in the same period. In conclusion, we return to the conceptions developed by the counselors, from the mapping done, thematic, strategic and structural aspects that we consider important for the elaboration of public policies for formation of school counselors with emphasis on transforming the school and society.

The role of high school counselors includes providing equitable access to college and career opportunities for students (College Board, 2011). Attending college is viewed as a national priority that includes pre-college activities to promote postsecondary access (Savitz-Romer, 2012). High school counselors may have ambiguous roles that complicates their efforts (Engberg & Gilbert, 2014). Role confusion may arise when the high school counselors are asked to provide mental health services rather than professionally focus on college acceptance and completion for students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of public high school counselors regarding their roles in developing a college-going culture. The participants were asked to share practices, policies, and resources specific to promoting a college-going culture. This case study included in-depth interviews that shed light on successes and struggles encountered by the high school counselors. The criteria for participants included serving a minimum of three years as a high school counselor and possessing a Tennessee school counseling license. The interviews consisted of 15 semi-structured questions framed in response to the three research questions guiding this study. The findings resulted in the emergence of four themes relative to answering the three research questions. The 11 participants expressed their roles as facilitators to students’ understanding, knowledge, and transition to access postsecondary education. The 11 participants provided insights and personal illustrations regarding the four themes. The findings revealed perceptions recognized from the participants’ experiences in the development of a college-going culture. Participants reported an expanded view of the term college and reflected that the college-going culture may be structured to address the needs specific to the respective high school’s environment. The participants responded that family influences are key elements that determine students’ entry to postsecondary education. Recommendations included practices that strengthened communication to students and parents and raising the rigor of academic coursework. The recommendations for practice included increasing the number of licensed school counselors with master’s degrees to reduce student caseloads. Currently, research from the American School Counseling Association (2017) suggests a student-to-counselor ratio of 250:1. Further research should explore barriers that prevent high school counselors from providing resources for the development of a college-going culture.

This qualitative study was conducted with a sample of five (5) middle school African American adolescent men from two different schools in the same school district to explore their perceptions of and experiences with their professional school counselors. Phenomenological qualitative methodology was used to complete this study. To gather research data, two semi-structured interviews with open ended questioning were conducted. Phenomenological data analysis was performed, which included the creation of meaning units, preliminary and then more detailed themes; ultimately five themes emanated from the data. These five themes include An Understanding of the Role of the School Counselor; Effective and Ineffective Performance of the School Counseling Roles; Factors Contributing to a Positive School Counselor/Student Dynamic; Personal and Social Factors Encouraging or Deterring Interactions with the School Counselor; and The Students' Tentative Occupational Interests. The themes suggest that participants have beliefs about the purpose of school counseling which align with national and state guidelines for the school counseling profession. In addition, themes reveal that the relationship between school counselor and student is extremely important and that this relationship is cultivated and nurtured in a number of ways. Data also indicated that depending on how well school counselors perform these duties and connect effectively with students, participants are able distinguish between effective and ineffective performance of the school counselor role. As important as these variables are, data also indicated there are personal and social variables which can encourage or deter participants' contact with their school counseling. The last theme details the participants' occupational interests. Implications for professional school counselors in these two schools and the school counselor education profession more generally are also provided. In conclusion, limitations and suggestions for future research are explored.

This study examined the supervision effectiveness of three online peer supervision models as measured by the two outcome variables of case conceptualization skills and self-efficacy. Also, it explored the impact of developmental levels of school counselors on the outcomes of supervision. Practicing school counselors from a national sample were randomly assigned to three groups: the Online Structured Peer Supervision Group (S group), the Online Peer Discussion Group (D group), and the Control Group. Two instruments measuring the outcome variables (dependent variables) were administered: the Clinical Hypothesis Exercise Form (CHEF) and the Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES). The independent variables were the two experimental conditions and the supervisee years of experience. In addition, the Counselor Supervision Experience Questionnaire collected information regarding the overall on-line supervision experience. No significant differences were found before and after the online peer supervision groups by statistical analysis; however, positive feedback regarding the supervision experience was provided by participants in response to qualitative questions.

School counselors have potential to make significant gains in closing the achievement gap for all students as advocated for by the American School Counseling Association. School counseling is moving away from the no-model model of services delivery that places counselors at the whim of principals, parents and teachers who traditionally define counseling duties according to their needs. Instead, it is moving toward a school counseling framework advocated for by national and state organizations. A core concept of these frameworks is the use of evidence-based practices to meet the needs of all learners. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based counseling practice developed to assist with resolution of ambivalence and behavior change. Researched throughout the world in a variety of settings from the health professions to prisons, the results show promise in MI for assisting with behavior change in both adult and adolescent populations. MI training is currently available to school counselors at conferences, school district trainings and through self-study. There is little research on the efficacy of MI and school counseling training and implementation. The purpose of this dissertation is to produce two manuscripts related to school counseling and MI. Using a concurrent multiple baseline design, this study focused on the impact of MI feedback and coaching supervision of school counseling graduate students (N=3) with previous beginning MI training in a two day workshop. The hypothesis stated that subsequent feedback and coaching supervision improved school counseling graduate the percentage of MI adherent behavior on the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI 3.1). The global rating scores increased with feedback and coaching supervision and the participants moved from levels of beginning MI competency to proficiency in their mean scores. Participants did not, however, increase the percentage of MI adherent behavior. These score began high and remained high throughout the 10 week duration of the research. Implications for this study include highlighting the importance of feedback and coaching supervision for school counseling graduate students wanting to increase beginning MI skills, and it marks the beginning of research on training and implementing MI in school counseling programs. / Graduation date: 2013