It is not unusual for school counsellors to be involved in trauma-aware education practice; however, their role is not uniformly defined in the literature nor consistently applied in professional settings. Trauma-aware education is relatively new but rapidly growing in Australia and beyond. It involves supporting students in a…

Currently, Australia's school counsellors are increasingly being called upon to respond to adolescent mental health needs. Through semistructured interviews with seven school counsellors working with adolescents, this qualitative study aimed to capture the lived experiences of this group of practitioners. By adopting a phenomenological approach…

High school students attending Flexible Learning Programmes (FLPs) experience more speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) than those in mainstream, which may impact their academic engagement, socioemotional health, and future employment. We explored the effectiveness of a pilot workshop designed to increase educators' confidence to…

This study investigated the relationship between perceived worry and self-efficacy, with particular attention to job role in Australian school counsellors working in the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education. Ninety-eight school counsellors (N = 98, M[subscript age] = 44.97, SD[subscript age] = 10.89; 92% female) comprised the sample…

There are few studies examining the wellbeing of Australian school-based psychologists/counsellors (SPCs) despite the research indicating there are unique stressors associated with the role. The purpose of this study was to measure the stress perceived by working Australian SPCs. Data were collected via an online survey within which the Perceived…

Many mental illnesses have onset during adolescence, and if untreated may have long-term negative outcomes. Parents and school counsellors can assist adolescents by monitoring for mental illness and facilitating appropriate support. The present study investigated parents' mental health literacy (MHL), preferred views of school counsellor roles,…

Partnerships with local public sector agencies, enterprises and tertiary institutions offer a means to inform young people about post-school pathways into working life and occupations that schools alone cannot achieve. Informing about those pathways is an important, yet, complex educational goal for schooling. This is because much of schooling…

By working in partnership with parents, school counsellors can assist in the early identification of mental health and wellbeing issues and facilitate timely access to professional support. However, very little is known about parents' understanding of the role of school counsellors and the barriers and enablers influencing the relationship between…

There is considerable need to understand the current impact of COVID-19 on young people, particularly with regard to widespread global school closures and remote learning. This research provides an overview of school counselling use during a 5-week (April-May, 2020) remote learning (learning from home) for an Australia Prep to Grade 12 school,…

It is an expectation of Australian schools to address student cyberbullying. However, schools may struggle to be effective if other societal systems are not aligned and supportive. Within this ecological framing, this qualitative study used interview and focus group methods to gather secondary school stakeholder perspectives about the role the…

In this paper, I explore the importance of incorporating principles of social justice and cultural awareness in 21st century education. Specifically, I explore the utilization of autoethnographic research as a powerful tool for non-Indigenous teachers to enhance their cultural awareness. To illustrate this, I present a vignette featuring an…

The feasibility of addressing the mental health needs of young people at school is influenced by how staff perceive their role, and the role of schools, in mental health care. Using qualitative methodology, this study investigated the roles of Australian school teachers and counselors. The aims were two-fold: (i) to explore how teachers and…

For professional school counsellors who work in secondary schools, ethical issues arise more often than in other practice settings. While ethical codes and guidelines provide guidance in decision making, a reliance on ethical principles may still leave professionals open to criticism since such principles can be interpreted to suit the situation.…

In Australia, policies such as the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative have been the impetus for improved collaboration between medical practitioners and psychologists in general. However, policies that promote collaboration between school psychologists and community mental health, health, justice and/or human services professionals…

School counsellors play an important role in supporting student mental health but face several challenges that may increase their vulnerability to burnout. This study aimed to explore the factors associated with burnout among school counsellors in secondary schools in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A crosssectional, online survey was conducted…