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