School counselors are vital to school reform and improvement efforts, as such, school districts are always searching for ways to actively involve school counselors in their own professional development. Due to the increased mental health and behavioral needs of students, there is an increased demand for more intentional and appropriate…

Adolescence is a time of significant physical, mental, emotional, and social development marked by numerous transitions and challenges. Middle school is one of the earliest and perhaps first times of significant social and physical transition that impacts early adolescent development. As a result, schools are becoming a primary care setting for…

The Connecticut Comprehensive School Counseling Framework was released in November 2020--8 months into the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore the progress made by principals and school counselors in implementing the new framework, and to understand the impact of the pandemic on their efforts to do so. We…

This article outlines the challenges that military-connected students face and discusses ways in which school counselors may utilize each of the four components of the ASCA National Model to help this population. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate how school counselors may support military-connected students. Utilizing the ASCA…

To maximize impact across the broad spectrum of mental health needs exhibited by youth in school settings, interventions must be designed to be effective and efficient and demonstrate good fit with the educational context. The current paper reports on the second phase of an iterative development process for a short-term ''Tier 2'' intervention for…

Parental divorce has become increasingly common for large numbers of families in schools (Lamden, King, & Goldman, 2002). This article addresses the effects of divorce on children and protective factors supporting their adjustment. Evidence-based interventions for children of divorce in elementary school counseling programs are discussed.…

Alaskan school counselors deal with diverse systems and conditions in order to deliver counseling services through the Alaska School Counseling Program. Wherever Alaskan counselors serve, the need for a comprehensive and sequential school counseling program remains the same. An effective school counseling program must enhance and support the…

A project was designed to expand the career guidance, counseling, placement, and follow-up services for early school leavers and adults in Fort Smith, Arkansas. A project coordinator met with staff at various schools to develop ways to expand career service for early school leavers. Students with high rates of absenteeism or discipline problems…

Conflict resolution programs are one part of peer programs offered in schools to enhance the development of life skills of students. This article addresses the need for and role of conflict resolution education in the schools. It then describes several approaches to conflict resolution education. A review of outcome research concerning conflict…

This article focuses on special education's responsibility in planning and implementing suicide prevention programs in the schools. It discusses which students are at risk for suicide, the association between depression and suicidal behavior, guidelines issued by Minneapolis Public Schools, emotional first aid, and features of effective suicide…

This document presents a model used by the Davis School District (Utah) to revise their comprehensive guidance program. The model addresses the four primary purposes of education (essential learning skills, civic responsibility, career preparation, and personal development). Counselors collaborate with individual students and their parents to form…

In the late 1990s the Texas Education Agency advocated the transformation of all counseling services into developmental guidance programs. This document describes the process undertaken and the lessons learned when evaluating a small, rural school district in north Texas in order to begin this model transformation. The purpose of the study was to…

Dropout prevention is emerging as the most important new issue in education. Broad demographic trends predict a continuing growth in the population of at-risk youth, those most likely to drop out of school. The overall goal of any dropout prevention activity is to reduce the number of at-risk students. This issue is devoted to what research and…

This book, one of a series designed for rural career guidance programs, provides guidelines for creating cooperative agreements between career guidance personnel and business, industry, labor personnel, and others in the community to benefit students in rural/small school environments. Chapter 1 explains the term "cooperative agreements," defines…

Reporting the effectiveness of Phase II of Portland's Career Guidance and Counseling project, this document presents the summative data documenting the goals, objectives, and participant attitudes toward the project. (Phase I centered on strategies to improve counseling staff involvement in cooperative efforts to upgrade career guidance and…