The school counseling field has evolved over the years and increasingly clarified school counselors' job roles and activities (Burnham & Jackson, 2000; Cervoni & DeLucia-Waack, 2011; Shillingford & Lambie, 2010; Trolley, 2011); however, school counselors\' job roles and activities remain inconsistently understood and practiced (Burnham & Jackson; Cervoni & DeLucia-Waack; Gysbers & Henderson, 2012; Hatch & Chen-Hayes, 2008; Herr & Erford, 2011; Lambie & Williamson, 2004; Perera-Diltz & Mason, 2008; Rayle & Adams, 2008; Scarborough & Culbreth, 2008; Shillingford & Lambie; Studer, Diambra, Breckner & Heidel, 2011; Trolley).  School counselors are highly trained in academic preparation programs to perform school counseling job activities in schools (American School Counselor Association [ASCA], 2008).  At the same time, the job expectations taught in academic preparation programs can differ from the actual school counseling job (Allen et al., 2002; Bodenhorn, 2006; Brott & Myers, 1999; Chambers, Zyromski, Asner-Self, and Kimemia, 2010; Culbreth, Scarborough, Banks-Johnson, & Solomon, 2005; Holcomb-McCoy, 2001; Kolodinsky, Draves, Schroder, Lindsey, & Zlatev, 2009; Milsom, 2002; Mustaine, Pappalardo & Wyrick, 1996; National Office for School Counselor Advocacy [NOSCA], 2011, 2012a; Pérusse & Goodnough, 2005; Sisson & Bullis, 1992; Steen, Bauman, & Smith, 2008; Trolley). As a result, several researchers recommended collecting data on school counselors' perceptions of the effectiveness of academic preparation to perform work related practices (Kolodinsky et al.; Pérusse & Goodnough; Pérusse, Goodnough, & Noël, 2001; Sisson & Bullis; Trolley).   In this dissertation study the author gathered information on and examined discrepancies between school counselors\' reported academic preparation and actual job activities.  The author will describe an overview of the problem in Chapter One, an in-depth literature review will be conducted in Chapter Two, the methodology will be described in Chapter Three, the results of the study will be outlined in Chapter Four, and lastly, Chapter Five will include a discussion of the results of the study, including implications and recommendations. / Ph. D.

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Now, more than ever, teachers are experiencing many daily demands, sometimes with limited resources or support. Teachers and school staff are expected to play a significant role in modeling positive social and emotional behaviors through supportive student relationships, yet those adults may be experiencing distress due to stress or anxiety and are most likely the ones most in need of support (Gordon & Turner, 2011). The People Project is a project that focuses on promoting health through happiness in Cass County of North Dakota and Clay County of Minnesota. The foundation of the People Project is based on the work of Martin Seligman, an American Psychologist known for his work with positive psychology and wellbeing. In his book, Flourish (2011) Seligman wrote about ?Wellbeing Theory?. In Flourish, Seligman (2011) breaks down happiness into workable terms such as positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment (PERMA). Using PERMA as a framework, leaders of the People Project developed practices designed to address the elements of PERMA. The goal of the research was to identify how the simple wellbeing practices of People Project have an impact on work-setting, happiness, and wellbeing for secondary educators. An action-based research project informed by phenomenology was used to explore the research question, how did teachers at the secondary level experience the People Project? Four themes emerged along with several subthemes. The four main themes that emerged were (1) insight into the behaviors of self and others, (2) vulnerability and risk-taking (3) intentionality and (4) culture, along with several subthemes.

This study was developed to answer the research questions 1) What services do school counselors provide in alternative education programs in Virginia? and 2) What are the reasons that students are participating in alternative education programs in Virginia? Alternative programs throughout Virginia were identified and data were randomly collected from a random sample of administrators and school counselors working in 15 of these programs. The data collected were then transcribed and analyzed in an effort to determine if any significant categories or themes related to the research questions. The data indicated that most counselors identified that they were involved in both direct counseling and administrative duties at their schools. Direct counseling duties consisted primarily of individual counseling, group counseling, and career counseling while the two primary administrative duties reported were test coordination and scheduling. The data indicated some consistent reasons for placement in alternative education programs. Seven schools reported that they served students for behavioral, academic, and other various reasons while only three reported that they served students specifically for behavioral or academic reasons. The areas of discipline/expulsion, failing grades, lack of credits to gain diploma, truancy, and teen pregnancy were identified as reasons for which placement in the alternative programs interviewed. The results of this study suggested a need for further studies relating to community involvement and direct counseling activities of school counselors working in alternative education. Recommendations were also made with regards to the future training of school counselors and the development of alternative education programs. / Ph. D.

(G-PGCS) was designed and implemented for K-6 school counselors. G-PGCS began in the fall of 1994 and has continued to the present; however, there have been no studies on the effects of the program. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative evaluation of G-PGCS. The evaluation participants included current Roanoke County K-5 school counselors, and selected administrators. The sources of data for the evaluation were interviews, an informal observation, program documents, Semantic Differential Scales (SDS) designed for this evaluation, the Job Satisfaction Blank (JSB; Hoppock, 1935), a counselor burnout SDS (Cummings and Nall, 1983), video tapes of G-PGCS sessions and responses to an anonymous memorandum. As a result of participation in G-PGCS, the K-5 counselors interviewed reported gains in counseling skills, positive professional changes, and personal growth. JSB and burnout SDS means of the G-PGCS counselors indicated that they have a high job satisfaction and low counselor burnout levels. G-PGCS could have contributed to high JSB and low SDS burnout scores, but further study is needed in this area. Strengths of G-PGCS were increased peer support and self-awareness, learning new counseling techniques and skills, G-PGCS supervision feedback, and a greater sense of professionalism. In addition, administrative support, training, and structure were cited as strengths. The SDS also confirmed the gains and strengths of G-PGCS. Group membership and/or dynamics was cited as a weakness because some of the counselors wanted to change group membership periodically. The other two weaknesses were the lack of adequate time for clinical supervision and the need for more clinical supervision training. No weaknesses of G-PGCS were found in the statistical analysis of the SDS. With administrative support and modifications, G-PGCS can be replicated to meet the clinical supervision needs of school counselors. Further research including an experimental pre- and post- observation study is needed to find specific G-PGCS program gains. / Ph. D.

Role ambiguity in school counseling is common; therefore, school counselors deal with issues of role conflict, lack of advocacy, and the assignment of inappropriate duties. The American School Counselor Association (2012) National Model was developed to provide school counselors with a framework for the delivery of appropriate school counseling services to students; however, the National Model is not implemented in all school districts. School counselors' perceived organizational support (POS) was hypothesizes as possible variable mitigating the adoption of the ASCA National Model. This study examined the relationship between school counselors' in Central Florida perceived organizational support (as measured by the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support [SPOS]) and their school counseling service delivery (as measured by the School Counselor Activity Rating Scale [SCARS]). Descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression (MLR), and Pearson product-moment correlation (two-tailed) analysis were employed to investigate correlations. MLR analysis was applied to the outcome/dependent variable of POS (total mean SPOS score) and predictor/independent variables of school counseling services delivery (five mean SCARS subscale scores). Overall, the five mean SCARS subscale score predicted only 6.1% of the variance in the school counselors’ mean SPOS scores. In addition, none of the five mean SCARS subscale scores had a statistically significant beta coefficient. Moreover, the results identified that school counselors at the elementary school level had higher POS, SCARS consultation, SCARS curriculum, and SCARS other scores than middle and iv high school counselors. Furthermore, the school counselors with more experience and not working at Title I schools had lower SCARS counseling scores. The school counselors reporting an older age and with a larger counselor-to-student ratio also had higher SCARS curriculum scores.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships that exist among school counselor self-efficacy, perceptions of the professional school counselor's role held by counselors, and actual practice. Data were collected from 192 professional school counselors that attended a statewide counselor conference. Professional school counselors responded to two researcher-designed surveys; the first was a 14-item demographic survey; the second, a 20-item by four-question survey for a total of 80 responses. A Multiple Regression Analysis was used to ascertain what relationships existed between school counselor self-efficacy, school counselor perceived role, and actual practice. The questionnaire listed 20 different counselor and non-counselor roles, and four questions were asked of each role, to determine the degree to which school counselors identified with various roles, degree of self-efficacy in performing those roles, and how often they performed specific roles; the actual practice, and the degree to which professional development would enhance their performances in designated roles. Results indicated that there was a positive relationship between school counselors' experiencing higher self-efficacy and the actual practice in their perceived school counselor roles. As self-efficacy increased, their performance in various roles increased as well. Recommendations were made for preparation and practice of school counselors in counselor education programs. Additionally, suggestions were made for increased collaboration between counselor education programs and the school counseling programs in local schools to promote more integration of theory into practice. Furthermore, recommendations were offered for school principals and directors of school counseling programs to better utilize the expertise of professional school counselors in the school system.

Currently, 3.5 million people experience a lack of stable living conditions in the U.S. Families with children account for over 35% of the homeless population. As the present economy continues to struggle, this growing sector will result in more families losing their homes. The increasing volume of the homeless population, along with the fact that severe poverty and homelessness pose significant risks to child development, indicates that homelessness is a pressing social concern. This literature review seeks to explore the current research that exists pertaining to physical, psychological, social, and academic issues that impact children experiencing homelessness. Prevention and intervention strategies for school counselors are then explored in order to promote academic and emotional success for children who are homeless. Finally, recommendations for future research are presented. / text

The problem investigated in this exploratory research is that, with the increasing numbers of students with refugee status enrolled in Arizona's schools, there is no information about the preparation school counselors receive in serving populations specific to students who have refugee status. No hypotheses are proposed in this study. Instead, research questions inquire about how school counselors in Arizona perceive the educational experiences and opportunities of refugee youth, the counseling relationship of students with refugee status and school counselors, and school counselors' attitudes toward working with refugee youth in school counseling programs. The results of this study provide insight into the perception of school counselors in Arizona and their need for additional skills or training to work with refugee youth at their schools.

The aim of this study was to examine, in the work against bullying how collaboration between the school counselor and other professions is described by the different professions within the student health team as well as how they describe that the different competencies involved in such teams shapes problem definitions and solutions. The student health (swedish- elevhälsoteamet) team of which the study is based on consists of different professions such as school counselors, school nurses, special education teachers, school psychologists and school principles. We have interviewed representatives of all the above mentioned professions with the exception of school psychologists using a qualitative research design. In this study we have chosen to focus on two student health teams from two different primary schools located in a middle-sized municipality in southern Sweden. We have analysed the results using new institutional theory and the terms domain and power.   The main conclusion of the study is that school counselors themselves feel they have a specific knowledge regarding bullying but have difficulties in capitalizing on it while collaborating with the other professions in the student health team. In line with early research the school counselors also feel marginalised by the fact that they are the only professional social workers in a work place mainly dominated by educationalists. Other problems facing school counselors and similarly affecting the collaboration with other professions within the school and particularly in the student health team are indistinct roles, less contact with students and restriction due to confidentiality.