Professional School Counseling: History, Ethics, and Purpose

Introduction

Until recently, school counseling was more of a byword because most people believed the position could be filled by any qualified teacher — and, generally, it was. Teachers would earn a master's degree in guidance or vocational counseling and be considered capable of working as a school counselor. The rationale was that counselors in schools were not seen as professionals who needed to address students' emotional issues — students had parents, pastors, or outside counseling specialists for that. A school counselor was expected to function only as a guidance vehicle, meaning the counselor maintained broad knowledge of colleges, admission criteria, and assessments that would help students achieve better overall placement upon leaving high school. But the utility of the school counselor position is far greater than that.

Looking at the common usage of the word counseling, it becomes possible to determine where this original philosophy — which has persisted in many circles — goes wrong. A counselor, in general, is a member of a helping profession that attends to the emotional, spiritual, and mental health needs of its clients. Even though the client in this case is a student in an elementary or high school, the basic mission does not change. Like all other counseling specialties, there are specific duties that fall under the title, but this does not mean the practitioner is exempt from the basic responsibilities shared by all members of the counseling profession. School counselors are also tasked with college, vocational, and career guidance, as well as helping students navigate the academic environment, so they must be versed in these functions as well. This paper examines school counseling from a historical, biblical, and utilitarian viewpoint — specifically, what is the worth of the profession, are school counselors still needed, and what is the biblical view of this form of counseling.

As noted above, school counseling began as career and vocational guidance offered by teachers who had a particular aptitude for the work. The first person in the United States to regard the practice as a distinct profession and to begin developing theories of practice was Frank Parsons (O'Brien, 2001). Parsons was the first to establish guidelines that school counselors could follow and to create a professional organization to support them. He legitimized the profession by helping others recognize the difficulty of transitioning from school to the occupational world, and he conducted research — alongside others interested in the field — to support his conclusions (O'Brien, 2001).

Brief History and Development

Parsons may have legitimized the practice, but many small-town and rural school districts still could not afford to hire a separate individual to counsel students. This began to change in the 1920s as more money filtered into the educational system and far-flung school districts began to consolidate. As districts grew, they could fund dedicated counseling positions, and counselors began to address emotional issues rather than just vocational guidance.

Since that time, the profession has experienced its share of highs and lows, driven largely by funding fluctuations and the priorities of successive federal administrations. The 1930s were difficult due to the Great Depression, but the profession regained strength in the 1940s and 1950s because of military aptitude testing. The 1980s and early 1990s saw a decline in educational funding that particularly affected school counseling departments. However, the past two decades have brought a renewed push to return the profession to its foundational principles, and students, parents, and administrators are increasingly recognizing school counseling as integral to student development.

Counseling encompasses so many divisions because many people need good counsel and cannot receive it adequately from a generalist practitioner. The value of the school counselor lies in accompanying young people through the challenges of the primary and secondary school environments while also helping them determine their future paths. Guidance cannot be underestimated, but the turbulence of the middle and high school years may represent the most critical period in which a school counselor's presence matters most.

Importance to Counseling

Career and guidance counseling is perhaps the most fundamental component of the school counselor's role. Since the days of Frank Parsons, it has been regarded by most as the school counselor's primary function (O'Brien, 2001). When a young person enters school at age five or six, they are not seriously thinking about their future occupation. As the child develops, exposure to field trips and classroom career presentations helps them begin to understand various occupations and what they might want to do. This process continues through middle school, when children can better grasp abstract concepts and begin to recognize their own aptitudes based on their responses to particular subjects. More importantly, they begin to form distinct likes and dislikes. By the final years of high school, students may try one or more types of work, and counselors can administer instruments that help clarify each student's distinctive gifts and interests.

Although the school counselor's most visible function was once seen as helping students choose classes, select colleges, and plan careers, certain national events have dramatically expanded the scope of school counseling. Wigfield, Lutz, and Wagner (2005) conducted a study on the developmental growth of adolescents and its implications for school counselors. Among the findings was that children are more uncertain than previous generations, yet also more likely to act out. This can be seen in the troubling pattern of secondary school shootings that have occurred across the United States. A recurring theme in many of these cases is that school shooters identified bullying as a primary cause of their actions, or were identified as deeply troubled and isolated individuals. School counselors are therefore called upon more than ever before to provide emotional support and advocacy.

Another growing concern is student suicide linked to bullying, which has become more prominent with the rise of internet-based harassment. Online bullying makes it easier to target students and can involve far larger groups than traditional in-person bullying. School counselors cannot bear full responsibility for preventing these tragedies, but they serve as the first line of defense. Students who develop a meaningful therapeutic relationship with their school counselor are better equipped to manage difficulties as they transition into adult life.