School counselors agree that for school counseling programs to be successful, parent participation is essential. Involving parents in designing a school counseling program increases the chances that the counseling objectives will be reinforced at home. One effective strategy used by the Dorchester School District in South Carolina is conducting a yearly needs assessment to determine the main concerns for the year. Parents, teachers, and students are surveyed to assess what changes and goals need to be made in the program and what new initiatives need to be introduced. Involving parents in program activities and keeping open communication with parents is also important. The article addresses these issues along with others. It offers suggestions for working with parents who disagree with a program's goals and presents ideas on how to compensate for other problems encountered. (JDM)