The Lamar University Electronic Journal of Student Research

Summer 2008

National Impact for Defining the School Counselors’

Role
Desiree A. Skinner
PhD Student in Educational Leadership
The Whitlowe R. Green College of Education
Prairie View A & M University
Prairie View, Texas
Academic Advisor
Bryan Independent School District
Bryan, Texas

William Allan Kritsonis, PhD

Professor and Faculty Mentor
PhD Program in Educational Leadership
The Whitlowe R. Green College of Education
Prairie View A&M University
Member of the Texas A&M University System
Prairie View, Texas
Visiting Lecturer (2005)
Oxford Round Table
University of Oxford, Oxford, England
Distinguished Alumnus (2004)
College of Education and Professional Studies
Central Washington University

Special Note: Thanks to Dr. Kimberly Grantham Griffith and Dr. William Allan
Kritsonis for getting the article published in the United States of America.
 ABSTRACT
Unfortunately, school counseling has lacked a consistent identity across states,
districts and even schools (American School Counselor Association, 2003). As the
role of the school counselor becomes clearer, school guidance and counseling
programs will be more comprehensive. This article will address the following areas:
the role of the school counselor, perceptions of the school counselors’ role, the role
conflict of the school counselor, and models of school counseling programs.

Introduction

The importance of the school counselors’ role being defined is to be able to

institutionalize the position in all schools. Defining the school counselors’ role will also
eliminate role ambiguity and increase job effectiveness. Campus principals are usually
responsible for defining the school counselor’s role. This often leads to school counselors
being responsible for testing, scheduling, enrolling new students, and etcetera. Currently
school counselors have a position that is multifaceted. School counselors are often
expected to act as administrators, teachers, community liaisons, mediators, and mentors.
Principals need to be more knowledgeable about the abilities and training of school
counselors in order to use these professionals more effectively.

Purpose of the Article

The purpose of this article is to assist campus principals in providing appropriate

support to school counselors in implementing a comprehensive school guidance and
counseling program. According to the American School Counseling Association
(ASCA), a comprehensive school guidance and counseling program includes four
interrelated components: foundation, delivery system, management system, and
accountability. These components, when used in a comprehensive school guidance and
counseling program, will promote and increase student achievement.

The Role of the School Counselor

Defining the school counselor’s role is imperative. A continued source of concern

for the counseling profession is developing appropriate roles for counselors (Kirchner &
Setchfield, 2005). Currently, many school counselors are involved in the organization and
implementation of state testing and creation of master schedule. School counselors are
charged to “implement a comprehensive school counseling program that promotes and
enhances student achievement” (ASCA, 2004, ¶1). This comprehensive program is to
enable all students’ equal access and opportunity to educational experiences. To promote
the school guidance and counseling program, ASCA (2004) has created the following
four standards:
 1) Foundation. A professional school counselor will create a mission statement
for the school guidance and counseling program that maintains the mission of the school
and promotes all students’ academic, career, and personal/social development. This
foundation will incorporate collaborating with other professionals on the campus and
organizations in the community.
2) Delivery. Professional school counselors will provide services to students,
parents, school staff, and the community through school guidance curriculum, individual
student planning, responsive services, and system support.
3) Management. Processes are used to reflect the duties of the professional school
counselor and include: agreements addressing how the school counseling program is
organized and what goals will be accomplished; advisory councils to review school
counseling program results and to make recommendations; student data to ensure that
every student is benefiting from the school guidance and counseling program; action
plans defining student competencies and achievement results; professional school
counselor’s time of 80% in direct services; and calendars informing and encouraging
active participation in the school guidance and counseling program.
4) Accountability. Professional school counselors will demonstrate the
effectiveness of the school guidance and counseling program through measurable terms.
Data will be used to show how students are benefited because of the school guidance and
counseling program by reporting on immediate, intermediate, and long-range results.

Perceptions of the School Counselors’ Role

School counselors are often expected to assist families with community resources,
faculty with staff development, coordinate testing, etc. By clearly defining the school
counselors’ role, school guidance and counseling programs will be more comprehensive.
Perceptions of the school counselors’ role by principals and counselors do not usually
coincide, creating a need for congruence. Given that it is common practice for principals
to assign tasks to school counselors, their perceptions have a strong impact. “Developing
and defining appropriate roles for school counselors continues to be a source of concern
for the counseling profession” (Kirchner & Setchfield, 2005, p. 10). Whether or not
school counselor roles coincide with state and national models should be the driving
force when defining the school counselors’ role. Administrators and counselors agree
about duties that are role congruent, but do not agree about those not considered role
congruent (Kirchner & Setchfield, 2005). Again, these incongruent roles go back to
coordinating state testing and creating master schedule to name a few. These
inconsistencies cause conflict about what school counselors should be doing. An effective
and collaborative relationship between the school principal and counselor is essential for
counselors to fulfill appropriate roles effectively (Chata & Loesch, 2007).
Administrators glean most of their knowledge from their personal experiences
with school counselors from when they were in school and as their supervisor. “At most
schools, administrators determine the role of the counselor; thus, the counselor’s duties
are often incongruent with state and national role statements” (Fitch, Newby, Ballestero,
& Marshall, 2001, p. 90). This is critical because administrators supervise school
counselors and the execution of the school guidance and counseling program. Campus
principals determine the roles and functions that school counselors carry out, as opposed
to what the standards indicate school counselors should be doing (Chata & Loesch,
2007). National standards recommend school counselors spend 80% of their time
participating in individual counseling with students (ASCA, 2004). Barriers were
identified to implementing school guidance and counseling program: “Scheduling,
participating in disciplinary functions, and conducting clerical duties absorb much of a
school counselor’s time” (Fitch et al, 2001, p. 89).

The Role Conflict of the School Counselor

Role theory describes perceptions of interactions between professionals receiving

role expectations and those sending the role expectations. Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, and
Snoek (1964) found four major areas that generate role conflict: rigid organizational
policies, conflicting messages from various campus groups, counselor disagreement
about their roles, and conflict related to leadership and professional development. If these
areas generate role conflict on a school campus, principals and counselors will be able to
address some of the issues that develop from role conflict due to perceptions. Taking a
realistic look at perceptions can aid in making better decisions in regards to the school
counselors’ assigned duties and expectations. “Role changes in any profession take
considerable time to be enacted in practice” (Walsh, Barrett, & DePaul, 2007, ¶ 2). When
counselors are not conflicted by their role it influences the entire school such as “low
absenteeism, low job turnover, and high job productivity and effectiveness” (Coll & Rice,
1993, ¶ 21).
There seems to be a lack of professional identity among school counselors. Role
expectations vary by professionals, campuses, districts, and states. Role conflict can
result in negative consequences that are both personal and professional (Coll & Freeman,
1997). Kahn et al. (1964) identified several consequences of role conflict: intensified
internal conflict, increased tension associated with various aspects of the job, reduced
satisfaction with the job and its various components, decreased confidence in superiors
and organization, and social and psychological withdrawal. These negative consequences
are another reason that the school counselors’ role should be clearly outlined.
School guidance and counseling programs need to become more parallel with
national and state standards. Without this interconnection school counselors have
different views about their roles and how to best use their time and skills (Burnham &
Jackson, 2000). What counselors are doing and what the national and state models expect
them to do need to ensure implementing successful school guidance and counseling
programs. Following the expectations outlined by ASCA is a good start to virtually
guarantee a successful school guidance and counseling program.

Models of School Counseling Programs

The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) has collaborated to

develop a framework to aid states and their districts in implementing school guidance and
counseling program. The ASCA model contains four interrelated components:
foundation, delivery system, management systems and accountability. Unfortunately,
many situations arise when school counselors are unable to maintain the ASCA model.
For example implementing state testing, administering discipline, and covering classes to
name a few situations. By following the ASCA guidelines, and reassigning these
ancillary duties, frees up time for the school counselor to do their job more efficiently and
effectively.

Concluding Remarks

In conclusion, the ambiguous role of the school counselor can cause a lot of
anxiety. Role conflict comes from the lack of knowledge of the principal and is based on
the principals’ first-hand experiences. The principals’ knowledge must include national
and local standards in order for a comprehensive school guidance and counseling
program to be successful. ASCA has developed frameworks for schools to apply in their
counseling agenda. The literature stresses the principals’ influence on the counselor’s role
and the supervision of the school guidance and counseling program. Therefore, by
allowing school counselors to follow national guidelines a comprehensive school
guidance and counseling program will be successfully implemented on the school’s
campus.

References

American School Counseling Association (2003, February). The ASCA national model:
A framework for school counseling programs. Professional School Counseling,
165-168. Retrieved September 20, 2007, from http://search.ebscohost.com/
American School Counseling Association (2004). The role of the professional school
counselor. Retrieved July 20, 2007, from http://www.schoolcounselor.org
Burnham, J. J., & Jackson, C. M. (2000). School counselor roles: Discrepancies between
actual practice and existing models. Professional School Counseling, 41-49.
Retrieved October 8, 2007, from http://search.ebscohost.com/
Chata, C. C., & Loesch, L. C. (2007). Future school principals’ views of the roles of
professional school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 35-41. Retrieved
November 24, 2007, from http://search.ebscohost.com/
Coll, K. M., & Freeman, B. (1997). Role conflict among elementary school counselors:
A national comparison with middle and secondary school counselors. Elementary
School Guidance & Counseling, 251-261. Retrieved July 4, 2007 from
http://search.ebscohost.com/
Coll, K. M., & Rice, R. L. (1993). Role conflict among community college counselors.
Community College Review,58-65. Retrieved July 3, 2007. from
http://search.ebscohost.com/
Fitch, T., Newby, E., Ballestero, V., & Marshall, J. L. (2001). Counselor preparation:
Future school administrators’ perceptions of the school counselor’s role.
[Electronic version]. Counselor Education & Supervision, 41, 89-99.
Kahn, R. L., Wolfe, D. M., Quinn, R. P., & Snoek, J. D. (1964). Organizational stress:
Studies in role conflict and ambiguity. New York: John Wiley & Sons,
Incorporated.
Kirchner, G. L., & Setchfield, M. S. (2005). School counselors’ and school principals’
perceptions of the school counselor’s role. [Electronic version]. Education, 10-16.
Walsh, M. E., Barrett, J. G., & DePaul, J. (2007). Day-to-day activities of school
counselors: Alignment with new directions in the field and the ASCA national
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