School counsellors' perceived roles, needs and feelings of efficacy

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Date
1995
Authors
Flaman, Keith
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 1995
Abstract
This study is an attempt to interpret local counsellors' perceptions regarding their various roles, their effectiveness in those roles and their feelings of efficacy toward their occupation. The study refers to the changing demands of society upon school counsellors as a rationale for examining the roles they perform. As society has changed, demands have changed, indicating a need for counsellors to alter their methods, educational preparation and even their counselling philosophies. Input from those who are most directly involved in dealing with the many changing demands (namely, school counsellors) was sought in order to analyze how these changes are affecting counsellors and how they could be more effectively dealt with. Eighteen counsellors in the Lethbridge area responded to a survey designed to allow them to express their perceptions of roles, effectiveness and efficacy. Their responses seem to have some implications for their time management, for their professional preparation and for their job satisfaction. For example, some of the patterns suggested by the findings are: (1) counsellors feel a need for more time to accomplish their many tasks; (2) they need to do more evaluation and assessment; (3) counsellors spend more time in individual counselling than in group counselling, but there is an increasing demand to concentrate on group counselling; (4) they recognize a need for more and varied training; (5) there may be differences among the three grade levels regarding counsellors' priorities and kinds of roles performed and (6) acknowledgement from students and teachers for counsellors' work is important to counsellors. As well as offering some suggestions for the improvement of the overall lot of counsellors, several questions are raised regarding such topics as counsellor education, grade-based specialization, and gender of counsellors.
Description
vi, 63 leaves ; 29 cm.
Keywords
Student counselors -- Alberta -- Lethbridge , Educational counseling -- Alberta -- Lethbridge
Citation