2023 Volume 26 Issue 2 Pages 209-218
[Propose]
In recent years, school counselors (SCs) are expected to provide support from the standpoint of clinical psychology, but it can be imagined that there are considerable difficulties involved. We believe that clarifying the difficulties that SCs encounter and the process of overcoming them will provide an understanding of how SCs develop professionally. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the specific difficulties SCs encountered and how they overcame those difficulties.
[Methods]
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 SCs divided into 3 groups based on the number of years of experience they had. Those who had 1–5 years of experience were classified as early-stage SCs, those with 6–10 years of experience as middle-stage SCs, and those with 11＋ years of experience as veteran-stage SCs. Then, the researchers conducted a “modified grounded theory approach” analysis.
[Results]
Based on the results obtained, SCs’ process of overcoming difficulties yielded six categories.
[Discussion]
The difficulties encountered and the skills necessary to overcome them were determined for each group of SCs. For early-stage SCs, the skills of sharing information and meeting the needs of the school were important to overcome difficulties. For middle-stage SCs, the skills were understanding the duties of the teachers who collaborate with them and clearly communicating the role of an SC. The skill to reflect on oneself was also considered important. It was difficult to determine the skills necessary for veteran-stage SCs, but the results suggested that self-management skills are necessary.
