The purpose of the present study is to deepen the knowledge about how the work of school counsellors is constructed in practice based on their discretion in relativity to the existing guidelines for school counsellors. The study aim to analyze the functions of school counsellors and their discretion regarding their work in chosen organization. To find answers to our questions, we interviewed six school counsellors from different high schools using qualitative interviewing based on a semi-structured interview guide and analyzed the results of the study using different theories, such as Human Service Organizations, New Institutionalism and discretion. Our main conclusion is that school counsellors have a wide discretion which has been formed by and based on the current legislation. Some other factors that affect the discretion of school counsellors and the construction of their work are the wideness of their employment, being given clarity of the role as school counsellor by the school's principal and the cooperation between the school counsellor and school staff. Beside that, are economic resources, education and the counsellor as an individual are also main factors that affect the discretion of school counsellors. Our final conclusion of the study is that school counsellors have a freedom within responsibility in their work.

Syftet med föreliggande studie är att skapa förståelse kring hur sju kuratorer från fyra grund- och gymnasieskolor i Mellansveriges upplever sin arbetssituation, vad som kan bidra till stress, samt hur stress från arbetet hanteras genom copingstrategier. Detta ställs även i kontext med den ökade psykiska ohälsan bland barn och ungdomar på grundskole- och gymnasienivå. Studien undersöker hur olika faktorer påverkar kuratorns arbete. De centrala faktorerna i föreliggande studie är stress, copingstrategier och förväntningar på den egna profession respektive de förväntningar som förmedlas från andra professioner inom skolverksamheten.Föreliggande studie har en kvalitativ ansats och sju semistrukturerade intervjuer har utförts med skolkuratorer verksamma i Mellansverige. Det inhämtade resultatet har analyserats med hjälp av tematisk analysmetod. Största andelen skolkuratorer målar upp en bild av att belastningen på arbetet har ökat i form av ett större behov av individuella stödkontakter bland eleverna, vilket hänvisas till den ökade psykiska ohälsan. Denna andel skolkuratorer menade att sociala medier var en bakomliggande faktor. En annan bild som målas upp är att arbetets karaktär har förändrats parallellt med den ökade psykiska ohälsan. Det upplevs vara vanligt med olika trender av ohälsa bland eleverna, t.ex. ätstörningar, social ångest samt tankar om suicid. Nästan alla av kuratorerna som deltog i studien kände sig stressade i sitt arbete, men hade då olika copingstrategier att ta till för att reducera stressen. Resultatet visar också att en stor del av arbetsbelastningen berodde på att skolkuratorerna tog på sig mer än vad som ingick i deras arbetsbeskrivning, vilket medförde att andra arbetsuppgifter fick prioriteras bort. Detta dels p.g.a. att de ville leva upp till de förväntningar som fanns, men även för att hjälpa eleverna när andra samhällsinstanser inte uppmärksammade behovet. Elevantalet respektive skolkurator ansvarade över hade också påverkan på arbetsbelastningen.

<p>The aim of this study was to examine how some Swedish school counsellor’s describe their school social work and how they look at its content. Further more the aim is to look at what restraining and promoting factors the school counsellor’s experience in their working situation. The approach of the study is qualitative and interviews have been made with five school counsellors. The results show that school counsellors have a variety of different working-areas, which consist of supporting and consulting pupils, parents and teachers through dialogue. Another assignment is to work preventive with groups and classes. Other scientists have found similar results as the ones in this study. About restraining and promoting factors in their work, the school counsellors expressed, for example, time and resources as restraining factors and as promoting factors they mentioned closeness to the pupils and working preventive. Their offices were mentioned being both a restraining and promoting factor due to the central activity of dialogue. They expressed that they were all satisfied with their work, but that it would be enough to work full-time on just one school. To analyse the results the time-geographic perspective was used.</p>

The aim of this study was to examine how some Swedish school counsellor’s describe their school social work and how they look at its content. Further more the aim is to look at what restraining and promoting factors the school counsellor’s experience in their working situation. The approach of the study is qualitative and interviews have been made with five school counsellors. The results show that school counsellors have a variety of different working-areas, which consist of supporting and consulting pupils, parents and teachers through dialogue. Another assignment is to work preventive with groups and classes. Other scientists have found similar results as the ones in this study. About restraining and promoting factors in their work, the school counsellors expressed, for example, time and resources as restraining factors and as promoting factors they mentioned closeness to the pupils and working preventive. Their offices were mentioned being both a restraining and promoting factor due to the central activity of dialogue. They expressed that they were all satisfied with their work, but that it would be enough to work full-time on just one school. To analyse the results the time-geographic perspective was used.

Previous research has shown there is a lack of studies made about school counselors and their work with secondary school students, especially in a Swedish context. Although the research is limited, there are a few studies who can show that there is a distancing of students towards school counselors and students seeking help, but there also seems to be a lack of direction that makes school counselors work tasks to appear unclear. Previous research shows that there seem to be a few explanatory factors that may impact this behavior of students such as a lack of trust, a fear that confidentiality will be compromised as well as other people's opinions. The purpose of this study was to describe, analyze and find possible connections between secondary students' knowledge and attitudes towards school counselors and counselors' work tasks, and also secondary students' tendency to seek help. The study was carried out by a quantitative questionnaire study with focus on two different schools in two different municipalities. Empirical material was collected through google forms and participants were asked to fill out the survey online. We visited a few schools who were interested in participating in the questionnaire. The reason for this was because we had an idea of an increasing number of participants by visiting schools and informing them about this study and its purpose, and also to be able to answer any questions they might have. The results were analyzed through a univariate and a bivariate analysis and by using the Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). The results showed that students had a rather positive attitude towards school counselors, but still tend to not seek help if needed, which can be due to a lack of trust to the counselor.