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The roles and responsibilities of school counselors across the United States are often misinterpreted amongst various stakeholders, individual state requirements for educational initiatives, and often among practicing counselors’ own perceptions and view of professional identity. While the American School Counselor Association (ASCA, 2003; 2005) strives to provide ethical standards and practices to solidify the professional identity of school counselors and acquire the qualifications and skills to address all students’ academic, personal/social and career development needs, a clear defined definition and perception of the school counselor continues to become solidified. Perhaps this is due to the changing educational horizon, communities, administration, and federal influences of policies and procedures on schools and school districts (Bain, 2012). Whatever the reason, school counselors are faced with a myriad of challenges that make it difficult in today’s educational society to adhere to the social/emotional, post-secondary/career, and academic needs of all students. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA, 2003;2005) has developed the ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs which establishes a structure for effective school counseling programs; however, school counseling programs, credentials, and educational initiatives can be different from state to state. This study examined high school counselors (9th-12th grade) in Pennsylvania, suburban, public high Schools, specifically in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. A quasi-mixed methods, exploratory research approach was used. Nonparametric statistics were run to determine if a significant impact of demographic variables yielded a difference in school counselors’ self-efficacy. Additionally, school counselors were randomly selected to participate in semi-structured, open-ended interviews, examining high school counselors’ perceptions and self-efficacy regarding their roles and responsibilities pertaining to students’ mental health issues. Results indicated that gender, one’s undergraduate degree of education, and years of experience have significant impact on school counselors' self-efficacy, specifically related to certain items on the Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales (Lent, et al., 2003). After content analysis coding, it was also found that school counselors feel high efficacy beliefs associated with specific roles and responsibilities and that self-efficacy beliefs change if counselors perceive a lack of stakeholder support or do not feel they are valued. Some implications for future research might be a longitudinal study of school counselors’ self-efficacy over a given period of time and a larger sample size. It might also be helpful to combine elements of the CASES Scales with other school counselor based scales to form a more unified measurement that speaks to school counselors’ roles and responsibilities that have been identified within this study and expand to specific mental health diagnosis, disorders, and behaviors. KEY WORDS: School Counseling, Communication, Educational Psychology / Educational Psychology

The purpose of this study was two-fold: First, to qualitatively explore mainstreamed hard of hearing adolescent athletes' psychosocial development, centering on their perspectives of cultural identity, self-concept, and self-esteem and the interaction of these psychological constructs with sport participation. Second, to follow-up with a quantitative measure objectively assessing the impact of sport participation on these psychological domains. Participants were hard of hearing adolescent athletes in the Northeast Atlantic Region, all of whom were currently engaging in some level of sport participation at the time of the study. Five mainstreamed hard of hearing athletes, three male and two female, participated in a semi-structured interview format. Interviews were performed at a time and place convenient for the participant. The purpose of the interview was to elicit detailed, authentic, rich content related to their experiences as hard of hearing athletes both in school and on the field and how these experiences have impacted their self-concept, cultural identification, and social lives. Utilizing grounded theory and adapting the consensual qualitative methods described by Hill, Knox, Thompson, Williams, and Hess (2005), seven conceptual categories and additional sub-categories were derived from the coding process. These conceptual categories and subthemes were found: (a) hearing loss, consisting of severity, age of diagnosis, assistive devices, and familial hearing status, (b) sporting background, sporting initiation, and current team standing, (c) parental roles, consisting of parental support of hearing and parental support of sport, (d) team experience, consisting of teammates, coaches, and opponents, (e) adaptations to being hard of hearing, consisting of working with coaches, on the field and in the classroom, (f) self-esteem/self-concept, consisting of biculturalism, self identity, and on the field mentality, and (g) benefits of sports, consisting of confidence, friends, and other. Participants also completed the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, which provides a total self-concept score and scores across six subscales: physical appearance and attributes, intellectual and school status, happiness and satisfaction, freedom from anxiety, behavioral adjustment, and popularity. All participants scored "average" or "above average" on total self-concept and the six subscales. The population did not consist of enough participants for a quantitative analysis. / Kinesiology

The transition to adolescence is considered to be a period filled with increased turmoil, often disrupting youth's psychological well-being and resulting in numerous poor outcomes. This study examined the relationship between aspects of mental health and students' academic performance and their beliefs about their academic capabilities among a normative sample of middle school girls. Measures of mental health problems as well as emotional strengths were included. Forty middle school girls from two schools were included in this study. Sixteen of the participants attended a small, predominantly White private school and the remaining 24 students attended a larger and more diverse public school. Pearson correlations were run with the entire sample and at the two schools separately to identify the relationship between the mental health variables and the academic outcomes. Results indicated that mental health functioning was significantly related to students' feelings about their academic abilities, such that students reporting high levels of distress reported more negative attitudes about their own abilities and students reporting high levels of emotional strengths reported more positive academic attitudes. The psychological variables were not, however, correlated with students' true performance on math and reading tests. Results were more pronounced at the more diverse public school than they were at the small private school. These results suggest that more comprehensive screening procedures that look at students' psychological and academic functioning may be important to better understand students' needs and to provide appropriate school-based interventions. This study also examined the effectiveness of a school-based depression prevention program, the Girls in Transition program, which is designed to promote resiliency among middle school girls. Students at the two schools were randomly assigned to receive the intervention immediately (n = 17) or were put into a wait-list control group (n = 20). Data were collected at three separate times: before the intervention began, immediately following the intervention, and at a six-month follow-up period. Paired samples t-tests and one-way ANOVAs were run to examine changes in the study variables over time for each group and group differences at both follow-up periods. Results revealed that students who participated in the program reported increased use of adaptive coping strategies at both follow-up periods. They also reported reductions in symptoms of anxiety and anhedonia and increases in social self-efficacy. Scores among students in the wait-list control group remained stable, though two unanticipated findings were observed. Differences between the two groups at either follow-up period were not detected. Despite evidence of a relationship between mental health factors and academics, participants did not demonstrate gains in any of the academic measures included in this study. Results from this study offer encouraging support for the effectiveness of the Girls in Transition program, though they were severely limited by small sample sizes and high attrition rates. / School Psychology

Crisis intervention is a responsibility of school counselors. Specific training in crisis intervention skills is recommended for performing adequately in crisis situations, however, no generally accepted standards exist for training school counselors in crisis intervention. This exploratory study was conducted entirely online. Participants in the study were recruited via email and listservs and accessed a website to complete a survey. State certified school counselors (n=517) from across the United States (response rate 47%) participated. The following research questions were investigated: (1) Do these school counselors have training in situational crisis intervention skills? (2) What is the format and source of this training? (3) What situational crises have these counselors faced in their work? (4) Do these counselors feel adequately prepared for crisis situations? (5) Do these counselors differ in their preparedness according to demographic variables? (6) What additional training regarding crisis intervention do these counselors believe they need? Results indicate the majority of participants have had training in crisis intervention. Significant differences in level of training were found based on years of experience, age group, and ethnic group. The most frequently cited training topics previously received by respondents are stages of grief, suicide prevention and intervention, and assessment and referral. The most frequently encountered crisis situations are suicide ideation, child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, and suicide gesture. The average percentage of time spent by respondents on crisis intervention is 17%. Over 50% of respondents report being adequately prepared as the result of training for crises related to suicide, violence, accidents, and alcohol/drugs. Forty-six percent report being adequately prepared for crises involving disaster. For each of the five categories of crisis (suicide, violence, accidents, alcohol/drugs, disaster), respondents with 1-5 years of experience report lower perceptions of preparedness as the result of training than the other groups. Elementary counselors report lower levels of preparedness for suicide and alcohol/drug related crises. High school counselors report lower levels of preparedness for disaster. Eighty-nine percent of respondents wish to have additional training in crisis intervention. The most desired training topics are responding to violence, psychological first aid, crisis simulations, Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, and legal/ethical issues in crisis intervention. / Ph. D.

This research study investigated the effectiveness of a filial therapy training model as a method to train fifth grade students in child-centered play therapy skills and procedures. Filial therapy is an intervention that focuses on strengthening and enhancing adult-child relationships. The fifth grade students were trained to be a therapeutic change agent for kindergarten children identified as having adjustment difficulties, by utilizing basic child-centered play therapy skills in weekly play sessions with the kindergarten children. Specifically, this research determined the effectiveness of filial therapy in increasing the fifth grade students': 1) empathic responses with kindergarten children; 2) communication of acceptance with kindergarten children; 3) allowance of self-direction with kindergarten children, and 4) involvement in play activities of kindergarten children. The experimental group of fifth grade students (N=12) received thirty-five minutes of training twice a week for 5 weeks and then once a week for the duration of the 10 weeks of play sessions. The control group (N=11) received no training during the 15 weeks of the project. Fifth grade student participants were videotaped playing with a kindergarten child identified as having adjustment difficulties in 20-minute play sessions before and after the training to measure empathic behavior in adult-child interactions. Analysis of Covariance on adjusted post test means revealed that fifth grade children in the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant increases in empathic responses, acceptance, and behavioral willingness to follow the kindergarten children's lead, and involvement. A measure of communication of acceptance of kindergarten children's feelings and behaviors although not statistically significant indicated a positive trend. This study supports the use of filial therapy as an effective training model for increasing fifth grade students' empathic behavior with kindergarten children experiencing adjustment difficulties. Filial therapy offers significant possibilities for training fifth grade students in a developmentally appropriate model for working with kindergarten children, in order to prevent future problems. The observed power of the therapeutic relationship between the fifth grade students in the experimental group and the kindergarten children suggest the continued implementation of this innovative project.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between demographic and occupational variables, the implementation of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model, and burnout in professional secondary school counselors. Participants in this study were professional secondary school counselors who were members of ASCA (n=494). All participants completed the Secondary School Counselor Demographic, Implementation of the ASCA National Model, and Burnout Survey that was designed to assess counselors’ perceptions and practices related to the level of implementation of the ASCA National Model and the degree of burnout. The instrument combined a researcher-developed questionnaire with the School Counseling Program Implementation Survey (SCPIS) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rho correlations, and hierarchical multiple regression models were utilized for data analysis. The results of this study indicated that professional secondary school counselors had high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, yet also had high levels of personal accomplishment. In addition, results indicated that professional secondary school counselors believed they are making progress in implementing the ASCA National Model; however, the model is not fully implemented. An inverse, significant relationship was discovered between the level of implementation of the ASCA National Model and the degree of burnout.

The purpose of this study was to understand the obstacles faced as well as strategies used by 6 graduates of a small rural high school in Southern Middle Tennessee. Specifically, this study was an examination of the life experiences of 6 graduates, identifying the major obstacles faced and the successful strategies used to complete the requirements for a high school diploma. Qualitative methodology guided this study. This approach allowed for the lived experiences to be examined and the voices of 6 participants be heard. Data collected included participant stories using semistructured interviews conducted using an interview protocol, drawing of a concept map, and prioritization of influences according to their perspective regarding their diploma completion. Other valuable data included researcher field notes and graduation coach file notes. Findings are presented in 6 themes pertaining directly to the interview questions regarding key elements—circumstances leading to a relationship with a graduation coach, discussions during grad coach sessions, nongrad parent influences, parent expectations, grade retention, and strategies implemented by the graduation coach. After the collection and analysis of all data, the researcher coded the data to determine emerging themes. Much of the researcher’s work consisted of processing the data to discover categories and patterns among the stories told by the 6 graduate participants, as presented in the qualitative narrative analysis methodology. Through the narrative inquiry method of this study, the examination of the stories of 6 graduates reveals that a relationship with at least 1 caring adult in the high school setting is imperative to successful high school completion. This adult may offer assistance through a variety of ways such as developing an academic plan of action, building confidence, arranging tutoring sessions, or tracking progress.

"... In the development of training and practice, as a student and as a professional school counselor, counselors are searching for tangible, grounded real life examples of how to transfer and apply theory into practice for commonly encountered counseling situations. The purpose of this text is to introduce students in training and new professional school counselors to various situations each is likely to come across during training and the first 5 years of practice. It is our hope that exposure to these experiences and attention to the diverse theoretical approaches that can be applied to resolve these student situations will enhance your training and better prepare you to deal with a variety of situations. ..." --Preface. / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1107/thumbnail.jpg

Book Summary: Applying Techniques to Common Encounters in School Counseling: A Case-Based Approach helps counselors in training bridge the gap between theory and practice by showing them how to theoretically frame or understand the problems and issues they encounter, how to proceed, and what action steps to take when they enter the field as school counselors. It answers the questions new counselors have in real school settings, such as What is it really like to live the life of a professional school counselor? How does the theory presented in the classroom apply to the myriad of situations encountered in the real life, everyday school setting? Case studies and scenarios give readers examples of many commonly encountered presenting issues. For each scenario the case is introduced, background information is supplied, and initial processing questions are posed. The authors include a discussion of the theoretical models or frameworks used to address the issue, along with a table segmented by theoretical paradigm and grade level that includes other techniques that could be used in the presenting case. With these tools at their disposal, readers gain a firm understanding of the issues from several frames of reference, along with interventions meant to create movement toward a successful resolution.