The Role of School Counselors in Meeting Students’ Mental Health Needs: Examining Issues of Professional Identity

Abstract

The professional identity of school counselors has evolved over time. This article traces the historical context driving this evolution, and suggests it is time for the profession to conjoin the roles of educational leader and mental health professional. This proposal is prompted by heightened awareness of unmet student mental health needs, referrals that go unmet, school counselors displaced by other mental health providers in schools, the potential loss of the unique school counselor role, and the natural link between the mental health professional role and the array of personal-social factors that impact student achievement. A conjoint professional school counselor identity that includes the roles of both educational leader and mental health professional positions school counselors to better respond to all students, including those with mental health needs. This article discusses potential roadblocks and offers suggestions for action.

School Counsellors’ Job Satisfaction: What is the Role of Counselling Self-Efficacy, Trait Anxiety and Cognitive Flexibility?

“…School counsellors have conjoint roles as educational leaders and mental health professionals in schools (DeKruyf, Auger, & Trice-Black, 2013). Providing a mental health service is seen as one of the most important duties of school counsellors (Beesley & Frey, 2006;Fitch, Newby, Ballestero, & Marshall, 2001).…”

The Experiences of School Counselors Who Collaborate With Clinical Mental Health Counselors

“…As previously noted, in the United States, one in seven students 2–8 years old is attending school with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder, and one in five students 9–17 years old may be reporting to school with a diagnosable psychiatric disorder (Bitsko et al, 2016). Therefore, schools that serve students in Grades K–12 must be prepared to provide services throughout the school day to support the social/emotional needs of students while in the learning environment (DeKruyf et al, 2013). School counselors are often touted for their unique training in K–12 settings because they are trained in both education and counseling; therefore, they may be best suited to meet the emotional and mental health needs of their students (ASCA, 2012).…”

“…We highlight and discuss current research on the mental health needs of children and adolescents (Bitsko et al, 2016; DeKruyf, Auger, & Trice-Black, 2013), the roles of CMHCs and school counselors (American Mental Health Counselors Association [AMHCA], 2016; American School Counselor Association [ASCA], 2012; Schmidt, 2013), and a concise definition of collaboration (ASCA, 2012; Friend & Cook, 2013) to provide a framework for the current study.…”

“…Schools that serve students in Grades K–12 are among these responsible agencies. The emotional and mental health needs of students are growing rapidly and negatively affecting the learning environment (DeKruyf et al, 2013). The marginalization of specific populations of students, including students of color, students for whom English is their second language, and students living in poverty and from a lower socioeconomic status, compound mental health needs (Bitsko et al, 2016).…”

“…The marginalization of specific populations of students, including students of color, students for whom English is their second language, and students living in poverty and from a lower socioeconomic status, compound mental health needs (Bitsko et al, 2016). Research has indicated that a disparity exists in access to mental health services and that many of these students may have limited access to community health services due to lack of resources (i.e., financial) and language barriers (Bringewatt & Gershoff, 2010; DeKruyf et al, 2013; Kaffenberger & O’Rorke-Trigiani, 2013). Given the increasing academic expectations, larger classroom sizes, and limited resources, unresolved mental health needs may very well pose another barrier to learning for K–12 students (Fuschillo, 2018; Parzych, Donohue, Gaesser, & Chiu, 2019).…”