CHALLENGE FOR SCHOOL COUNSELORS AND SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS by MBUNGU TITOP. TEKU/BEDCP/101561

Challenge for school counselors and School Counseling Programs

School counseling programs are developed and implemented within school systems located within communities. Community members often have different expectations for the outcomes of school counseling programs. This means that school counselors often find themselves attempting to meet the demands of multiple stakeholders in an increasingly complex and political environment. Entering the 21st Century, counselors will need to address these challenges with commitment and creativity. First, however, professionals need to consider some of the challenges that need to be addressed.

A second challenge facing school counselors involves the increasingly diverse student populations in the schools. The changing demographics of society have been widely noted (e.g., Lee, 2001). As these changes are realized in school settings, counselors may find that psychological and educational theories and practices, developed largely from a Eurocentric perspective, may not represent the worldviews of or be the best approaches for their students and families (D'Andrea & Daniels, 2001; Lee, 2001; Murphy, DeEsch, & Strein; 1998; Skovholt, Cognetta, Ye, & King, 1997). Considerable progress has been made in the area of addressing multiculturalism within schools, but statistics continue to show gaps in academic achievement along racial and ethnic lines (Education Trust, 1996) as well as differences in those individuals who actually seek counseling services (Sue & Sue, 1999