We examined school counselors' experiences with student's suicide. Our quantitative findings identified that encountering the death of a student by suicide is common for school counselors during their careers. School counselors reported a range of personal and professional reactions and relied on different sources of support following students'…

The rates of mental health concerns among school-aged youth are increasing and the growing rates of students considering or planning for suicide is alarming. Although school counselors are often the only professionals with the training to support students' mental health needs in schools, they are often inaccessible to students to receive long-term…

Self-efficacy pertains to individuals' belief about their capability to accomplish a task; consequently, school counselors' positive self-efficacy is a theoretically based prerequisite for their facilitation of school-based interventions. In addition, school counselor-led interventions and comprehensive, developmental guidance programs benefit…

To prevent school counselors from experiencing feelings of burnout, identifying relevant factors is important. The purpose of this article is to review studies investigating the constructs of burnout and occupational stress in school counseling samples. Eighteen published research articles fit the inclusion criteria for this review. The…

Disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEP) service many students; however, limited literature is published for school counselors working in these schools. Therefore, this manuscript provides a conceptual foundation for counselors working with students attending DAEPs. Specifically, the manuscript (a) reviews the types of alternative…

The use of social media continues to expand in prevalence and is a medium of communication for individuals of all ages. Schools are using social media to engage their stakeholders at increasing rates. Therefore, school counselors require the knowledge and appreciation of ethical and legal issues regarding the use of such technology. The purpose of…

Students diagnosed with learning disabilities experience many challenges that school counselors may address through narrative therapy. Narrative therapy is a postmodern, social constructionist approach based on the theoretical construct that individuals create their notions of truth and meaning of life through interpretive stories. This article…

This article (a) addresses the importance of familial spirituality on students' holistic development; (b) explores professional ethical codes, standards, and counseling competencies relating to students' familial spirituality; (c) introduces educational activities to assist school counselors in increasing their understanding and appreciation of…

The increase of international business, military placements, and immigration has led to an increase in students attending schools in a country other than where they were born: third culture kids (TCKs). TCKs have unique educational needs, necessitating the support of their school counselors. This article (a) defines and introduces the needs and…

School counselors are called to be leaders to support the development of all students. The study in this article investigated the contributions of the values (Schwartz, 1992) and leadership practices (Posner & Kouzes, 1988) of 163 school counselors to their programmatic service delivery (Scarborough, 2005). Leadership practices made…

Professional school counselors (PSCs) at higher levels of psychological development negotiate complex situations and perform counselor-related tasks with empathy, flexibility, tolerance for ambiguity, boundary setting, personal and interpersonal awareness, and self-care more effectively than do individuals at lower levels of development. This…

The separation between church and state (e.g., public education) is contentious. Furthermore, schools and many professional school counselors (PSCs) may choose to disregard and/or discount spirituality. This article (a) presents the importance of spirituality in counseling, (b) explores legal statutes and ethical standards relating to spirituality…

Traditionally, Latino and African-American students have been underrepresented in Advanced Placement courses. However, professional school counselors work to remove barriers to "all" students' success. This article (a) identifies challenges that Latino and African-American students encounter in accessing Advanced Placement courses, (b) reviews the…

This article reports the findings of a national survey study of school counseling professionals to determine if higher ego development contributed to a lower degree of burnout. Although the primary path analysis model tested did not fit the data observed, a significant positive relationship indicated that participants scoring at higher levels of…

Professional school counselors (PSCs) are being asked to employ accountability measures to support the merit of their comprehensive, developmental programs. Further, to address the problem of PSC role ambiguity, it has been suggested that PSCs become proactive professional advocates and work to promote greater stakeholder engagement in their…