With significant challenges in rural schools such as limited mental health resources, poverty, high visibility, and physical isolation, rural school counselors face a set of unique experiences and challenges. We present an ecological framework to conceptualize the roles, responsibilities, and challenges of rural school counselors and provide…

School counselors support the academic, career, and social/emotional development of all students in their care, and one important method of delivery of a comprehensive school counseling program is the use of classroom instruction. In this exploratory, sequential mixed-methods study, we examined participant responses from nine focus groups…

Comic book characters (CBCs) provide an escapism from reality while still confronting real issues. However, for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) there is a lack of characters that look, talk, and think like them. Black Panther is an example of a character more inclusive of BIPOC populations, especially Black males. What…

Across the United States, the number of children with mental health conditions has continued to rise. However, access and utilization of mental health services vary greatly. School-based mental health complements comprehensive school counseling and provides an opportunity for K-12 students to receive needed treatment they may not otherwise have…

This study utilized a qualitative narrative inquiry to explore the experiences of eight elementary school counselors who successfully applied for and received Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation for their schools. Participants provided insight into motivations, resources, and other considerations that contributed to their success in…

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the School Counselor 504 Activities Scale, a practical tool to assess how often school counselors engage in various ASCA recommended and non-recommended duties. Utilizing a sample of 379 practicing school counselors, this process resulted in two subscales: (a) Collaboration, Advocacy, and…

Elementary school counselors are instrumental in student success and well-being; unfortunately, school counselors at the elementary level also have higher caseloads and more tenuous job opportunities. Thus, there exists a need to advocate for elementary school counseling. Previous research has examined school counseling advocacy across K-12…

The COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to online learning exacerbated the mental health needs of children and adolescents, especially among minoritized students who were disproportionately impacted by the virus. Although the pandemic has increased the demand for counseling, research finds that school counselors are often hindered by organizational…

Background: K-12 students have experienced increases in the amount of hate crimes and prejudice they encounter. School counselors are well-positioned to reduce oppression in schools, but often lack the means to develop advocacy skills that would do so. Objectives: We implemented the School Counselor Equity Fellowship (SCEF), a yearlong…

School counselors are vital in crisis prevention and intervention. In this article, we discuss the unified educator-counselor identity as it informs the suicide prevention work of school counselors, illustrated with a data-based case example from a quantitative study based in one high school. This case example includes a decision tree to show how…

Empirical scholarship exploring the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) process in rural school communities is notably lacking. In response to this gap, we conducted a phenomenological study with eight rural school counselors who successfully navigated the RAMP process. Participants shared influential reasons for pursuing RAMP, supporting factors…

With increased suicide rates among youth during recent decades, the K-12 educational community still lacks a comprehensive model for suicide prevention that is tailorable for school systems. With this article, we present the Research-Informed Adaptable Model for the Prevention of Suicide in Schools (RAMPSS). A multitiered system of support, RAMPSS…

Although the literature contains many recommendations for professional advocacy for school counseling, there is a dearth of research providing clear and contemporary evidence of effective strategies for advocating for elementary school counseling. In response to this gap in the literature, we conducted a phenomenological qualitative study of 13…

Social/emotional learning (SEL) programs and practices have gained momentum across the state of Indiana in recent years in response to the changing needs of students and families. Many school communities have adopted SEL due to the heightened challenges posed by students impacted by trauma or chronic stress. As schools began to adopt SEL programs…

School counselors are charged with creating comprehensive school counseling programs that recognize and affirm the wholeness and humanness of students, families, and their communities (Holcomb-McCoy, C., Mayes, R. D., Cheatham, C., Sharp, S., and Savitz-Romer, M. (2020). Antiracist school counseling: A call to action [webinar]. Center for…