Issues and Criteria in Developing Psychological Education Programs for Elementary Schools

The inclusion of elementary school guidance and counseling within the current structure of American education is questioned by an examination of the ACES / ASCA joint policy statement on the role and responsibilities of the elementary school counselor. It is suggested that the vagueness and abstruseness of most definitions of elementary guidance and counseling are largely attributable to a lack of conceptual roots in a subject-matter discipline, developmental psychology, and the process of education. The notion of development as the central focus of guidance and counseling is then explored with particular emphasis on development as primary prevention.     

Counselor Education in Malaysia

The author summarizes the development of guidance and counseling and the concurrent development of counselor education in Malaysia. Four current counselor education programs in Malaysia are described. The need for school counselors in Malaysia is addressed, and differences between the number of counselors needed and the projected number of counselors who will complete education programs are identified.     

A National Survey of the Program and Enrollment Characteristics of Counselor Education Programs

ACES sponsored a national survey of state supervisors of guidance and counselor education institutions and of nontraditional institutions offering graduate degrees in guidance and counseling in order to secure information regarding (a) the licensure of guidance counselors, (b) the use of a competency-based approach to the certification of counselors, (c) the manpower needs for persons in guidance and personnel work, and (d) the program characteristics of counselor education institutions. Only a relatively small number of states anticipate becoming involved in the licensure of conselors in the foreseeable future; 53.6 percent of the states expect their certification of counselors to be competency-based within 2 to 5 years, and 76.1 percent of counselor education institutions have decided to make their programs competency-based but progress is slow. There is an oversupply of BA-level guidance persons, school counselors, and doctoral-level persons seeking faculty positions; there is a strong preference for ethnic minorities and women to fill counselor education positions; and abnormally high faculty/graduate ratios were reported for many institutions.     

Future School Administrators' Perceptions of the School Counselor's Role

The authors examined the perceptions of future school administrators regarding the role of the school counselor. The study was designed to assist counselor educators and school counselors in identifying potential barriers that could interfere with establishing comprehensive developmental counseling programs that are supervised by principals and superintendents. Future administrators rated crisis intervention, assisting with transitions, and personal counseling as the most important duties of school counselors; however, some respondents identified administrative and disciplinary duties as significant ones for the counselor.     

Needed a Professional Identity: Aces or Jokers?

The ASCA statement on the role of the school counselor is a reification. As a generalist the counselor dissipates his professional identity. Institutional restraints on the job and upon the campus lead to incompetence in counseling practice and a pervasive belief that counseling is ineffective. A suggested alleviation of this problem specifically involves the abandonment of the teaching experience requirement, increasing counselor education staff commitment to counseling, and the introduction of a paid internship for counselor candidates. Two specialists are recommended to replace the present guidance model: A Counselor-Consultant and a Career Information Specialist.     

Perceptions of Play Therapy in Taiwan: The Voices of School Counselors and Counselor Educators

The current status of play therapy in the elementary schools of Taiwan was investigated in relation to its compatibility with Chinese culture and its potential for wider societal adoption. Seven participants, four counselor educators and three elementary school counselors, in West Taiwan participated in this phenomenological qualitative inquiry. Seven assertions emerged from the interviewing data, implying that the potential for adopting play therapy in Taiwanese school counseling is embedded in the society. However, there are insufficient facilities and a lack of play therapy resources. Further investigation of the infrastructure in school counseling is necessary. Suggestions for practice and research regarding the development of play therapy and child counseling are presented.     

Differentiation In Elementary School Counselor Preparation Programs Among ACES Regions

A national survey, reported by ACES regions, examined the differentiation of counselor education programs for the preparation of elementary school counselors. While the study, based on usable questionnaire returns from 225 counselor education programs, provides evidence of many efforts toward program differentiation, there remains a substantial lack of uniformity in preparation background of elementary school counselors graduating from preparation programs across the country.     

Counselor Preparation: A Semantic Differential Evaluation

Counselors and superintendents from Tennessee and Indiana were administered a semantic differential to compare their perceptions of counselor programs as reflected by counselor performance in 11 skill areas. Counselors rated their training programs higher than did the superintendents but did agree with the superintendents that the best counselor preparation was in educational counseling, pupil appraisal, public relations, and guidance program coordination. Counselors also agreed with the superintendents that better counselor preparation was needed in parental consulting, vocational counseling, and research. Primary disagreement between counselors and superintendents centered on personal-social counseling, an area in which counselors feel well prepared.     

Preparing School Counselors to Work With Students With Disabilities

Recent literature has demonstrated increasing roles for school counselors who work with students with disabilities, but it has also suggested that school counselors are not being adequately prepared to work with these students. In this research study, the authors investigated current courses and experiences focusing on disabilities offered in school counselor education programs. Results from the 137 participants suggest that school counselor education programs are incorporating more disability content into their training programs than they were in the past. Some disability content areas are included significantly more frequently in disability courses than in counseling program courses. Conclusions and implications are discussed.     

Renewal in Career Guidance and Counseling: Rationale and Programs

This article provides a strong rationale for renewal programs in career guidance and counseling. The rationale is based on the expressed needs of counselors, counselor educators, and supervisors, and the needs of clients, as well as on major position papers of APGA, ACES, and NVGA. The APGA Counselor Renewal and Development Professional Preparation and Standards Committee has clearly stated that counselor renewal is a professional imperative for those who seek to remain effective helpers. The ACES position paper, “Counselor Preparation for Career Development/Career Education”, also clearly points out the need for renewal in career guidance and counseling. In addition to the rationale, the article describes several career-counseling-oriented renewal programs that are currently available for counselors and counselor educators and supervisors who would like to upgrade their skills in this area.     

Who's in Charge? School Counseling Supervision in North Carolina

Survey results of school counseling supervisors in North Carolina are summarized. Responses show that the majority of school counseling programs in the state are supervised by noncounseling personnel, usually supervisors of curriculum, instructional programs, or other educational areas. Supervisors' educational backgrounds, professional memberships, opinions about counselor certification issues, dominant supervisory functions, and staff development activities are described. The survey results give impetus to recommendations for future AACD and ACES directions regarding counseling supervision.     

Identifying a School Counseling Research Agenda: A Delphi Study

The authors conducted a Delphi study to identify important research questions regarding school counseling. During 3 consecutive rounds of e‐mail queries, an expert panel of 21 school counseling educators and practitioners were asked to identify the goals of school counseling research, develop specific research questions, and rate the importance of the questions. The highest rated research questions concerned school counseling interventions that have an impact on academic achievement and the effects of school counseling programs on student outcomes. The panel's final list of 42 research questions can help counselor educators, graduate students, and practitioners develop research projects that most effectively meet the needs of the field.     

Computer assisted counseling — model for the elementary school

Computers are now part and parcel of the instructional process in many elementary schools. In addition to Computer Assisted Instruction, it is possible to utilize the school computer for other educational purposes such as data storage and information retrieval which can conceivably increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the counseling process. The model described in this paper was built so as to provide the school counselor with an instrument which, although based on traditional counseling methods, is immeasurably more accurate in the provision of updated information for diagnostic and other counseling activities and thus contributes to greater counseling efficiency.     

Using Simulation Techniques in the Counseling Practicum

To help meet the need to educate school counselors in the broader aspects of their work, the application of simulation techniques is suggested. A rationale is provided with discussion centering on the following points: (a) simulation offers an opportunity to provide specific training emphases, and (b) simulation offers a way of providing a wide range of counseling and guidance experiences not easily obtainable under regular practicum conditions. Specific examples of simulation are described, including a case study, a PTA speech, a teachers' meeting, a counselor's day, and a school board presentation. Benefits for counselor education programs which can be realized from simulation experiences also are discussed. Rather than choosing actors to play roles it is suggested that practicing counselors, state department personnel, doctoral students, and counselor education faculty should participate in simulation activities. As role players, they will gain an appreciation of current trends in the education of counselors.     

The use of career information delivery systems in the states

Conclusion The ever increasing demands on guidance and counseling programs has added new responsibilities to the tasks of the counselor specifically in the area of career development. Along with this increase in responsibility, the issue of accountability has been added. Career information delivery systems assist the counselor in meeting the need for accurate, relevant occupational and educational information that can be disseminated in a timely efficient manner. Therefore, CIDS should be a vital part of all comprehensive career guidance and counseling programs.Mary Elizabeth McCormac is an Occupational Information System Specialist, National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee, Washington, D.C.     

Leadership in Guidance: A Survey of School Counseling Supervisors

The authors present the results of a survey of district-level school counseling supervisors in Virginia. The results indicate that few school divisions employ individuals with the title of guidance supervisor. In divisions where such positions exist, they are staffed most often by individuals with guidance training and experience. The supervisors surveyed indicated that they spend a substantial portion of their time providing direct consultative support and assistance to counselors, engage in few research activities, and have few consultative contacts with counselor educators. Recommendations regarding school counselor supervision are offered based on survey data.     

Counseling and guidance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is striving to develop a counseling and guidance program to serve its nation. This study focuses on the educational goals of Saudi Arabia in general and the goals and objectives of the counseling and guidance program specifically. The study examines the development of the counseling and guidance program, the philosophical assumptions of the program, the administration of the program, and the training of the school counselor.     

School counselor educators: A grounded theory of career interest and satisfaction

Annually, there are school counseling specific counselor educator positions that remain unfilled. There is a need for more counselor educators with school counseling backgrounds. This grounded theory provides a model of the process by which school counselor educators decide to enter academia and what keeps them in their positions, based on focus groups with 32 participants. Results showed the reasons for leaving school counseling, what factors promote entry into school counselor education, and what keeps school counselor educators in that role. Implications for counselor education are provided.     

A National Survey of School Counselor Preparation Programs: Screening Methods,Faculty Experiences,Curricular Content,and Fieldwork Requirements

This article describes the results of a national survey regarding the preparation of entry‐level school counseling students. The questionnaire asked counselor educators about credit hours, screening methods, previous faculty experiences in a school setting, course content, and fieldwork requirements. Survey results revealed similarities and differences among school counselor preparation programs.     

Counselor Attitudes Toward Administrative Practices: Massachusetts and Connecticut

Administrative practices and their relationship to counselor role conflict, as perceived by school counselors, was investigated by survey questionnaire in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Results indicated that counselors feel that role clarification would ensue if guidance pupil personnel services directors had administrative jurisdiction of programs and that the main deterrent is traditional autonomy of the building principal. At the secondary level, principals tend to have supervisory and administrative control, while at the elementary level the reverse trend appears to be true.