Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Limited research has explored the experiences of school counseling directors, defined in this study as school counselors who are the designated department leaders and school counseling supervisors at middle or high schools. In this phenomenological study, we sought to better understand the experiences of those directors, specifically in relation to leadership and job satisfaction. Four themes emerged from the data collected from the 10 participants. We discuss these themes and offer implications for training, support, and role clarification for school counseling directors.

Keywords

job satisfaction leadership school counseling directors

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American School Counselor Association. (2012). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

American School Counselor Association. (2017a). Recognized ASCA model program (RAMP). Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors/recognized-asca-model-program-(ramp)

American School Counselor Association. (2017b). Role of the school counselor. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/home/RoleStatement.pdf

American School Counselor Association. (2017c). Why school counseling directors/coordinators? Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/Careers-Roles/WhyDirectorCoord.pdf

American School Counselor Association. (2018). School counseling leadership specialist. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors/professional-development/asca-u-specialist-trainings/school-counseling-leadership-specialist

Baggerly

Osborn

(2006). School counselors’ career satisfaction and commitment: Correlates and predictors. Professional School Counseling, 9, 197–205. doi:10.1177/2156759X0500900304

Balyer

(2012). Transformational leadership behaviors of school principals: A qualitative research based on teachers’ perceptions. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 4, 581–591.

Bass

B. M.

(1991). From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18, 19–31.

Bentley

S. T

. (2014). An examination of the relationship between RAMP (recognized ASCA model programs) and job satisfaction among school counselors (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertation Publishing (3621734). https://search-proquest-com.proxy.library.vcu.edu/docview/1547944322?pq-origsite=primo

10.

Berkovich

(2016). School leaders and transformational leadership theory: Time to part ways? Journal of Educational Administration, 54, 609–622. doi:10.1108/JEA-11-2015-0100

11.

Bolman

L. G.

Deal

T. E.

(1997). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

12.

Bolman

L. G.

Deal

T. E.

(2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

13.

Cervoni

DeLucia-Waack

(2011). Role conflict and ambiguity as predictors of job satisfaction in high school counselors. Journal of School Counseling, 9. Retrieved from http://jsc.montana.edu/articles/v9n1.pdf

14.

Chesterfield County Public Schools. (2019, February). Position description: School counseling coordinator. Chesterfield, VA: Author.

15.

Clemens

E. V.

Milsom

Cashwell

C. S.

(2009). Using leader-member exchange theory to examine principal–school counselor relationships, school counselors’ roles, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Professional School Counseling, 13, 75–85. doi:10.1177/2156759X0901300203

16.

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2016). 2016 CACREP standards. Retrieved from http://www.cacrep.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2016-CACREP-Standards.pdf

17.

Creswell

J. W.

Poth

C. N.

(2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

18.

Crowther

Ironside

Spence

Smythe

(2017). Crafting stories in hermeneutic phenomenology research: A methodological device. Qualitative Health Research, 27, 826–835. doi:10.1177/1049732316656161

19.

Dahir

C. A.

Burnham

J. J.

Stone

C. B.

Cobb

(2010). Principals as partners: Counselors as collaborators. NASSP Bulletin, 4, 286–305.

20.

Davis

T. E.

(2015). Exploring school counseling (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

21.

Dollarhide

(2003). School counselors as program leaders: Applying leadership contexts to school counseling. Professional School Counseling, 6, 304–308.

22.

Dollarhide

Gibson

Saginak

(2008). New counselors’ leadership efforts in school counseling: Themes from a year-long qualitative study. Professional School Counseling, 11, 262–271. doi:10.1177/2156759X0801100407

23.

Falls

Nichter

(2007). The voices of high school counselors: Lived experience of job stress. Journal of School Counseling, 5. Retrieved from http://jsc.montana.edu/articles/v5n13.pdf

24.

Gillespie

B. B.

Temple

H. S.

(2011). Good enough is the new perfect: Finding happiness and success in modern motherhood. Ontario, Canada: Harlequin.

25.

Hays

D. G.

Singh

A. A.

(2012). Qualitative inquiry in clinical and educational settings. New York, NY: Guilford.

26.

Hewlett

S. A.

Luce

C. B.

(2006). Extreme jobs: The dangerous allure of the 70-hour workweek. Harvard Business Review, 84, 49–59.

27.

Kafle

N. P.

(2013). Hermeneutic phenomenological research method simplified. Bodhi: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 5, 181–200.

28.

Kolodinsky

Draves

Schroder

Lindsey

Zlatev

(2009). Reported levels of satisfaction and frustration by Arizona school counselors: A desire for connections with students in a data-driven era. Professional School Counseling, 12, 193–199. doi:10.1177/2156759X0901200307

29.

Kubicek

(2012). Intentional leadership. Leader to Leader, 2012, 38–43.

30.

Lambie

G. W.

(2007). The contribution of ego development level to burnout in school counselors: Implications for professional school counseling. Journal of Counseling and Development, 85, 82–88.

31.

Locke

E. A.

(1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In Dunnette

(Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 1297–1349). Chicago, IL: Rand McNally.

32.

Merriam

S. B.

Tisdell

E. J.

(2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Wiley.

33.

Milsom

Moran

(2015). From school counselor to counselor educator: A phenomenological study. Counselor Education and Supervision, 54, 203–220.

34.

Moss

J. M.

Gibson

D. M.

Dollarhide

C. T.

(2014). Professional identity development: A grounded theory of transformational tasks of counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 92, 3–12. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00124.x

35.

Moyer

(2011). Effects of non-guidance activities, supervision, and student-to-counselor ratios on school counselor burnout. Journal of School Counseling, 9. Retrieved from http://jsc.montana.edu/articles/v9n5.pdf

36.

Pyne

J. R.

(2011). Comprehensive school counseling programs, job satisfaction, and the ASCA national model. Professional School Counseling, 15, 88–97. doi:10.1177/2156759X1101500202

37.

Rayle

A. D.

(2006). Do school counselors matter? Mattering as a moderator between job stress and job satisfaction. Professional School Counseling, 9, 206–215. doi:10.1177/2156759X0500900310

38.

Rhodes

Nevill

Allan

(2004). Valuing and supporting teachers: A survey of teacher satisfaction, dissatisfaction, morale and retention in an English local education authority. Research in Education, 71, 67–80.

39.

Slaughter

A. M.

(2015). Unfinished business. New York, NY: Random House.

40.

Slaughter

R. A.

(2015). Job satisfaction among high school counselors in RAMP-designated schools (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Capella University, Minneapolis, MN.

41.

Smith

Bell

(2011). Transactional and transformational leadership in schools in challenging circumstances: A policy paradox. Management in Education, 25, 58–61. doi:10.1177/0892020611399608

42.

Stone

C. B.

Clark

(2001). School counselors and principals: Partners in support of academic achievement. NASSP Bulletin, 85, 46–53.

43.

van Manen

(1997). From meaning to method. Qualitative Health Research, 7, 345–369.

44.

Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). (2018). Virginia school quality report cards. Retrieved from http://schoolquality.virginia.gov/

45.

Wilkerson

Bellini

(2006). Intrapersonal and organizational factors associated with burnout among school counselors. Journal of Counseling and Development, 84, 440–450.

46.

Williams

J. C.

Segal

(2003). Beyond the maternal wall: Relief for family caregivers who are discriminated against on the job. Harvard Women’s Law Journal, 26, 77–162.

47.

Young

Bryan

(2015). The school counselor leadership survey: Instrument development and exploratory factor analysis. Professional School Counseling, 19, 1–15. doi:10.5330/2156759X1501900104

48.

Young

Dollarhide

C. T.

Baughman

(2015). The voices of school counselors: Essential characteristics of school counselor leaders. Professional School Counseling, 19, 36–46. doi:10.5330/2156759X1501900101

49.

Young

Miller Kneale

(2013). School counselor leadership: The essential practice. Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association.

“What Don’t We Do?”: The Experiences of School Counseling Directors in Relation to Leadership and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References