Professional School Counseling

Despite the growing epidemic of suicide ideation and attempt in adolescents, there is a lack of theory-based, empirical research to shed light on these issues in this population and inform school counselors’ preventive and responsive practices. We utilized Joiner’s Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS) to examine the extent to which the interpersonal constructs of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness predicted adolescent suicide ideation and attempt by conducting two binomial logistic regressions on archival data from the 2017 eighth-grade Oregon Healthy Teens Survey. Six of the seven selected proxy items were statistically significant in each logistic model, with slight variance between the two. Our findings suggest that the interpersonal constructs of the IPTS are applicable to early adolescents and may be used to inform suicide prevention and intervention efforts among this population in school settings.

School counselors have a variety of opportunities to serve as advocates and leaders for students identified as twice exceptional (2E). We explore these opportunities and discuss the academic and social/emotional challenges 2E students face and current operational definitions for this population. We also discuss strategies school counselors can use to help students increase their academic and social success. We introduce strengths-based educational approaches as a best practice for working with this unique population, including the use of support strategies, enrichment clusters, and extracurricular activities.

The authors conducted a content analysis of the articles published in the first 10 volumes of the Professional School Counseling (PSC) journal, beginning in October 1997 when The School Counselor merged with Elementary School Counseling and Guidance. The analysis coded a total of 571 articles into 20 content categories. Findings address the frequency of article types, methodology and analysis, topics, populations discussed, and author affiliations. The article also discusses suggestions for future contributions to the journal.

The school setting can be a difficult place for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The core symptoms of ADHD, which include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, make meeting the curriculum demands of the classroom challenging. That ADHD negatively impacts not only academic performance but also social and emotional functioning is well established (Lee, Lahey, Owens, & Hinshaw, 2008). Given the negative consequences of ADHD, effective school-based interventions are warranted. School counselors are uniquely positioned to implement strategies for children with ADHD to maximize their capacity for learning. This article provides specific strategies that school counselors can provide collaboratively to enhance the academic and social functioning of children with ADHD in school.

The relationships of perceived mattering to others, job-related stress, and job satisfaction were examined for 388 elementary, middle, and high school counselors from across the United States. Participants completed the School Counselor Mattering Scale, the School Counselor Job-Stress Assessment, and several job satisfaction questions in order to assess perceptions of mattering to others at their schools and their job-related stress, and how these two constructs relate to school counselors’ overall job satisfaction. Mattering to others at work and job-related stress accounted for 35% of the variance in job satisfaction for the total sample of school counselors; however, mattering did not moderate the relationship between job stress and job satisfaction. Results revealed that elementary school counselors experienced the greatest job satisfaction and the lowest levels of job-related stress, and high school counselors experienced the greatest job dissatisfaction and the greatest levels of job-related stress. Implications for school counselors’ mattering and job satisfaction are considered.

A qualitative study used a grounded theory methodology to explore the strategies that 16 school counselors who self-identified as social justice agents used to advocate for systemic change within their school communities. Findings included seven overarching themes: (a) using political savvy to navigate power structures, (b) consciousness raising, (c) initiating difficult dialogues, (d) building intentional relationships, (e) teaching students self-advocacy skills, (f) using data for marketing, and (g) educating others about the school counselor role of advocate.

The purpose of this study was to investigate school counselors’ perception of and ability to implement the 20 predictors of post-school success for students with disabilities. Results indicated statistical differences between grade levels in their perceived ability to implement transition services. We offer specific recommendations for how school counselors can provide support in alignment with the 20 special education predictors of improved postschool success for students with disabilities.

An essential component of the school counselor’s role is to provide support for all students to be college and career ready. This article provides an overview of the College/Career Success Skills (CCSS) program developed to help students successfully transition to postsecondary settings. The CCSS intervention teaches students’ critical skills in the areas of content knowledge, transition knowledge and skills, learning skills and techniques, and cognitive strategies known to boost college and career success.

A survey was designed to comprehensively assess multiple aspects of school counselor job satisfaction and job-related frustration, as well as orientation with the comprehensive curriculum-based guidance program used in Arizona. The five-page survey was completed by 155 Arizona school counselors. While the majority of respondents reported high levels of job satisfaction, the least satisfying aspects of their work involved working with district administrators, spending too much time in nonguidance activities, responding to crises, and utilizing excessive time in providing system support. Respondents’ greatest levels of satisfaction involved direct interaction and engagement with students.

As migration and displacement continue to increase around the world, guidelines are needed clarifying how school counselors can use their power and privilege in working with refugee students and their families across K–12 education, more so in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. We introduce the Refugee Well-Being Project intervention to school counselors and school counselor interns, focusing on the social determinants of health impacting the overall well-being of refugee students.

Many prior studies have reported that school counselors are at risk for experiencing mental health difficulties (e.g., professional burnout) as a result of their participation in a wide variety of service-oriented roles. The majority of school counselors are women, which underscores the importance of examining these individuals’ unique work-related and life experiences. As such, this study explored the relationships among multiple role balance, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction in a sample of 133 women school counselors. Findings revealed that multiple role balance and job satisfaction were each positively predictive of overall life satisfaction, even after accounting for the effects of age, years of experience as a school counselor, and location of school environment. Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

The study in this article examined gender and ethnic differences in the development of Holland (1997) personality types among inner-city adolescents. Results showed gender but not ethnic differences in vocational personality types and their predictors, and suggest different pathways to the development of these types for boys and girls. Suggestions are highlighted for providing school counseling interventions based on study results.

Leadership requires long-term commitment and a long-range vision of the future. As school counselors are called on to provide leadership, it becomes important to understand the temporal context of school counseling leadership. To accomplish this, a year-long qualitative study was designed in which the authors interviewed five new counselors who agreed to engage in leadership. In this article, the results of these interviews are presented and discussed in terms of school counseling practice and school counselor education.

A theoretical model of academic motivation consisting of (a) academic self-efficacy, (b) purposefulness and intentionality, and (c) support through school counseling for autonomous learning was explored with 346 high school juniors. Regression analysis indicated academic self-efficacy and utilization of school counseling to be significant predictors of academic motivation after controlling for previous school performance. A second regression analysis supported the premise that students who are more optimistic about their future and perceive fewer impediments to future goals will be more likely to use school counseling services. Recommendations for school counseling practice and research are discussed.

The authors interviewed a school counselor to determine her response to an armed hostage event in a classroom. They found that her primary interventions took place after the perpetrator had been taken into custody, through counseling students who had been in the room, contacting professionals from the school district and the local mental health facility for help, and coordinating these other professionals. Results are presented in light of the crisis intervention literature. Finally, implications for professional school counselors are discussed.

The study in this article investigated how academic preparation, career development skills, parental assistance, and social/environmental barriers predicted inner-city adolescents' psychological preparation to transition into high school. Results showed that academic preparation, parents' instrumental assistance, adolescents' career development skills efficacy, lack of teacher and peer support, and teenage pregnancy were predictive for both boys and girls. Suggestions appropriate to assist inner-city youth in preparing for high school are offered.