Vulnerable students in North Carolina secondary schools are dropping out, contributing to the widening of the opportunity and achievement gaps. School counselors are placed in public schools to help vulnerable student populations who are at risk for academic failure. The multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) can be used as an intervention to help students who are experiencing vulnerabilities in secondary education. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe secondary school counselors' lived experiences of assisting vulnerable students in North Carolina. The key research questions answer how these counselors use the MTSS to assist vulnerable students and how they describe the phenomenological experiences of assisting these students. Finally, counselors' interpretation of the essence and meaningfulness of the lived experience of assisting vulnerable students by using the MTSS was uncovered. The research conducted may be informative for secondary school counselors, teachers, policymakers, university students, stakeholders, and individuals working in Kindergarten through 12th grade school systems, as well as those working in higher education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]