“It’s Just Been a Wild Ride”: A Phenomenological Study of Emergency School Counselor Credentialing Experiences

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of emergency credentialed school counselors in training. We interviewed 10 school counselor trainees across the United States who worked as school counselors while simultaneously completing their graduate coursework. We sought insights about challenges faced and support received. Four superordinate themes emerged: systemic barriers, support dynamics, professional development, and personal attributes that support career success. We discuss implications for credentialing bodies, district and site-level supervisors, school counselors, and school counselors in training.

Introduction

School counselors are responsible for serving pre-K–12 students through comprehensive school counseling programs that address academic, college and career, and social/emotional development (ASCA, 2019). School counselors utilize data-informed practices to ensure holistic interventions that directly impact students. Students served through comprehensive school counseling programs demonstrate higher achievement and better preparation for postsecondary experiences (Carey & Dimmitt, 2012; Parzych et al., 2019). However, the holistic approach toward students’ development entails providing social/emotional, academic, and career support. As societal pressures, opportunity gaps, and mental health struggles occur and persist, schools play a pivotal part in addressing student well-being. In the past decade, factors such as higher rates of suicide and increased gun violence have impacted students’ mental health needs nationwide (Centers for Disease Control, 2023; Katsiyannis et al., 2023; Long, 2022). Another factor is that nondominant populations continue to face discrimination and marginalization (e.g., students who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color; LGBTQIAP+ students), resulting in ongoing social justice concerns and the heightened need for mental health support in pre-K–12 schools (ACLU, 2019). School counselors often encounter significant obstacles in their work, such as unclear definitions of their roles, impacting their effectiveness in supporting students (Hilts et al., 2019). Furthermore, outdated views held by school administrators and other stakeholders overlook the extensive capabilities of school counselors in meeting the diverse needs of the student body, thus diminishing their potential contributions to the educational environment.

Escalating mental health needs increase the demand for qualified school counselors (ASCA, 2023; Lebrun-Harris et al., 2022), who serve as indispensable allies in addressing mental health challenges, offering essential support and guidance to help students navigate the intricate terrain of their emotions and mental health (ASCA, 2020). Research indicates that school counselors, in their role of supporting the mental health needs of students, improve school climate, safety, and mental health outcomes (Cleveland & Sink, 2017). In one study, students gave voice to the importance of school counselor support and advocacy for students, with one student saying “my school counselor changed my life around. If it was not for my school counselor I would end up down a road path that would lead to a life of struggle” (Ohrt et al., 2016, p. 8). As such, the growing mental health needs of pre-K–12 students underscore the imperative for schools to augment their counseling resources, ensuring that students receive the comprehensive support necessary for both personal growth and academic achievement. Collectively, numerous factors have led to increased demand for school counselor employment and retention (ASCA, 2023).

One approach credentialing bodies (i.e., typically, state Departments of Education) have employed to address the school counselor shortages nationwide is the implementation of emergency credentials for school counselors in training. These credentials permit school counselor trainees to be employed as school counselors before completing their graduate degrees. Literature on the lived experiences of emergency credentialed school counselors in training is limited. Given the urgency of addressing school counselor shortages nationwide, researching the option of emergency credentialing is vital. In particular, the limited existing research on the emergency credentialing phenomenon (Cade & Parker, 2015, 2021) primarily addresses the challenges faced by school counselors in training who obtain emergency credentialing. Consequently, we sought to add insight into the supportive factors that influence emergency credentialing experiences.

Field Experiences and Supervision

During the latter part of their graduate studies, school counselors in training take part in field experience opportunities that immerse them in school settings to learn about the practical application of school counseling theory and interventions. This is an important training component that school counselor education programs offer to support school counseling students’ development. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) provides accreditation to programs that meet certain requirements and standards related to “institutional settings, program mission and objectives, program content, practicum experiences, student selection and advising, faculty qualifications and workload, program governance, instructional support, and self-evaluation” (CACREP, n.d, para.1). Although school counselor education programs are not required to hold CACREP accreditation, studies have shown that students graduating from CACREP-accredited programs pass at a higher rate and score higher on the National Counselor Exam compared to students in non-CACREP programs (Lawson et al., 2017). One study of 31 states found that 82% of counselors with ethical violations graduated from non-CACREP programs (Even & Robinson, 2013).

Related to the present study, field experiences are an integral part of school counselor trainees’ professional development and self-efficacy. CACREP-accredited programs require a 100-hour practicum experience and at least 600 hours of supervised internship experience. Researchers indicate that counselor self-efficacy increases with increased clinical experiences (including crises), supervision, coursework, and internship hours (Bledsoe et al., 2021; Tang et al., 2004), demonstrating the importance of quality, rigorous, supervised field experiences (Savitz-Romer et al., 2021).

School Counselor Shortages

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023), school counseling position growth is estimated to occur at 5%, representing a faster than average predicted growth between 2022 and 2032. However, this demand for school counselors is growing at a time when school counselor shortages are unfortunately prevalent nationwide. ASCA (2023) reported that 40% of public schools struggle to fill mental health professional roles. Furthermore, 68%–76% of school counseling directors and state coordinators indicated that not enough school counselors are available to fill open positions. The impact of school counselor shortages is especially evident in rural schools (ACLU, 2019). According to the National Rural Education Association (NREA, 2023), the student-to-school-counselor ratios in rural districts can range from 310 to 574 students per counselor, whereas the ratios in nonrural districts average closer to 295 students per counselor. School counselor shortages nationwide are likely the result of myriad factors, such as increased student mental health needs, excessive responsibility demands of the role, the unaffordability of graduate education, and low compensation compared to other occupations that require a master’s degree (ASCA, 2023; Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). Further, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted school counselors and their efficacy in supporting students because some school policies restricted virtual counseling methods and school counselors had increased challenges identifying psychosocial concerns (Alexander et al., 2022). The pandemic may have also increased administrative duties and unclear role expectations for school counselors (Savitz-Romer et al., 2021).

Burnout

School counselor shortages are also inextricably linked to school counselors experiencing burnout (Kim & Lambie, 2018), which can have detrimental effects on these professionals’ mental health. Although burnout can be experienced across career stages, an especially vulnerable population for burnout is early-career school counselors, those within their first few years of being fully credentialed. Burnout risks for early-career school counselors have been attributed to factors such as large caseloads (Bardhoshi et al., 2014, 2022), unclear roles and responsibilities (Chandler et al., 2018), lack of supervision support, insufficient consultation opportunities, and administrators who are unfamiliar with comprehensive school counseling programming and the role of a school counselor (Bardhoshi et al., 2014; Fye et al., 2020). Researchers found that early-career school counselors, when compared with more experienced school counselors, are more likely to report higher levels of stress and burnout (Bardhoshi et al., 2022; Mullen et al., 2018). This can ultimately lead to decisions to exit the field. Consequently, supporting the needs of early-career school counselors in burnout prevention represents an important focus for the profession (ASCA, 2023). However, another population of school counselors should be a target group for concern regarding burnout: School counselors in training who obtain employment and emergency school counselor credentialing before graduate degree completion. This study seeks to address the unique lived experiences of this specific population of school counselors in training.

School Counselor Emergency Credentialing

Traditional school counselor credentialing is obtained at the state level from the Department of Education. The minimum requirement for most states includes the completion of a 48-credit graduate program in school counseling (ASCA, n. d.). Many states also offer opportunities for alternative pathways into the field (e.g., a closely related master’s degree). However, even expanded options to obtain a school counseling credential have not improved shortages nationwide (ASCA, 2023). As a result, efforts to alleviate school counselor shortages have persisted, particularly with more states offering emergency credentialing options for school counselors in training. Through emergency credentialing, school counselor trainees can obtain employment as school counselors before completing their graduate degree. The qualifications to obtain an emergency credential vary across states, with some requiring concurrent enrollment in a master’s of school counseling program and others that do not require graduate program enrollment until 3 years after the initial emergency credential endorsement. At the time of this study, an estimated 15 states offered an emergency credential option for school counselors (ASCA, n. d.). Given the existing shortages of school counselors, more states are expected to follow suit.

Existing literature on the experiences of school counselor trainees in emergency credentialed situations is limited. Furthermore, what research does exist is specific to one state. Through qualitative inquiry, Cade and Parker (2015) found that five emergency credentialed school counselors in training in Texas reported dealing with high learning curves, a lack of sufficient supervision, and the need for more preparation regarding the ethical and legal situations that school counselors face. In another qualitative study, Cade and Parker (2021) interviewed five Texas school counselor coordinators about their perspectives and lived experiences regarding the emergency credentialing of school counselors in training. The findings demonstrated concern with the ethical and legal situational factors that school counselor trainees experience and their limitations in responding to ethical and legal concerns given their lack of completed graduate coursework. These results mimic issues identified previously regarding school counselor trainees’ ability to address ethical concerns and perform other aspects of the role due to their incomplete education (ASCA, 2021; Solmonson et al., 2011). The present study sought to expand upon the existing research by exploring the lived experiences of emergency credentialed school counselors in training across various states.

Purpose of the Study

Emergency credentialing opportunities coincide with the growing demand for more school counselors in pre-K–12 schools. However, such opportunity creates unique challenges for school counselors in training (Solmonson et al., 2011) and the school counselor educators who seek to offer appropriate supervision and support (Cade & Parker, 2015, 2021). Existing research is scarce about the experiences of those school counselors in training who obtain emergency credentials and work as school counselors before degree completion. Through interpretive phenomenological analysis, we sought to acquire a thick, rich understanding of the lived experiences of these school counselor trainees (Smith et al., 2022). The results of this study provide implications for future school counselors in training considering emergency credentialing and expand awareness and knowledge of how school counselor educators, supervisors, administrators, and systems can best support the unique needs of these graduate students.

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of school counselors in training who obtained emergency credentials as school counselors while simultaneously completing their graduate coursework. The central question driving this study was: What are the lived experiences of emergency credentialed school counselors in training? By synthesizing existing literature on emergency credentialed experiences in school counseling, we sought to offer valuable insights that inform the ongoing development of counselor education programs and credentialing policies, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of school counseling services in diverse educational settings.

Method

Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a qualitative research method used to understand how individuals perceive and make sense of their experiences (Smith et al., 2022), emphasizing the participant’s perspective in understanding a phenomenon. It involves a double interpretive stance: Researchers interpret participants’ understanding of their world and their own experiences (Smith et al., 2022; Smith & Osborn, 2008). This approach is distinct from cognitive approaches in that it concentrates on how people construct meaning from their experiences rather than on how they process information (Smith & Osborn, 2008). To fully understand the experiences of our participants, IPA was the best-suited methodology.

Role of the Researchers

In IPA, researchers need to be introspective about their own experiences and biases, particularly focusing on the ways these might influence the outcomes of their research (Smith et al., 2022). To that end, the first author has served as a school counselor for 14 years and as a school counselor educator for 3 years. The second author has experience as a school counselor and clinical counselor in school settings and currently serves as a school counselor educator. Both authors have experience as course facilitators and supervisors with school counseling students in practicum and internship courses. For this study, the first author conducted all interviews and completed data analysis and the second author assisted in data analysis to mitigate any effects of the first author’s experiences on data interpretation. Both authors engaged in bracketing through peer debriefing and reflexive journaling throughout participant interviews and during individual and consensus transcript coding.

Participants

Participants in this study were recent master’s-level school counseling graduates (i.e., graduates within the last 2 years) who obtained emergency credentialing and relevant employment as a school counselor during their graduate studies (N = 10). The group consisted exclusively of cisgender women. In terms of racial and ethnic identity, the majority identified as White (n = 8), with one participant identifying as African American and another as Hispanic. Ages ranged from 24 to 48 years. Professionally, these school counselors in training worked at various educational levels: elementary (n = 6), middle school/junior high (n = 1), high school (n = 1), and other unspecified levels (n = 2). Year of program completion for the participants varied from 2021 to 2023, with most having graduated in either 2022 or 2023. The location of participants’ schools had a diverse distribution: rural (n = 5), suburban (n = 3), and urban (n = 1), with one participant’s school location unspecified. Regarding graduate program accreditation, a majority graduated from programs with CACREP accreditation (n = 6), while others were either from non-CACREP accredited programs (n = 3) or were unsure of the accreditation status (n = 1). All participants completed a member check process, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the information provided.

Data Collection

After IRB approval from our institution, we recruited participants through a combination of snowball sampling, referrals from professional contacts and organizations, and participant pools. This approach was chosen to ensure a comprehensive and diverse participant base. Initially, we posted a recruitment letter on the CESNET Listserv, a professional counseling email list known for supporting project postings. To reach a wider audience, we also used social media platforms, including state school counseling associations and individual professional networks on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Interested individuals who deemed themselves appropriate for the study contacted the lead author using the email address provided in the recruitment letter. Upon making this initial contact, these potential participants were directed to a Qualtrics survey link to consent to the study.

During the recruitment process, we contacted 35 potential participants. Of these, 25 individuals responded positively and were assessed for eligibility. After our review of the survey responses for quality, completeness, and eligibility, 10 participants met the criteria and were included in the study. Fifteen individuals either did not meet the eligibility criteria or declined to participate after initial contact. The interviews were 60–90 minutes in duration, audio recorded, and conducted via Zoom. Congruent with IPA, interviews were semistructured and questions were open and expansive (Smith et al., 2022). We used narrative and descriptive questions to elicit the participants’ stories, with evaluative, circular, and comparative questions to prompt participants to be appraising and analytic when speaking about their experiences. Interview protocol questions were constructed based on a review of the relevant literature combined with our practical experiences as supervisors of school counselor field experience courses. Example questions included “What were your roles and responsibilities during your employment period under emergency certification?”, “What challenges and/or obstacles did you face during this experience?”, and “What advice do you have for school counselors in training who are considering emergency credentialing and employment?”

Data Analysis

Following the transcription and member checking of interviews by the first author, we engaged in coding each transcript. This process adhered to the analytic methods outlined by Larkin and Thompson (2012) and Smith et al. (2009). All 10 participants were asked to review and, if necessary, modify their interview transcripts. To commence the coding process, we each independently identified initial codes and emergent themes from the transcripts, which were treated as individual “cases” as described by Smith et al. (2009, p. 79). We then convened for each case to agree upon emergent themes, examining how these themes were interconnected, particularly in terms of convergence and divergence. Upon completing this case-by-case analysis, we broadened our examination to encompass all cases. This involved applying the same analytic procedure to discern overarching themes and patterns, again with a focus on points of convergence and divergence. Throughout this analysis, we maintained a stance of curiosity and reflexivity, as emphasized by Smith et al. (2009). Achieving data saturation was a key consideration to ensure the robustness and validity of our findings. Data saturation refers to the point at which no new themes or insights emerge from additional data collection and analyses (Smith et al., 2022). We conducted data collection and analysis iteratively, allowing continuous comparison and refinement of emerging themes, with saturation indicated when no new substantive themes emerged. All participants engaged in a member-checking process to ensure their experiences were accurately captured. Last, we engaged in reflexive journaling and peer debriefing to mitigate bias and reach a consensus on emergent themes consistently observed across participants.

Trustworthiness

Guided by the framework proposed by Hays and Singh (2023), our approach to trustworthiness was multifaceted, encompassing a range of criteria: credibility, transferability, confirmability, authenticity, coherence, substantive validation, sampling adequacy, and creativity. To strengthen credibility, we engaged in triangulation through the formation of a dedicated research team that participated in extensive, collaborative research meetings. Member checking served as a cornerstone of our methodology because it was crucial in ensuring that the participants’ perspectives were accurately represented and interpreted. We used thick descriptions to provide a rich and detailed account of our research process and findings. This included not only the meticulous collection and analysis of data but also the detailed presentation of participants’ quotations. Last, maintaining an audit trail was an integral part of our trustworthiness strategy, including keeping detailed reflexive journals, demographic sheets, complete transcripts, and codebooks. The audit trail served as a transparent and systematic record of our research process, facilitating the validation and replication of our study.

Results

This study explored the question: What are the lived experiences of emergency credentialed school counselors in training? The results indicate that the lived experiences of emergency credentialed school counselors in training may relate to four superordinate themes: systemic barriers, support dynamics, professional development, and personal attributes that support career success. Included in each superordinate theme are subthemes.

Theme 1: Systemic Barriers

All 10 participants indicated that systemic barriers were a factor during their emergency credentialed experience. Three subthemes related to systemic barriers: school counselor shortages, role ambiguity, and self-advocacy. Seven participants shared that school counselor shortages in their areas were impacting the need for emergency credentialing. These shortages were especially prominent in rural areas. In these spaces, school counselors reported that their school districts lacked school counseling-specific support. Participant 3 shared how “in other districts, you know, they have like counseling departments and like a counseling chair . . . we didn’t have that. . . . Before I got there . . . there was just one counselor for the entire district.” Participants in rural settings also described a lack of adequate training and preparation to address the mental health needs of students and the challenges involved with being the only counselor in the building. When reflecting on the experience of being a solo school counselor in a rural school, Participant 6 described how “it was really hard, because at times I felt like, I’m the only advocate for myself, there’s nobody else to advocate for me. . . . I was just kind of on my own little island.” Another factor related to school counselor shortages was demonstrated in participant references to the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health needs of pre-K–12 students. Participant 2, like several other participants in rural settings, explained that, after the pandemic, “the number of crisis calls went up . . . and that became a new thing I had to learn . . . an added responsibility and skill set that I didn’t have.” A final aspect of school counselor shortages experienced by four participants in rural settings was the concern regarding the stigma associated with emergency credentials. Participants described how the provisional nature of emergency credentialing can lead others to question one’s credibility, which led participants to experience concern about how others perceived them.

Another source of systemic barriers during the emergency credentialed experience was role ambiguity, according to eight participants. Role ambiguity was seen in the lack of existing school counseling programs that participants found at the sites when they entered their positions and the antiquated perceptions of school counseling that faculty and staff held. Six participants discussed the reality of walking into a school without a preexisting school counseling program. Participant 7 recalled how, when they first came to the site, the faculty and staff members “were confused” about their role and what they would do for students. Similarly, Participant 3 shared how “the entire district . . . just didn’t understand” exactly how school counselors were meant to serve students. Another barrier related to role ambiguity that participants reported was the “antiquated” perceptions of the school counselor’s role. According to Participant 9:

It was definitely like an antiquated view of counseling. I was told that they absolutely did not want me in the classroom to start out with. They wanted me to basically be triaging and have an open door and be talking with kids. . . and as I was going through my program and learning about the ASCA model, it's like, wait a second. We're doing things the exact opposite way. Also, I'm getting burnt out, and it's November. So, we gotta figure something out.

Similarly, three other participants also described challenges around others understanding the role of a school counselor compared to the role of a “guidance counselor.”

Seven participants conveyed participating in self-advocacy as a response to the systemic barriers they encountered during emergency credentialed work. One aspect of self-advocacy was the need for participants to teach administrators and other faculty and staff members about appropriate duties for school counselors. For many participants, this was a tiring experience. Participant 3 reported: “I’m always running around and explaining myself to people. . . . It became a lot.” Similarly, Participants 6 and 7 described their experience in training administrators about the school counselor role, which was necessary given the fact that no school counselors had been previously at the site. Self-advocacy was also something that participants found themselves engaging in when it came to their graduate coursework. Several participants described the systemic barriers faced in working full-time in an emergency credentialed position while also trying to attend graduate school. While some programs were more accommodating, others were less so. Participant 8, who accepted a position as an emergency credentialed counselor in training more than an hour away from her graduate program recalled how “every semester, I asked if there was any chance that I could attend classes virtually, instead of coming in person. And I was denied that.”

Theme 2: Support Dynamics

Nine of the participants conveyed the second superordinate theme, support dynamics, in their interviews. Two subthemes resulted: receiving support and seeking support. Seven participants shared their experiences of receiving support from many sources: cohort groups, site supervisors, graduate programs, and state-supported grants. Several participants were engaged in cohort groups that included other emergency credentialed school counselors in training, and described these as especially beneficial to participants’ well-being. Participant 2 recalled how these meetings were supportive and intimate. Similarly, Participant 5 described the safe space these groups created, where “we would message each other stupid questions that we didn’t want to ask anyone else because we were nervous. . . . They were a huge support to me.” Support was also received through relationships with site supervisors. Participant 9 described how their site supervisor often validated their experience during especially stressful situations, and Participant 6 shared how their relationship with their site supervisor was the “bright spot” of a difficult year. The support that participants received from their graduate programs was also impactful, especially the opportunities to ask questions of fellow students and instructors during internship group supervision courses. Participant 9 described the reminders that their instructor gave around the need to practice self-care. Finally, participants also received support through the impact of state-funded grants. Several participants, located in two different states, described how school-counseling-specific grant funding was geared specifically toward supporting emergency credentialed school counselors in training. Participant 7 explained how the grant in their state offered the assignment of a support specialist who was responsible for “helping us every bit of the way. Whether that was questions on ethical issues, emergencies, I mean, you could call them on anything.”

Although most participants received support from others, five also intentionally sought out support during their emergency credentialed experience. Participants sought support through mentorship and professional networking. Mentorship was something participants pursued to help close knowledge gaps about various aspects of the school counseling role with which they were unfamiliar. Participants sought mentorship from school counselor colleagues in their schools and within their district, school social workers, and community members. The needs for which participants sought mentorship related to assistance with how to conduct suicide risk assessment and threat assessment protocol, how to develop and implement classroom lesson curriculum, and insight into available community resources. Participant 3 conveyed the impact of mentorship sought from a school social worker and how that person was “a very large support for me and just navigating the district, navigating a lot of behaviors. And when I got my first students with self-harm . . . and suicidality, and even just processing my own emotions.” Professional networking was another approach participants used to attain support during their experience. The professional networking took place primarily through social media group memberships (i.e., Facebook, Instagram). Participants utilized search features in various group threads and comments to seek information about shared experiences and troubleshooting. Participant 7 shared that, as a solo school counselor, they sought networking opportunities to not feel alone:

I would come home after a ridiculous day, and I was like . . . I must really stink at this job. Maybe this is not what I'm supposed to be doing. . . . And then I would get on those Facebook pages . . . and 50 people would post. And I'm like, “Okay, this is normal . . . this is normal.” . . . That was such a huge support for me.

Finally, participants reported seeking support through the professional networking offered by state and national school counseling conferences, and school-counseling-specific podcasts, blogs, and related support websites.

Theme 3: Professional Development

During their interviews, eight participants discussed aspects of professional development they experienced during their emergency credentialed experience. These aspects fell into seven subthemes: setting and maintaining boundaries, self-care, time management, balancing commitments, theoretical knowledge versus practical application, obtaining career information, and transitioning to the workforce. Five participants described their experiences with setting and maintaining boundaries. Participants 5 and 6 discussed boundary setting, particularly related to advocacy around performing only appropriate school counselor duties. Regarding self-care practices, five participants explained how they became more aware of how important self-care can be when engaging in the challenges of emergency credentialed work. Participant 6 shared about the importance they gave to maintaining self-care accountability through their support system and making time to attend their own therapy sessions. Participant 8 described realizing just how valuable self-care practices are and learning “how much you really do need to take care of yourself before you’re able to take care of others around you.” Time management was another salient subtheme for six of the participants. Participants 9 and 10 discussed the lack of time to decompress from everything they experienced at their sites. They shared that while school counselors benefit from the ability to go home and decompress after a challenging day of work, emergency credentialed school counselor trainees often must attend class and work on graduate coursework after their workday ends. Balancing commitments was another subtheme experienced by most participants. Participants 7 and 9 explained how they learned to manage their stress by reducing extraneous obligations in their lives, noting that, in hindsight, reduced personal commitments during their emergency credentialed period helped their coping process.

Five participants also shared how they grew professionally by recognizing differences between what they were learning in their coursework about school counseling and what they experienced in real time as school counselors in training. Reconciling theoretical knowledge versus practical application was part of their lived experiences. For Participant 2, seeing the differences between the theoretical knowledge they were gaining in their graduate program and the actual events unfolding for them at their site was especially eye opening:

You have to put aside the book knowledge . . . what’s being told in your graduate program and just be in the moment and figure out what you need in that unique setting. . . . There really is a big gap between what school counselors look like, and what it looks like on the ground, and what we’re being told is the job. It’s significant.

Participants also disclosed how the lessons learned from their emergency credentialed experience helped them obtain career information. Participant 4 felt better prepared for future school counseling interviews given their experience, particularly when it came to their ability to handle crises and trauma. Participants 6 and 10 identified certain characteristics they prefer in a future site, primarily to work with co-school counselors and to be part of an established comprehensive school counseling program that functions in a proactive as opposed to reactive manner.

Last, all participants identified prior transferable experiences that assisted them in transitioning to the workforce. These experiences included: prior teaching experience, prior connection to the site, and other relevant professional experiences. Five participants shared how their prior teaching experiences aided them in their emergency credentialed experience. Participant 5 described their teaching experience as a helpful “bridge” to later becoming a school counselor. Similarly, several participants described their prior connections to the sites as assistive in their transition. This was especially evident for participants in rural settings who had existing relationships and experiences with the school site. The five participants without prior teaching experience shared other prior work histories that offered transferable experiences for their emergency credentialed role. Participants’ other relevant employment experiences included child protective services caseworker, youth minister, juvenile probation officer, crisis worker, behavior therapist, and community service liaison. Participant 3, who had prior experience as a behavioral therapist working with neurodivergent students and their related behaviors, shared how they were “grateful to have those experiences because it transferred over so well to the classroom and all the kids . . . that I worked with.”

Theme 4: Personal Attributes that Support Career Success

All 10 participants discussed personal attributes that supported their career success and ultimately helped to shape their emergency credentialed experiences. These attributes included five subthemes: commitment to continuous learning, confidence, adaptability, vulnerability, and passionate advocacy. Participants conveyed their commitment to continuous learning by asking questions and practicing self-reflection throughout their emergency credentialed experience. Six participants described their persistence in asking questions when they became uncertain about various aspects of their roles and responsibilities, which was especially relevant when encountering crisis and trauma situations. A commitment to continuous learning was also demonstrated by several participants’ intentional self-reflection about their experiences. Participant 1 explained how they saw taking time to self-reflect on what worked and did not work as essential in their future development as a school counselor. Confidence was also an attribute that most participants exuded. Participants described their willingness to “jump in” and “just try new things.” Similarly, several participants demonstrated adaptability in actions and mindset as they engaged in their work as school counselors in training. Participant 6 conveyed the adaptable mentality shared by several participants when they stated: “You’re going to be learning as you’re going.” The attribute of vulnerability was also demonstrated through participant interviews as a key part of their personal and professional growth. For Participant 2, vulnerability was an important aspect of their experience:

I think it's really important for a new counselor on an emergency license to just be vulnerable and honest. . . . Be honest about where they're at, because until you can do that, you can't really fill in those gaps and grow and learn and become more competent. It's okay to say, “I don't know, but I want to know and tell me where to look,” and then work really hard to learn it.

A final attribute demonstrated by participants was passionate advocacy. Several participants shared topics they felt especially passionate about supporting during their emergency credentialed period. These topics included enhancing the mental health supports available for students through community partnerships, improving school culture through increased social justice awareness, and implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports through their school counseling programs.

Discussion

Through this IPA study, we sought a more contextualized understanding of the unique lived experiences of emergency credentialed school counselors in training, a group not well researched. Theme 1, systemic barriers, reflects participants’ challenges related to existing and evolving systems. Participants disclosed challenges around school counseling shortages, role ambiguity, and self-advocacy. Regarding the systemic barriers of school counselor shortages, the findings from this align with the existing literature (ASCA, 2023; Cade & Parker, 2015; NREA, 2023; Solmonson et al., 2011). Cade and Parker (2015) found that rural school districts face more school counseling shortages and are more likely to employ emergency credentialed school counselors in training. Further context is provided in the present study about how these shortages uniquely impact school counselor trainees in rural settings. Participants in our study, half of whom were based in rural schools, indicated that the barriers encountered through the lack of school counseling-specific district leadership and relevant professional development supports was a systemic challenge, as was the lack of appropriate training to address students’ mental health needs, which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Another finding from the present study not reflected in the existing literature pertained to participants’ concerns about the stigma associated with having an emergency credential. Participants expressed experiences of concern about how others perceived their preparedness for the school counselor role.

Study participants also discussed the systemic barriers related to role ambiguity that they encountered during their experiences. Role ambiguity is a documented challenge that early-career school counselors face when entering the field (Chandler et al., 2018; Fye et al., 2020). The present study demonstrates alignment with existing literature and adds more context to the role ambiguity obstacles faced by emergency credentialed school counselors, individuals who are also still considered school counselors in training. Participants shared their experiences of entering school settings that either never employed a school counselor or had not had a school counselor for many years prior. This resulted in the need to develop comprehensive school counseling programs from scratch. Similar to findings in Robinson et al. (2018), participants in our study encountered antiquated views of the school counselor role, with administrators, faculty, and staff being more familiar with the role of a “guidance counselor” as opposed to a school counselor. These results suggest that, like early-career school counselors, emergency credentialed school counselors who are also school counselors in training face similar systemic barriers of role ambiguity.

The need for school counselors to engage in professional self-advocacy is well documented in the literature (Dodson, 2009; Holman et al., 2019; Robinson et al., 2018) and is strongly encouraged by ASCA (2019) throughout the implementation of comprehensive school counseling programs. Our study participants discussed the systemic barriers encountered when having to teach administrators and other faculty and staff members about their roles and the appropriate duties of a school counselor. These findings, which support the existing literature, also highlight the additional obstacles that school counselors in training can face when entering a school system that either lacks an existing school counselor or has an outdated perception of the school counselor role. Another finding from this study relates to participants’ experiences needing to self-advocate for accommodations with their graduate programs. Participants discussed the challenges they faced being a student and a school counselor at the same time in terms of keeping up with coursework demands and attending in-person classes. However, existing literature related to this finding is scarce.

Theme 2, support dynamics, suggests that emergency credentialed school counselors in training have experiences of receiving and seeking support. The importance of school counselors receiving support is documented in existing literature (i.e., cohort groups, mentors, and professional development; Astramovich, 2016; Harman, 2022; Holcomb-McCoy et al., 2009; Milsom & Morey, 2019). Participants in the present study echoed the importance of support from cohort groups and the mentoring they received from site supervisors. However, our findings also bring awareness to participants’ experiences of receiving support from their graduate programs and state-funded grants. Like findings from Cade and Parker (2015), our participants benefitted from the support of faculty members and fellow school counselor trainees when allowed to discuss their experiences during group supervision. Participants also shared the impact of support through state-funded grant opportunities that provided additional mentoring and professional development training specific to emergency credentialed experiences.

Another finding related to support dynamics is that participants also intentionally sought out support during their experiences, specifically through mentorship and professional networking. Existing literature supports the benefits of mentoring and professional development for school counselors across all career stages, and especially for early-career school counselors (Bardhoshi et al., 2022; Bledsoe et al., 2021; Robinson et al., 2018). Bardhoshi et al. (2022), in their study of novice school counselors’ professional experiences and burnout implications, found that relationships with other school counselors were especially valued and assisted with reducing burnout. Bledsoe et al. (2021) found that early-career school counselors sought support and mentorship from experienced school counselors who can relate to their lived experiences. Similarly, findings from the present study reveal participants’ intentionality in seeking relationships through mentorship and professional networking opportunities. Support seeking by participants was a method to fill gaps in support experiences. Participants also interpreted their professional networking experiences as especially meaningful. This suggests that relatability found by connecting with other school counselors through social media group memberships fosters feelings of support.

Professional development, the third superordinate theme that resulted from this study, highlights participants’ experiences related to growth and development along their journey. Participants discussed setting and maintaining boundaries, the importance of self-care, time management, balancing commitments, reconciling theoretical knowledge versus practical application, obtaining career information, and transitioning to the workforce. Bledsoe et al. (2021) found that setting boundaries around not performing inappropriate duties was part of the experience for early-career school counselors. Similarly, participants in the present study described the need to self-advocate toward performing appropriate roles and responsibilities, and spoke of doing so through boundary-setting conversations with their administrators. Although recommendations for the importance of pursuing self-care practices for early-career school counselors are found in existing literature (Bledsoe et al., 2021; Holman et al., 2019), the present study provides insight into how school counselors in training who are also emergency credentialed school counselors experience self-care. In particular, participants in this study shared a heightened awareness and intentionality with engaging in self-care, taking steps to apply practices of self-care (e.g., attending therapy and engaging with one’s support system), rather than simply hearing about the importance of self-care in their coursework. Time management, specifically needing time to decompress and balance their commitments during this period of life, was relevant for study participants. Although school counselors already working in the field struggle with time management within their workday (Holman et al., 2019; Robinson et al., 2018), participants in this study also experienced time management concerns outside of their work in schools. Given their course attendance and coursework requirements, participants experienced a lack of time to process and decompress from the stressors of their workday. Similarly, participants found ways to balance their personal, professional, and academic commitments through the intentional reduction of nonessential obligations.

Participants also discussed an increased awareness of the differences between the theoretical learning taking place in their coursework and their practical experiences in the field. This disconnect between coursework and fieldwork has been documented previously (Robinson et al., 2018). However, the findings from our study articulate the unique experiences of emergency credentialed school counselors who undertake their coursework learning and fieldwork learning simultaneously. Consequently, participants had to process and reconcile this disconnect as an additional part of their experiences. This led to participants needing to make their own determinations about how to proceed in their roles and responsibilities within the context of their specific school site. Participants also discussed how the lessons learned in their emergency credentialed experiences had an impact on their future career seeking. These findings revealed that participants felt more prepared for interviews and more confident in their abilities to address crises and trauma in the schools. Participants also gained awareness around their career-related needs when realizing that they wanted to work as part of a counseling team and within systems that already supported comprehensive school counseling models. These findings suggest that the emergency credentialed experience does offer an increased awareness of career-seeking approaches and preferences for future employment.

All participants in this study shared how prior work experiences impacted their transition into the emergency credentialed school counselor in training role. This reflects the important professional development that these individuals brought with them to the experience. The transferable skills attributed to prior teaching experience can assist school counselors in training in taking on the role of school counselor, given their awareness of school systems (Robinson et al., 2018). Our findings affirm the impact of transferable skills from prior teaching experiences. Participants in this study also perceived their preexisting connection or familiarity with the school site as advantageous. Furthermore, participants without a prior teaching history or connection to the site looked to their employment experiences in various counseling-adjacent careers (i.e., juvenile probation office, youth minister, behavior therapist) as helpful in cultivating transferable skills that were beneficial for the transition to an emergency credentialed school counselor trainee. Combined, these findings suggest that school-specific experiences, prior connections to the school, and work history in a counseling or student-focused career assist transitions.

The fourth and final theme, personal attributes that support career success, reflects how personal attributes of the individual were also a salient theme that surfaced from participant interviews. Several identified attributes from this study (i.e., confidence, adaptability, and passionate advocacy) are also supported in existing literature as part of the experiences of early-career and emergency credentialed school counselors. Cade and Parker (2015) shared how participants revealed “a sense of confidence in some of their existing skills” (p. 7) that assisted them during their experience. Cade and Parker (2021) also found that emergency credentialed school counselors encountered the challenges of on-the-ground learning and the need to demonstrate adaptability for unfamiliar challenges and circumstances. Robinson et al. (2018) indicated that an inclination to be an advocate for students was reflected in early-career school counselors, leading to a demonstration of leadership traits. However, our study also revealed that a commitment to continuous learning and being vulnerable were personal attributes experienced during emergency credentialed work. Participants were intentional about asking questions and self-reflecting, demonstrating a continual desire to grow and learn. They also discussed vulnerability as an attribute that school counselors in training can demonstrate to offer transparency about the challenges of emergency credentialing and the need to ask questions, consult, and remind others in the school environment that, while they are technically considered a school counselor given their status, they are also still a trainee who is learning a new career field before completing their graduate coursework.

Implications

The implications of this study are multifaceted and have relevance for various stakeholders, credentialing bodies, district and site-level supervisors, school counselor educators, and school counselors in training. The study’s findings shed light on the challenges faced by emergency credentialed school counselor trainees and the support they receive, leading to implications in several key areas.

Credentialing Bodies

Credentialing bodies in states should consider developing concrete policies for school counselors in training that are shared with school districts, and should clearly evaluate existing programs and implement informed changes. Such programs and policies should include enhancement of training requirements for emergency credentialing to better prepare school counselors in training for their roles, particularly in addressing the diverse and evolving mental health needs of students in schools. Policies must also consider the importance of supervision and other support dynamics (e.g., mentorship programs, new professional support) for school counselors in training. Credentialing bodies should prioritize supervision standards as part of emergency credentialing because school counselor trainees may benefit from increased supervision from a credentialed school counselor. If procuring qualified school counselor supervisors is a challenge, credentialing bodies should consider how to support graduate students in these cases collaboratively and constructively. For example, school counselors in training could receive supervision from the elementary school counselor on Mondays and Wednesdays and from the high school counselor on Tuesdays and Thursdays; the school psychologist could act as a consultant for school counselors in training. Further, district supervisors and administrators should seek out state grants that support emergency credentialed school counselors in training and provide funding for their professional development and continued education.

Our study highlights the need for credentialing bodies to address school counselor shortages, particularly in rural areas, where school counselor burnout and vicarious trauma are experienced at higher rates and supervision and support may be lacking (ACLU, 2019; NREA, 2023). Since credentialing can vary by state, creating and sharing a standardized protocol for emergency credentialed status to all school districts will provide clarity and uniformity for school counselors in training, administrators, and counselor education programs. Our study demonstrates that, if school counselor trainees are given the option of emergency credentialing, they must be mindful of accessible supports, strategies, and supervision.

District and Site-Level Supervisors

Participants in the study spoke about the need for support on many levels. Schools in rural settings, in particular, lacked professional training and mentorship. District and site-level supervisors might consider implementing structured support and/or mentorship systems for school counselors in training. Just as these supervisors would support the needs of early-career school counselors to prevent burnout, the needs of school counselors in training with emergency credentialing also warrant targeted support. Our participants reported that cohort support groups facilitated by school districts were beneficial, providing a space for participants to discuss challenges, seek assurance, and ask questions, highlighting the value of such support structures.

Participants also shared their desire for more live supervision opportunities, underscoring the importance of the supervisor’s role in providing ongoing, live supervision to school counselors in training to enhance their professional development and ensure quality support. Because emergency credentialed school counselors in training are undergoing development and skill acquisition while engaging in coursework, supervision is vital in demonstrating theory to practice. Supervisors should advocate for supervisees, in light of the inherent power differential, and for the role and proper recognition of a school counselor within the school setting. Advocacy about the important services school counselors provide can help eliminate role ambiguity and the assignment of inappropriate school counseling duties.

School Counselor Education and Training

This study highlights the need for school counselor education and training programs to address systemic barriers we identified, such as school counselor shortages, role ambiguity, and the need for school counselor self-advocacy. School counselor education programs should consider offering specialized training to prepare school counseling students for these unique challenges, especially in rural settings. In addressing some of the systemic barriers, school counselor education programs might offer no-cost live workshops or webinars, with specialized information and support for school counselors in training. They could also consider inviting an emergency credentialed graduate and/or a school counselor supervisor to share their experiences with students. Counselor education programs might explore avenues to strengthen preparation for school counselor trainees via field experiences, such as offering a prepracticum or foundational practicum course that introduces school counselors in training to basic principles, procedures, and expectations from practicum and internship courses. School counselor education programs must consider the mental health and wellness of future school counselors in their program and should consider offering options for hybrid course attendance and accommodations for coursework (e.g., delayed submissions, extended time) while adhering to CACREP and ASCA standards (ASCA, 2019; CACREP, 2024).

In our study, school counselors in training displayed crucial personal and professional attributes (e.g., passion, advocacy, adaptability), demonstrating the need for school counselor educators and programs to examine ways they can foster and nurture these qualities for all students engaging in field experiences. School counselor educators should consider constructing course-appropriate content and assignments related to self-exploration of one’s passions (e.g., Why is school counseling/working with students your passion?), and adaptability (e.g., activities that engage students in making critical decisions, problem solving, and improvisation). Advocacy, a foundational tenet of the role of school counselors, should be taught using pragmatic approaches. School counselor education programs should support students in demonstrating concrete ways in which school counselors and emergency credentialed school counselors in training, specifically, can self-advocate for themselves, their role, and their students.

Finally, providing opportunities for early exposure to school environments, such as shadowing or substitute teaching, could help familiarize school counseling students with the culture and community of school settings. This exposure can contribute to their development of essential attributes and a better understanding of the role of a school counselor, as indicated by our participants.

School Counselors in Training

This study has multifaceted implications for school counselors in training. First, our study brings awareness to the potential option of an emergency credentialed position in a school, an option unknown to many school counseling graduate students. Future school counselors considering emergency credentialing should be aware of and prepared for systemic barriers explored in this study, such as school counselor shortages, role ambiguity, and the need for self-advocacy. Further, school counselors in training should know where and how to seek support and supervision in their respective settings. Participants in our study echoed the importance of self-advocacy in asking questions about their role, site, expectations, and what support will be available to them. Self-advocacy is an important, overarching theme found in our study.

Our study also revealed that participants who had some familiarity with the school or school district or had previous experiences working in schools felt more comfortable and confident in executing their duties as emergency credentialed school counselor trainees. Therefore, students should consider how they might be able to engage with schools before their field experience, such as shadowing a school counselor or substitute teaching, to help familiarize themselves with the culture and community of school environments.

Last, coping strategies used by emergency credentialed school counselors in training have implications for their overall development. School counselor trainees should engage in ongoing professional development that specifically addresses supporting the well-being and resilience of school counselors in stressful, taxing environments to mitigate burnout and vicarious trauma (Litam et al., 2021). School counselors in training also should consider attending specific training sessions at conferences that explore coping strategies and interventions, such as expressing emotions, nonjudgmental awareness, mindfulness, healthy physiological practices, journaling, and attending to their own interpersonal relationships (Litam et al., 2021).

Limitations and Future Research Directions

This study has limitations including the geographic representation of participants, program accreditation variability, limited gender identity (i.e., ciswomen), and policy implementation variability. First, although the study involved participants from various locations (i.e., rural, suburban, urban), the distribution may not adequately represent the diversity of school settings across different regions of the United States. Another consideration is that study participants were from both CACREP-accredited and non-CACREP-accredited programs. The differences in program quality and requirements might have influenced their experiences and perspectives, which was not extensively explored in the study. These differences should be explored in future studies. Further, given the variability in how emergency credentialing is implemented in different states, the study may not capture the full range of administrative and policy-related challenges faced by school counselors in training. Last, this study captures experiences at a specific time. With evolving educational policies and societal changes (e.g., post-COVID-19 implications), the findings might have limited applicability over time.

School counselor educators play a role in developing school counselor trainees’ knowledge and counseling skills, while also serving as gatekeepers for the profession, protecting the welfare of students and the public. However, students serving in the emergency credentialed role present challenges in that they are working as employees at the same time as they are obtaining their education as a school counselor. This complicates school counselor educators’ abilities to appropriately monitor and, if needed, remediate or gatekeep emergency credentialed school counselors in training (Solmonson et al., 2011). Future research should explore how to best support students during these experiences.

Future research could also examine the experiences of school counselor educators who work directly with school counselors in training, to identify best practices. This study was cross-sectional; thus, future studies might use a longitudinal design to collect data over a period of time from emergency credentialed school counselors in training, non-emergency credentialed school counselors in training, and school counselor educators. Supporting Cade and Parker’s (2015) findings, future studies may explore perceptions of counselor education programs that are supportive and those that are unsupportive of school counselors in training, to better inform school counseling students, supervisors, and school counselor education programs. Last, researchers could examine how school counselor education programs navigate remediation and gatekeeping while working with emergency credentialed school counselors in training.

Conclusion

This study provides significant insight into the lived experiences of emergency credentialed school counselors in training in various educational settings across the United States. The study’s findings contribute to our understanding of the unique challenges and support mechanisms relevant to school counselors in training, and underscore the complex nature of emergency credentialing and its impact on students. Systemic barriers such as school counselor shortages, particularly in rural areas, role ambiguity, and the stigma associated with emergency credentialing reveal the need for more structured support and clearer role definitions within the school counseling field. We highlight the importance of robust support systems, both in receiving and seeking support, as critical for the success and well-being of school counselors in training. Personal and professional development emerged as a vital theme, with participants emphasizing coping strategies like setting boundaries, practicing self-care, and managing time effectively. These school counselors in training discussed their invaluable experiences of connecting theoretical knowledge with practical application and gaining clarity on future career preferences. Key personal and professional attributes such as transferable experiences from previous roles (e.g., educator) and inherent personal qualities (e.g., adaptability, confidence, a commitment to continuous learning) were identified as instrumental in navigating the challenges of emergency credentialing. The study’s findings have several implications for stakeholders in the field of school counseling, including credentialing bodies, district and site-level supervisors, school counselor educators, and school counselor trainees themselves. These implications call for policy revisions, enhanced support structures, improved training and supervision, and a reevaluation of the emergency credentialing process to better prepare and support school counselors in training.