The profession of school counseling has a relatively brief history. Yet, despite societal changes and historical efforts of leaders of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) to standardize our profession, counselors continued to perform numerous but different tasks. These tasks varied from school to school, grade to grade, and even among counselors within the same school setting.
The initial impetus behind our profession was the Industrial Revolution, in which there was a need to train school-aged youth for the emerging occupations that resulted from this event. Teachers were given this task with no training and no relief from their classroom responsibilities. Later, the push to compete with Russia’s “Sputnik” in the race for space drove the first “guidance counselors” to direct or guide students into the fields of math and science. Making a difference was measured by increased student enrollment in math and science majors in colleges and universities. In the 1960s and 1970s, the proliferating free spirit movement brought about greater recognition of concerns such as civil rights, women’s issues, and students with special needs. School personnel, including “guidance counselors,” were confronted with increasing student diversity and legislative mandates and requirements that supplemented their already existing responsibilities. As a result, school counselors responded to these cumulative issues from a reactive stance rather than proactively engaging in prevention activities. Slowly, there was a shift in evaluating essential tasks, and with this awareness there was a change in the vocational title from “guidance counselor” to professional school counselor. (Unfortunately, I am aware that even today, not all school counselors embrace this title and continue to refer to themselves as guidance counselors.)
The ASCA responded to the demand for educational reform by standardizing the school counselor role and developed the ASCA National Standards (revised in 2012 to ASCA Student Standards, and recently renamed the Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success). Initially implemented in 1997, these standards identify student competencies and indicators in the academic, career, and personal/social (renamed social/emotional) domains. In 2003 these standards were incorporated into the first edition of the ASCA National Model, which serves as a prototype of a comprehensive, developmental school counseling (CDSC) program (ASCA, 2012). The model contributes to legitimatizing the school counseling profession and assists school counselors as they reorganize and reconstruct their traditional approach to working with students and other constituents. The National Model was revised in 2012 to reflect the trends of the profession (ASCA, 2012).
A Review of a CDSC Program
The fundamental philosophy underlying ASCA supported programs is to create “unity and focus toward improving student achievement” (ASCA, 2012, p. xii). In addition, the ASCA National Model (2012):
- ensures that all students have equal access to a rigorous curriculum that is delivered systematically,
- identifies the knowledge and skills all students are to acquire upon graduation from high school,
- emphasizes data collection and analysis to make informed decisions.
The foundation, delivery, accountability, and management components are the organizational structures of the ASCA National Model and provide guidelines for school counselors in leading a CDSC program (American School Counselor Association, 2012). Core themes of leadership, advocacy, collaboration and teaming, and systemic change are repeated throughout the components to emphasize the vital services school counselors perform within these areas (Education Trust, 2009). The ASCA National Model is shown in Figure 6.1.
Historically, the school counselor’s role and identity changed as economic, political, and social variables influenced educational initiatives, and the ASCA continually advocated for school counselors and their contributions to the educational mission of the institute. Yet, there continues to be debate as to the primary role of professional school counselors. Today, with the growing numbers of students who display risky behaviors, there is a growing need for school counselors to engage in prevention and risk management (Joe &; Bryant, 2007). In a study by Harris and Jeffery (2010), school counselors reported working with students in such high-risk behaviors as suicide attempts, self-mutilation, bullying, and eating disorders. Yet some participants in this study believed that despite their interactions with students’ high-risk behaviors, this was not their role (Harris &; Jeffery, 2010). Others (Brown &; Trusty, 2005) believe that school counselors can show their contributions to student growth by “establishing the efficacy of interventions that increase academic achievement” (p. 14). Comparatively, in a study by Amatea and Clark (2005), administrators believed that the school counselor’s role was to serve as a collaborator with other teachers, parents, administrators, etc., to improve student growth. To add even more confusion, the ASCA position statement on the role of the professional school counselor states, “professional school counselors are certified/licensed educators… making them uniquely qualified to address all students’ academic, career and personal/social development needs” (ASCA, n.d.). Therefore, a fundamental professional identity question remains, “is the school counselor a mental health expert who works in an educational setting, an educator who works with social/emotional and career concerns to increase academic growth, or a collaborator with others?”
Figure 6.1 ASCA National Model. Reprinted with permission from the American School Counselor Association (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, third edition.
Conceptual Application Activity 6.1
Discuss these issues with your site supervisor and learn about his/her perceptions on school counseling. In class, share what you learned from your site supervisor with your peers and discuss your perception of the school counselor’s role in the school.
Regardless of how you see yourself within the school setting, the ASCA National Model is a template for you to utilize during your clinical experiences and when you transition into a role as a professional school counselor. The Foundation component serves as the what of the program (ASCA, 2012) or a supporting program base. The Delivery component describes direct and indirect student services. The Accountability component is designed for program analysis and decision making, and the Management component stipulates tools and assessments for addressing program needs (ASCA, 2012).
Box 6.1
School counselor interns at the high school level are more likely to receive experience in individual planning than are middle and elementary sch...