School Counselor Educators Transforming School Counseling: A Delphi Study

• In Event: Examining the Changing Paradigms of School Counseling: Utilizing Current Research to Enhance Collaboration and Equity

Abstract

Purpose
What do school counselor educators believe is needed to more effectively prepare pre-service school counselors for today’s schools. This study explores suggested changes to school counseling preparation programs to best serve the needs of PK-12 students.

Perspectives and Frameworks
Since the establishment of the Transformed School Counseling Initiative (TSCI) in 1996, scholars continued to further define essential elements for systemic change in school counselor preparation programs (Martin, 2002; McMahon et al., 2009). Given the multitude of ecological factors (e.g., pandemic, professional association initiatives, dual counselor-educator professional identity) that have and continue to influence school counseling, recent studies have examined school counselor educators’ perceptions of such changes (e.g., Betters-Bubon et al., 2021; Watkinson et al., 2019).

Methods
The research team conducted a Delphi study to elicit experts’ perspectives on school counselor preparation programs and what should be considered to meet the unique needs of contemporary schools. Panelists reached consensus on a series of structured questionnaires, generally referred to as rounds. The experts completed each questionnaire anonymously and returned it in a summarized form with their corresponding ratings. Delphi is a multi-step process where experts continue completing the questionnaire until consensus is reached. Three rounds of questionnaires brought consensus on topics including program structure, recruitment/selection/retention methods, course content, field experiences, and advocacy/outreach/partnership efforts. The research team analyzed the final list, finding five distinct themes.

Data Sources
The panel was comprised of 24 experts, who met specific criteria, and served in the first round. Due to attrition, which is common in Delphi methodology (Colburn et al., 2016), the number of experts decreased in each subsequent round. In the second round, 18 of the initial panelists participated, and 17 of the initial panelists participated in round 3.

Results
As this study focused on the continuous evolution of school counselor preparation programs and its impact on practice, participants identified timely considerations for change. Five distinct categories emerged through 107 items: Structure, Recruitment/Selection/Retention, Curriculum, Field Experience, and Advocacy. Preliminary analyses provided in-depth recommendations to assist school counselor educators reassess program design and delivery.

Scholarly Significance
TSCI (Education Trust, 1996)was established to evaluate, refine, and enhance the school counseling profession by changing the way pre-service programs prepared school counselors for the field. The results of this study extend previous literature findings and highlight emerging, timely updates needed to improve both preparation and ultimately practice. The findings emphasize the importance of pre-service candidates readiness for working in racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse schools. Experts emphasized the need for candidates to be culturally responsive and trained in social justice advocacy. Additionally, findings supported previous research that updated training is essential to implement antiracist school counseling initiatives, social justice practices, equity and disabilities training, and understanding the needs of specific populations (Beasley & Ieva, 2022; Dimmit et al., 2023; Haugen, 2023; Hilts & Liu, 2023; Reese, 2021). This study’s findings and implications will assist school counselor educators to assess and extend current program content to provide the essential support emerging school counselors need to succeed in today’s schools.

Authors

• Carol A. Dahir, New York Institute of Technology

• Beth H. Gilfillan, Northeastern Illinois University