School
    Counselling

... research resources for counselling students

Web Destinations

Key Sites for Practitioners and Parents

American School Counselor Association (ASCA) The American School Counselor Association focuses on school counseling, research, and professional development. The site also provides organizational information, an events calendar, publications, governmental relations, and links. Members can look at the latest issue of the ASCA Counselor, the association newsletter, and get information about the annual conference.
http://www.schoolcounselor.org

Connect for Kids Connect for Kids provides guidance materials for adults who want to build strong communities for kids. Funded by the Knight and Packard Foundations, the site includes news, features, a reference room (containing book reviews and key reports and data), organizations, state-by-state information, discussions, and more.
http://www.connectforkids.org

ERIC Clearinghouse School Counseling Services This adjunct to the ERIC/CASS system is located at the University of North Texas. Through it, one may search the ERIC database, obtain reprints, gain access to the virtual library of articles and bibliographies, and find links to important sites in the areas of child abuse, career guidance, suicide and violence, and other key issues for school counselors. In addition, ERIC publishes digests on key current topics such as "Migrant Students Attending College: Facilitating Their Success" (1998).
http://www.library.unt.edu/scs/

National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) The National Association of School Psychologists is the professional organization for school psychologists. Although school psychology is a separate profession, some of the resources are useful for school counselors. The website explores research-based programs, problem prevention, and professional services. The site includes basic organizational information, membership requirements, and hot topics. In the "What's New" section, they frequently post links to government documents dealing with children and schooling.
http://www.nasponline.org/index2.html

School Psychology Resources Online The School Psychology Resources Online site provides an index of resources for the use of psychologists, parents, and educators. Many of these are also useful for the school counselor. Many specific disorders and disabilities are featured. Also included are resources concerning professional organizations, graduate schools, law, and reference lists. It is a useful site because of the many interesting links; however, it is rarely updated and broken links are common.
http://www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~sandyste/school_psych.html

U.S. Department of Education The U.S. Department of Education site is based on the President's "Call to Action." The site includes seven priorities used to improve reading and math achievement. Some of the frequently accessed pages are: Direct Loans, Financial Aid, Technology, Federal Resources for Educational Excellence, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Use the search tool to look for counseling-related entries. There is a good deal of information on school-to-work initiatives by the government.
http://www.ed.gov

Professional Development

Professional Organizations

There is only one school counseling organization, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), an affiliate of the American Counseling Association.

American School Counselor Association
801 North Fairfax Street Suite 310
Alexandria, VA 22314
Telephone toll-free: (800) 306-4722
Fax: (703) 683-1619
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/

Codes of Ethics

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) maintains a separate code of ethics for school counselors. It can be obtained at the website or by writing to ASCA (address above).
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?contentid=166

Annotated Bibliography

Foundational Works

Myrick, R. (2003) Developmental guidance and counseling: A practical approach. Minneapolis: Educational Media Corporation. Developmental guidance is an approach to school counseling that involves identifying different methods and techniques based on a keen understanding of the child's developmental level. This model has been highly influential in the creation of school counseling programs. As the title proclaims, the book (including a more recent edition) lists and describes a variety of specific practical methods for school counselors.

Parsons, F. (1909). Choosing a vocation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Parsons is believed to be one of the founders of school counseling and of the counseling profession in general. His first book was the original treatise on the importance of career guidance in schools. His trait-factor approach encouraged testing for career guidance. Although his model may be described today as overly systematic and directive, it was based on a sympathetic, caring relationship.

Williamson, E. G., & Hahn, M. E. (1940). Introduction to high school counseling. New York: McGraw-Hill. Williamson, one of the progenitors of the trait-factor approach in counseling, explains its workings in the high school setting. Beyond his theoretical perspective, the book was influential in promoting the need for school guidance professionals and programs at the high school level to promote better career selection.

Key Current Works

Allen, J. M. (Ed.). (1998). School counseling: New perspectives and practices. Greensboro, NC: ERIC/CASS. This is a book about current problems and hot topics in school counseling. The 30 plus articles are written mainly by school counselors. They present successful programs and cutting-edge practice. Brown, N. W. (1994). Group counseling for elementary school children. Westport CT: Praeger. Focusing on theory and therapeutic factors and applications, this work will provide group leaders and counselors working with children with a conceptual basis and specific strategies for use in therapy, counseling, and therapeutic groups. It proposes that groups be formed around themes of condition (such as loss), rather than themes of circumstance (such as divorce). Forming the group, leader characteristics, and the expression of feelings and emotions are emphasized by the author. This work will be of interest to all mental health professionals working with children—school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists.

Cohen, J. J., & Fish, M. C. (Eds.) (1992). Handbook of school-based interventions: Resolving student problems and promoting healthy educational environments. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. The handbook contains a variety of articles on interventions with student problem behaviors for elementary and secondary school students. They are techniques that relevant research supports including staying on task, conflict resolution, and so forth.

Hazler, R. J. (1997). Helping in the hallways: Advanced strategies for enhancing school relationships. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. This is a book for school faculty, counselors, and administrators who want to increase their effectiveness in outside-the-office encounters with students and co-workers. The focus is on building effective relationships. Hazler has written elsewhere about school bullying and victimization and brings this expertise to bear in this practical approach to dealing with complex people problems.

Juhnke, G. A. (1997). After school violence: An adapted critical incident stress debriefing model for student survivors and their parents. Elementary and Secondary School Counseling, 31, 163-170. After violent school episodes, school counselors need to have a structured plan in place to deal with survivors and parents. This article focuses on the school counselor's responsibility and how he or she might implement a debriefing model. The plan involves small group work in seven stages.

Peterson, S., & Straub, R. (2002). School crisis survival guide: Management techniques for counselors and administrators. Minneapolis: Center for Applied Research in Education. School counselors use this book when they write crisis response plans for their schools. Besides administrative steps, it contains practical information about how to deal with a crisis and minimize the effect on the community.

Sears, S. J. (1993). The changing scope of practice of the secondary school counselor. The School Counselor, 40, 384-388. Sears accurately chronicles the changes that have taken place in the role of the school counselor in recent years. Beyond career development and college planning, the school counselor is now expected to help deal with personal problems, respond to crises, conduct group counseling, provide prevention programs, and become involved in testing and program evaluation.

Whiston, S. C., & Sexton, T. L. (1998). A review of school counseling outcome research: Implications for practice. Journal of Counseling and Development, 76, 412-427. Outcome research looks at the effects of particular treatments on client improvement. As the title indicates, this article identifies school counseling practices that are supported by research and those that are not. The authors have written many articles in support of evidence-based counseling as the basis for informed practice. The emphasis here is on the effects of school counseling practice on academic achievement.

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