School Counseling

The Profession of School Counseling

School counseling is a profession that provides guidance and support for the academic, social, and career development of elementary, secondary, and postsecondary students. Grounded in developmental and counseling psychology, school counseling recognizes that children's academic development (a) is significantly affected by the contexts of family and community, (b) occurs simultaneously at biological, psychological, and social levels, (c) extends over the life span, and (d) involves both strengths and deficits. Through comprehensive, developmental programs, school counselors offer support services, prevention, and intervention services and resources in school-based and school-linked settings. In keeping with the mission of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), school counselors work with all students, including those who are considered at-risk and those with special needs. Although school counseling is a relatively young field, an examination of its historical development leads to a greater understanding of the field's current mission and focus.

History and Emergence of the Profession

The school counseling profession grew out of the vocational guidance movement of the early 1900s (Gysbers, 2001). Frank Parsons, an early pioneer in vocational guidance, recognized that successful career development involves not only knowledge of careers but also knowledge of the self. Due largely to Parsons's advocacy, the superintendent of Boston schools in 1909 designated over 100 positions for vocational counselors in order to provide career and personal guidance to students (Nugent, 2000). Within a few years, school systems across the country had begun to develop guidance programs. The progressive education movement of the 1920s further deepened and expanded the role of the school counselor by emphasizing the school's role in supporting personal, social, and moral development of students (Nugent, 2000). However, in the decades that followed, the argument of critics that moral development should remain the job of the home and church led to the temporary abandonment of guidance and counseling in the schools.

After World War II, the government again began to support guidance and counseling activities in schools. In the mid-1950s, following the Russians' successful foray into space, the government became concerned about the deficiencies of American schooling. Consequently, they provided funding to help states establish and maintain school counseling, testing, and other [Page 954]guidance-related activities, as well as school counselor training programs in colleges and universities. Over the next decades, the roles and functions of school counselors became more comprehensive and included educational and vocational planning, assessment of student needs, integration of services with the school's curriculum, coordination of student services (e.g., prevention and intervention programs), and evaluation of guidance program outcomes.

With the growth in special education services in the 1970s, school counselors became involved in developing the individual education plan (IEP) required for individual special education students. Soon after, the standards-based educational reform movement also significantly affected their work. In 1983, reform initiatives called for documented accountability by teachers, schools, and students through standards-based assessment. School counselors, like other educational professionals, were called on to demonstrate how their work resulted in increased student academic achievement.

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