1. SCHOOL COUNSELING
PROGRAMS LACKING
PROPER FUNDING
Amanda Walsh
Argosy University-Twin Cities

2. School Counselors
 The need for children’s counseling services has
increased, yet the funding and hiring of school
counselors has not increased to meet the demand.
 Student-to-counselor ratios are too high and yet
this does not seem to be a priority for our
government, states, and school systems.
 Why are we cutting back on hiring counselors and
forcing existing counselors to take on two or even
three schools?

3. School Counselors
Along with the growing demand, counselors are
also expected to take on new roles and tasks
within the school systems.

4. Roles and Responsibilities
 Low-income students require help from counselors
in additional areas (Amatea & West-Olatunji,
2007).
 These additional tasks include;
1) Acting as a cultural broker among students, families, and
school staff.
2) Helping to create more culturally diverse instruction.
3) Developing a more family-centric school environment.
(Amatea & West-Olatuji)

5. Roles and Responsibilities
Sexual Orientation
 Responsible for providing support to students who
are recognizing and accepting their own sexual
identities.
 Provide information to the entire school.
 Promote a more sophisticated and appropriate
dialogue about sexual orientation (DePaul, Walsh
& Dam, 2009).

6. Roles and Responsibilities
School Violence
 Provide prevention activities
 Assess students’ risk of engaging in violent
behavior
 Provide appropriate intervention when the potential
for violence exist (Hermann & Finn, 2002)

7. Roles and Responsibilities
Children with Disabilities
 Must keep up on their education and training in
order to meet all the needs of the students and staff
 Come up with new and inventive strategies
 Collaborate with others
 Continue positive leadership
( Myers, 2005)

8. Roles and Responsibilities
Counselors see themselves as:
 Change agents
 Consultants
 Crisis managers
 Group leaders
 Administrative staff (scheduling, disciplinary
functions, clerical duties)
(Zalaquett, 2005)

9. Funding
 Paisley & Borders (1995) discovered that when
school funds are being discussed by the government,
it is teachers that are brought up in these
conversations, not counselors.
 Instead of hiring additional counselors, federal funds
were spent on part-time employees to help out with
areas such as substance abuse and dropout prevention
but had none of the required education needed to be a
counselor (Paisley & Borders).

10. Solution
By enhancing government awareness of how important
school counselors are and by demonstrating the
expansive list of responsibilities, the proper funds can be
distributed to this area of education. If principles,
teachers, counselors, parents and the government can
work together to create a school system where all areas
of education have an appropriate number of staff
members, we will see the results in the children that
attend those schools.

11. References
 Amatea, E.; West-Olatunji, C. (2007). Joining the conversation about education our poorest children:
emerging leadership roles for school counselors in high-poverty schools. Alexandria: American Counseling
Association.
 DeMer, S., Bricklin, P. (1995). Legal, professional, and financial constraints on psychologists’ delivery of
health care services in school settings. United States: Educational Publishing Foundation.
 DePaul, J.; Walsh, M.; Dam, U. (2009). The role of school counselors in addressing sexual orientation in
school. Alexandria: American Counseling Association.
 Epstein, J.; Van Voorhis, F. (2010). School counselors’ roles in developing partnerships with families and
communities for student success. Alexandria: American Counseling Association.
 Frye Myers, H. (2005). How elementary school counselors can meet the needs of students with disabilities.
Alexandria: American Counseling Association.
 Green, A.; Keys, S. (2001). Expanding the developmental school counseling paradigm: meeting the needs of
the 21st century student. Alexandria: American Counseling Association.
 Hermann, M; Finn, A. (2002). An ethical and legal perspective on the role of school counselors in preventing
violence in schools. Alexandria: American Counseling Association.
 McCarthy, C.; Kerne, V; Calfa, N.; Lambert, R.; Guzman, M. (2010). An exploration of school counselors’
demands and resources: relationship to stress, biographic, and caseload characteristics. Alexandria: American
Counseling Association.
 Paisley, P.; Borders, D. (1995). School counseling: an evolving specialty. Alexandria: American Counseling
Association.
 Zalaquett, C. (2005). Principals’ perceptions of elementary school counselors’ role and functions. Alexandria:
American Counseling Association.