History of School Counseling PDF

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Origin of school counseling in public schools....

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History of School Counseling

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Abstract School counseling involves helping the students improve their behaviors, attendance, and performance. Since their establishment in schools and how their roles became to be is important for the counseling profession, the history of school counselors. This is because it helps them understand what changes have happened over the years, which may help them make advancements to the existing programs to make them more effective.

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History of School Counseling Introduction According to the National Health Service, counseling is a form of therapy that involves talking to a trained therapist who listens to a person and helps them find a solution to the emotional issues they are facing ("Counselling," 2021). It enables the person experiencing emotional problems to cope with their mental conditions such as anxiety, eating disorders, depression, and any other mental issues they may be experiencing. Counseling also helps people deal with traumatic experiences, upsetting health conditions, difficult emotions, and any other problems that may be affecting their state of mind ("Counselling," 2021). It is offered in institutions such as hospitals, workplaces, and schools. In a school setting, counseling occurs in both public and private schools. It is designed to improve student behavior, increase students' attendance, and boost the student’s achievement ("School guidance counselors: How they help students," 2020). However, school counseling has evolved over the years since it was introduced in a school setting. For example, the school counselor's role and their requirements in terms of qualifications have changed over the years. The changing trends in school counseling over the years since its establishment in a school setting are important in the counseling profession. Significance of the History of School Counseling The history of school counseling is important as it helps the school counselors understand the changes in the profession and why the changes have been necessary to offer troubled students help. Through the history of school counseling, the school counselors will have a better understanding of why the school counselors' previous roles were ineffective and the reason behind the changes in their roles. This is important as it will help them understand their

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counseling roles better in improving students' behaviors, school attendance, and school achievements. Literature Review School counseling in the United States was established in the 19th as vocational guidance (Baker et al., 2004). The aim of establishing school counseling was to help prepare the students for their lives after high school. The establishment of school counseling was due to the educational reforms that were happening due to immigration and urbanization caused by industrialization (Erford, 2003). One of the reasons behind its establishment was to stop children's exploitation by offering them direction and more knowledge of work through guidance programs. The 1930s Great Depression also added the need for counseling in schools to help young people deal with their issues better (Sciarra, 2004). Counseling at the time was also used to assess a person’s ability and aptitude. In the 1950s, school counselors were very few and were struggling to be recognized as a profession (Myrick, 1997). However, in 1952, the school counselors were given professional recognition and credibility by the establishment of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). The association's formation also meant that the school counselors had to get advanced training before they were accepted to practice in the profession. After the launching of the Sputnik capsule by Russia in the 1950s, the United States reacted by establishing the National Defense Education Act in 1958, which offered additional federal funds to schools to develop counseling programs (Sciarra, 2004). The Universities were also provided funds to establish programs to train the school counselors. This act led to the establishment of counselor training programs in many universities which led to an influx of school counselors (Baker et al., 2004).

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Despite this influx of counselors in the schools, their roles were undefined, and hence they lacked direction on how they should help the students. Initially, the teachers who offered counseling services in the schools had neither school counselor training nor the counseling skills to help them. They also did not have a counselor’s perspective when dealing with the children's problems, which intensified the confusion over the roles of the school counselors (Myrick, 1997). This confusion led the school counselors to be given administrative functions to perform within the schools they were stationed in. This confusion until the 1970s when there was a movement within the profession to develop a developmental guidance model as a solution to the challenge of a growing career with no clear role of identity. The developmental model became part of the school guidance counselor’s role in elementary schools by acting collaborators and consultants to the teachers and parents (Baker et al., 2004). In the 1990s, the school counselors' role was centrally unified through a comprehensive developmental program that was publicized, structured, and implemented. Such publications include the Developmental Guidance and Counseling: A Practical Approach (Myrick, 1987). The publications were important in helping the school counselors develop a common focus when handling the students. The school counselors were also directed to establish comprehensive group and individual programs in personal and social development, education, and career. Implications for Counselors The history of school counseling is important in the counseling profession as it indicates the process and the changes that helped defined their roles as school counselors. The research on the history of school counselors started from school counseling inceptions when they were few

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with no recognition that they came up with a common developmental model to help the students. It allows the counselors to understand what necessitated the inception of school counseling and changes in advanced training requirements and roles. This understanding helps them develop better models to use in today’s schools based on the children's problems and experiences today. Implications for Research The research on the history of the school counselors indicates a counselors' commitment to helping the children. It also shows an ongoing process to improve and expand their roles to help the students, as evidenced by the developmental guidance model whose focus was to identify the counselors' common role to their students. Hence the research is important as it can impact the school counselors to continue improving the guidance approaches used in the school today. Conclusion School counseling was introduced in the 19th century to prepare the students for life after high school. However, during the time, there were very few school counselors available. The school counselor profession was also not recognized up until 1952, when the ASCA was introduced. Although the association offered them credibility they roles as school counselors were still undefined. This confusion over their roles led them to be provided administration jobs in the schools they were situated. This confusion over their roles continued until they formed a movement to develop a common developmental model to offer them a common focus on their role to the students. This was achieved through publications in the 1990s which articulated their roles as school counselors. For the school counselors understanding their history is important as

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it helps them understand the development in the profession, which may help them continue with the professional development process to make their programs more effective.

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References Baker, S. B., & Gerler, E. R. (2004). School counseling in the twenty-first century (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. Counselling. (2021, February 5). nhs.uk. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapiesmedicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/counselling/ Erford, B. T. (2003). Transforming the school counseling profession. N J: Merrill Prentice-Hall. Myricks, R. D. (1987). Developmental Guidance and Counseling: A Practical Approach. Minneapolis, MN: Educational Media Corporation. Myrick, R. D. (1997). Developmental guidance and counseling (3rd ed.). Minneapolis, MN: Educational Media Corporation. Sciarra, D. T. (2004). School counseling: Foundations and contemporary issues. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole School guidance counselors: How they help students. (2020, March 10). GoodTherapy - Find the Right Therapist. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/modes/schoolcounseling...