This study examined British Columbia elementary school counsellors' perceptions in relation to assisting depressed students, including: (a) their knowledge about depression; (b) their ideal role; (c) their current role; (d) their current practices; (e) barriers to assisting depressed students; and (f) factors which would help them to better assist these students. A questionnaire specifically designed for this study was mailed to 333 elementary school counsellors, and 248 (74.5%) were completed and returned. The percentages of counsellors who perceived various functions as part of their current and ideal roles were calculated, as were the percentages who engaged in various counsellor activities, and indicated factors which would help them to better assist depressed students. Sample means and standard deviations were calculated for the extent to which various factors were barriers to assisting depressed students. Results indicated most counsellors perceived identification, referral, and prevention of student depression to be part of their ideal and current roles, and have used these functions to assist depressed students. However, respondents were divided on treating depressed students, and only slightly more than one-third had assessed students even though two-thirds perceived it as part of their ideal role. Most counsellors have been referred depressed students by teachers, and have referred students to mental health and medical professionals. Approximately one-half perceived art and play therapy to be a more effective method of treating depression. Counsellors lacked basic information on childhood depression, and more learned about it through their own initiative, rather than professional development activities. Too high a student-to-counsellor ratio and lack of time were most consistently rated as the highest barriers to assisting depressed students. Other major barriers included: priority being given to acting out students; lack of knowledge about depression, assessment techniques, and treatment strategies; and lack of community resources. Lack of a clear role policy was not perceived to be a major barrier to assisting depressed students. The most frequent recommendations for helping counsellors to assist depressed students were more information about effective treatment strategies and a lower student-to-counsellor ratio. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

A survey was conducted of 191 members of the National Association of School Psychologists who actually practiced in schools. The purpose of this study was to examine some of the self-reported differences which had not yet been investigated between two groups of school psychologists: those who do and those who do not choose to provide direct counseling/therapy services to parents and families. Some of these uninvestigated differences included time constraints, ratio of service, the perceptions of influence on their job roles, and the respondents' perceptions of administrative support. This study was also directed at determining the therapeutic models rated by members of the two groups as most useful and what differences exist in their beliefs about the factors important in the etiology of child referrals. The results showed that very few school psychologists in school practice are actually engaged in counseling/therapy with parents and families although a majority of school psychologists think these services should be conducted in the schools. School psychologists who have administrative support, have time allotted for the activity, and who perceive more control over their job roles are more likely to be conducting counseling and therapy with parents and families in the schools. Likewise, school psychologists whose job descriptions discourage them from conducting counseling and therapy with parents and families in the schools are no less likely to engage in those services; nor does the number of students to be served relate to this decision. School psychologists' perceptions of the usefulness of any particular - therapeutic model do not appear to bear much relationship to their - choices to spend time providing services to parents and families. The only exception to this appears to be a relationship which exists between perceiving the usefulness of the Reality Therapy and Adlerian models and spending time in therapy with mothers and fathers. Also the relationship between seeing the usefulness of the Family Systems model and spending time in therapy with families was significant. No strong relationships existed between the choice to provide counseling/therapy to parents and families and beliefs about the perceived importance of various etiological factors when dealing with child problems.

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In this chapter was presented a comparative description of the programs of guidance in certain Virginia schools according to the following groupings: (a) large, medium-sized, and small schools; (b) urban and rural; and (c) Negro and white schools. Guidance in the large and medium-sized schools appeared, in general, to excel that in the small schools in both number and scope of services offered. Similarly, guidance services in urban situations seemed superior in organization and offerings to those in rural locations. Little significant difference was noted between guidance programs of white and Negro schools except in instances in which lack of facilities appeared to hamper the programs in schools for Negroes. / M.S.