School counselors are mental health professionals who support students' emotional, academic, and social development. Numerous studies have documented outcomes to support the efficacy of school counselors. To excel in student support services, counselors should possess a diverse set of skills and attributes to successfully assist and guide…

High-quality career counseling is freely available at U.S. high schools. However, many students choose not to participate in career planning programs, despite being assigned to a school counselor for guidance. There is a projected increase in demand for school counselors; however, there needs to be more literature regarding whether high school…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of professional counselors embedded in NCAA Division I athletic departments. Specifically, what are the pre-professional, educational, and professional experiences of licensed or license-eligible professional counselors who are/have been employed by or…

High school counselors have an opportunity to positively impact the lives of students and support their personal, academic, and career goals. With the increased attention on student's social and emotional learning, it is important not to overlook the wellbeing of school counselors who work with these students daily. Many studies have focused on…

This dissertation explores school psychologists' evolving roles and responsibilities, examining how their practices align with the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) domains. This study utilized an online survey distributed via the snowball method; data was collected from 97 school psychologists across multiple states. The study…

Equity in education has become increasingly prioritized, due to the growing mainstream recognition of the inequitable practices that historically have and presently continue to exist in K-12 education. With the K-12 student population diversity continuously increasing in areas such as abilities, race/ethnicities, socioeconomic status, languages,…

COVID-19 brought many changes to the world of education. It took a toll on schools, staff, students, parents and many others. The goal of this study was to discover what stressors lessen a school counselor's self-efficacy as measured through a demographic survey and semi-structured in-depth interviews using a sample of five counselors from…

There is a paucity of research on the experiences of rural school counselors' advocacy for and with marginalized students. Specifically, rural school counselors' advocacy experiences for and with students who identify as LGBTQ+ are not well known. The advocacy experiences of rural school counselors for all marginalized students are exigent, yet…

Contemporary research pertaining to the experiences of flow in education is scarce and that which does exist in the literature often focused on the teacher-student relationship. The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive, phenomenological approach (IPA) study was to examine the lived experiences of secondary school counselors as related to…

This study examined the perspectives of K-12 school counselors and key stakeholders (i.e., school leaders, teachers, parents, and community members) on how they view the role of school counselors, specifically regarding their work responsibilities. I applied the theoretical framework of role conflict, defined as a disconnect between ideal roles…

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted educational systems worldwide, presenting unprecedented challenges for families, students, teachers, and professional school counselors (Akgul et al., 2021). Professional school counseling underwent changes as all attempted to adapt to new ways of reaching and supporting students (Anicich et al.,…

School counselors are professional educators who are responsible for the academic, social-emotional, and career development of students. The direct and indirect services that school counselors provide are vital for students but are more vital for students with disabilities. However, the roles and responsibilities of school counselors continue to…

Supporting faculty and students in crisis response on higher education campuses is of growing importance in light of the rising mental health issues that students are experiencing. The focus of this dissertation is to gain an understanding of the experiences of counselor educators due to their unique identities: those of a counselor and educator.…

Racial disproportionality in special education reflects the manifestation of modern-day segregation in our education systems (Anyon, 2009; Artiles et al., 2016; Artiles, 2022). Due to their specialized training and positionality as key stakeholders in special education eligibility processes, school psychologists are uniquely suited to impact…

This study examined the perceptions of elementary, middle, and high school counselors and principals regarding school counselor job duties and their impact on the school counselor-principal relationship. Previous research has highlighted disparities in viewpoints between school counselors and principals, leading to variations in job duties and…