Professional school counselors play a role in helping students and families make college decisions. One student group that may have unique challenges are student athletes who wish to compete at the collegiate level. These students have additional requirements, beyond traditional admission procedures, to meet eligibility requirements. The purpose…

As more students in the US explore college options outside of the country, school counselors need more training to support this exploration and process. International College Options began in 2013 to address this need by providing professional development opportunities for school counselors. This quantitative study examined the program's influence…

This study utilized qualitative methodology to provide a rich description and a deeper understanding of the professional experiences and practices of twelve school counselors who work with adolescent students who self-harm. Four themes included: suicidal or non-suicidal, role of the school counselor, referrals, and identified interventions. There…

School counselors should be taught about and utilize sexual and gender minority (SGM) identity development models as part of training and advocacy for and with SGM youth in schools. This article reviews several widely used SGM identity development models and provides pedagogical and clinical practice recommendations. Current and future school…

Students with disabilities are at greater risk for depression, substance use, bullying, and fewer friendships, largely due to negative attitudes and misperceptions from their nondisabled peers. School counselors are particularly important stakeholders in improving the experiences of students with disabilities. This qualitative study uses the…

This study used quantitative measures to explore child abuse reporting trends for early career school counselors and to examine factors influencing their decisions to report suspected child abuse. Thematic coding was used to analyze recommendations for additional training needs regarding child abuse reporting and for the challenges school…

This qualitative study explores school counselors' experiences of the counseling relationship with students when also fulfilling the role of anti-bullying specialist. School counselors who also serve students as the anti-bullying specialist embrace a dual role with students. Interviews with school counselors practicing multiple role to include…

Limited budgets may place educational positions in jeopardy and if school counseling positions become jeopardized, then school counselors must communicate their role and impact more effectively. However, school counselors may lack training and experience in professional self-advocacy practices, and advocacy efforts may be undermined by role…

School counselors' training and clinical competencies for providing mental health counseling continues to be a point of debate regarding professional roles and identities. This study focuses on the eight counseling core competencies as defined by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The research…

Increasing demands upon the time of the professional school counselor combined with the call by the American School Counselor Association to provide direct services to students may lead many in the profession to wonder from what theoretical standpoint(s) they can best meet these lofty goals. I propose a two phase approach combining person-centered…

Professional school counselors have been advocating for their role as counselors in the schools for decades (Galassi & Akos, 2007; Gysbers, 2002; Slaten & Baskin, 2013). Although researchers have addressed this concern through advocacy in service and writing, school counselors continue to perform a significant amount of non-counseling…

Professional school counselors (PSCs; N = 486) rated their level of perceived preparedness acquired in their school counselor preparation program with respect to knowledge, skills, and self-awareness of five human sexuality domains (behavior, health, morality, identity, violence) across grade level (elementary vs. secondary) and three human…

Perceptions and experiences of elementary school counselors' collaborative efforts with community mental health providers are examined through this exploratory phenomenological study. Ten participants engaged in two in-depth interviews. Collaboration was considered an effective way to increase services to students and their families. Six themes…

The current study examined early career professional school counselors' experiences related to their work as mental health professionals in schools. Nine individuals participated in qualitative interviews that were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods (Hill, 2012). All individuals were professional school counselors trained in…

Counselor educators must examine the quality and intentionality of coursework and field experiences offered to their students as the role of school counselors continues to transform. The emphasis in the field on school counselors as social justice agents and advocates should be reflected in school counselor training programs. The authors present a…