Perceived effectiveness of school consultation procedures

Abstract

The ever-changing role of the school counselor has created a need for school counselors to acquire various skills to adapt to a changing school environment. For decades, the counselor position has been a dumping ground for new program and administrative responsibilities. The affective interaction within the school environment is crucial to the success or failure of the organization as a whole. Therefore, the effectiveness of the counselor’s role as consultant is an integral component of being a school counselor. Developmental guidance counselor models and consultation strategies and techniques are explored to help define the role and expectations of the school counselor. The enactment of legislation and standards increasingly helps shape the role and responsibilities of the school counselor. Recommendations have been made to school counselors, counselor preparation programs, and school districts to improve consultation procedures and to better meet the increasing needs of students. Counselor preparation programs, which have been under scrutiny for the past several decades, have made strides to improve consultation skills in counselor trainees as new issues face counselors each day. Further recommendations have been made to increase the quality of new graduates as school counseling programs throughout Wisconsin are investigated in the area of school consultation training.