Counseling Matters: A Multi-Case Study of High School Counselors and Their Perception of their Role in the School Community

Abstract

ABSTRACT WINDLE, MICHELLE HURT. Counseling Matters: A Multi-Case Study of High School Counselors and Their Perceptions of Their Role in the School Community. (Under the direction of Dr. Paul Bitting). There is limited qualitative research that addresses issues high school counselors have in common, their job expectations, and how those factors contribute to their professional self-efficacy. This multi-case study of six practicing high school counselors in the state of North Carolina makes a contribution to existing literature by providing an increased understanding of high school counselors’ real and perceived roles within the high school community. It enhances the existing knowledge of some of the common goals and frustrations high school counselors share, while looking at their job expectations and how those expectations are similar and different from the reality of their jobs. Finally, it explores high school counselors’ lived professional experiences and examines the relationship between those experiences and counselors’ professional self-efficacy, expressed in the counselors’ own words. The results of this study demonstrate the need for further research and dialogue surrounding how counselors are used in schools, the factors that contribute to counselors’ job satisfaction, and the alignment of existing school counseling programs with recognized professional school counseling standards.