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Title
Challenges
in Rural School Counselling: Establishing and Maintaining a Professional
Identity
Author Details
Judith F. Esposito - Elon University
Jonathan W. Roberti - New College of Florida
David
J. Srebalus - West Virginia University
Correct Reference
Esposito J,
Roberti J, & Srebalus (2004), Challenges in Rural School
Counselling: Establishing and Maintaining a Professional Identity,
International Journal of Rural Psychology
URL:http://www.ruralpsych.com/Members/RefereedArticles/
Espisito Roberti Srebalus/Espisito Roberti Srebalus.html
Corresponding Author
Jonathan W. Roberti,
Ph.D.
New College of Florida
Parkview House
5700 North Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34243 USA
Electronic mail may be sent to Jroberti@ncf.edu
Access the full version of refereed articles, reports and research notes is restricted to members only. Please subscribe to IJRP if you wish to access these. All other areas have free public access.
Rural school counsellors are often limited in support and resources for their school counselling programs. As a result, rural school counsellors must resort to creative methods of expanding their programs and establishing their professional identities within the rural community. Two important parts of this process are in the rural school counsellor's professional development activities and involvement in professional organisations. This descriptive study examines the percentage of rural school counsellors who are licensed professional counsellors, as well as members of professional organisations. Additionally, rural school counsellors were asked to share what their greatest challenges and greatest needs were in maintaining their counselling programs. Results indicate that few rural school counsellors hold their LPC credentials, or are active in professional associations. Financial resources and staff support are among the perceived greatest challenges and greatest needs.
Rural communities have been described as offering unique benefits and limitations to the school counsellors serving rural populations. The benefits include a lack of boundaries between school and community, a slower pace, and a sense of independence and self-sufficiency (Stickel, 1991). The drawbacks to living in rural communities often result from a lack of financial and professional resources available due to the remoteness of the community (Cole, 1988). The rural school environment is also unique in that the school counsellor often has limited contact with other counselling professionals, often resulting in a feeling of both personal and professional isolation (Gothberg, 1990, Stickel, 1991; Sutton, 1988, as cited in Morrissett, 2000;). Additionally, boundary spanning activities and various community pressures can lead to Counsellor stress and burnout (Morrissette, 2000).
Rural schools have been described as having a mistrust of outsiders and new ideas, and a "make-do" philosophy (Helge, 1985, as cited in Allen & James, 1990). These characteristics could create significant barriers for counsellors attempting to design developmental guidance programs. However, rural communities also tend to value a strong work ethic, close family ties and personal relationships, self-help, and a commitment to doing one's part within the community. An effective school counsellor will use these characteristics as tools for creating a strong bond between the school counselling program and the community (Fagan & Hughes, 1985; Helge, 1985; as cited in Allen & James, 1990).
Allen and James (1990) developed a model specifically designed for the rural school setting, noting that the school counsellor must commit to the community beyond what is considered school activities. "Boundary spanning activities may mean not only speaking to civic organisations about the guidance program but also serving on a church board, being a member of local service organisations, or coaching local sports. Involvement in such activities allows the counsellor to be visible and establish validity and trust with a broad segment of the rural community" (p. 185). This results in the task of maintaining a delicate balance of establishing a school counsellor professional identity and avoiding dual relationships with clients, while reaching out to the community and taking on extra responsibilities to show one's willingness to be a team player.
Often sharing their school counsellor with other schools, many rural schools have the constant challenge of providing guidance and counselling services to their students in the counsellor's absence. Even counsellors who serve only one school often "wear so many hats" that they are overextended (Sutton & Southworth, 1990; Wilmore, 1993). Financial constraints also limit the ability of rural school districts to provide additional help for counsellors in the delivery of services (Cole, 1988; Matthias, 1972; Wilmore, 1993). Thus, counsellors in rural schools are faced with the challenge of finding creative ways to expand their programs on a limited budget (Worzbyt & Zook, 1992).
Rural school counsellors are often the only trained mental health professionals in their communities. This makes appropriate supervision a challenge, especially when a principal or superintendent serves as a counsellor's direct supervisor (Sutton, 1988; McIntire, 1990, as cited in Morrissette, 2000). School counsellors in both rural and urban settings have been struggling with professional identity and role confusion for years. Having administrative supervision without clinical supervision can add to these problems, as school counsellors are often requested by their administrators to perform many non-guidance duties which take their time away from direct counselling with students. This lack of clinical supervision may also add to the difficulty of obtaining the Licensed Professional Counsellor credential (because supervision by a licensed counselling professional is usually a requirement), a step which many school counsellors feel adds credibility to their positions within the school and community.
The problem of establishing a professional identity is confounded for the rural school counsellor, having very few colleagues nearby with whom to consult, plan professional development events, and share ideas about ways to fight the perception that school counsellors do little more than handle students' schedules. School counsellors can develop regional networks "…for the purpose of sharing material, resources, and professional development training sessions" (Worzbyt & Zook, p. 346). Involvement in professional organisations is one way to begin this collaboration. However, the remoteness of many rural settings often makes attendance at meetings and workshops a difficult challenge (Cole, 1988).
The American School Counselor Association's position statement on the role of the professional school counsellor emphasizes professional development and involvement in professional organisations:
To assure high quality practice, school counselors are committed to continued professional growth and personal development. They are proactively involved in professional organizations which foster and promote school counseling at the local, state and national levels. They uphold the ethical and professional standards of these associations and promote the development of the school counseling profession. Delegate Assembly, June 1999 (ASCA, 1999).
Clearly, this literature review shows that many rural school counsellors are limited in the availability of resources for adhering to ASCA's position statement. This article responds to those limitations by providing a closer look at the professional development behaviors of rural school counsellors.
The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore various characteristics related to the professional identity and challenges of rural school counsellors. Specifically, the researchers hoped to determine the representation of rural school counsellors holding LPC credentials and membership in professional organisations. Additionally, the researchers were interested in determining the daily challenges and needs rural school counsellors face in maintaining their counselling programs.
The characteristics of rural school counsellors in this descriptive study will provide valuable information for counsellor educators as they prepare their students and plan for recruitment of new school counsellor trainees. The information gathered in this study will also be helpful in extending the literature for the following populations: (a) new school counsellors interested in the rural job market, (b) urban school counsellors interested in relocating to a rural environment, and (c) principals and other professionals working within rural school settings as they consider the unique needs of their schools' populations and the qualities they value in a school counsellor.
Method
Participants
For the rural participants in this study, one hundred
(n = 100) counsellors' names and addresses were obtained from the American
School Counselor Association (ASCA), based on zip codes provided by the
researchers. The term "rural" was defined as having no city
over 50,000 in population within commuting distance. This sample was comprised
of school counsellors from Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Kansas, South Dakota,
North Dakota, and Nebraska. Additionally, a sample from a previous study
of rural schools (n = 118) was surveyed for the current study. This portion
of the sample was comprised of elementary, middle, and high school counsellors
from rural areas in five states (Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
and West Virginia). The names and addresses were obtained from rural county
education directories, and from recent alumni lists provided by counsellor
educators in the respective areas.
To provide an urban comparison sample, 300 urban
counsellors were also surveyed. The American School Counseling Association
(ASCA) provided the researchers with a list of urban participants from
its membership list, based on zip codes. The urban sample consisted of
zip codes from the following heavily populated urban regions: Washington,
D.C. metropolitan area; New York City, New York metropolitan area; Chicago,
Illinois metropolitan area; Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area; Miami,
Florida; Los Angeles metropolitan area; and Seattle, Washington. The urban
or rural nature of the school selected for the study was further confirmed
by information supplied by the counsellor on the demographic information
form. No participant was excluded from this current study based on gender,
age, race, or ethnicity.
Participants were mailed a questionnaire, a letter explaining the nature
of the study, and a self-addressed, stamped return envelope for the completed
questionnaire. The questionnaire included items that asked the participant
to report information on age, gender, development level of school (i.e.
elementary, middle, or high), size of school population, number of schools
being served by one counsellor, whether they hold their Licensed Professional
Counselor credentials, and the number of years of experience as a school
Counselor, both at their present sites and over the duration of their
careers. Because the American Counseling Association (ACA) is "the
world's largest organization representing professional counselors",
participants were asked to report whether they hold membership in ACA,
as well as membership in the American School Counselor Association (ACA,
1999). Additionally, participants were asked to list their perceived greatest
challenges, along with their perceived greatest needs in performing their
roles as rural school counsellors. Responses to these items were coded
using Miles and Huberman's (1994) procedure for analysis of emergent themes.
. A cross-case analysis matrix was developed, indicating common responses
among the different school developmental levels.
One hundred and eighteen participants from the rural sample completed
and returned the questionnaires from this study, resulting in a 54.1 percent
response rate. Seventy-one of the urban counsellors returned questionnaires,
yielding a response rate of 23.6 percent. The return rate for counsellors
in rural elementary, middle, and high school settings was unequal. Twenty-three
completed questionnaires were returned from elementary counsellors, 34
completed questionnaires from middle school counsellors, and 61 completed
questionnaires from high school counsellors.
There were 85 female participants in the current study (rural sample)
with a mean age of 46.22 years with a standard deviation of 8.90 (range
of 27 to 65 years of age). There were 33 male counsellors surveyed in
this study. Male counsellors had a mean age 49.96 and a standard deviation
of 8.07 (range of 30 to 73 years of age). To further explore the difference
in age of counsellors in various school settings, age was split into categories.
It was found that most counsellors responding to this study were in the
range of 41 to 50 years of age (42.5 percent) followed by the range of
51 to 60 years of age (37.2 percent). Generally, older counsellors were
employed at the high school setting.
Results
The majority of the school counsellors surveyed
in this descriptive study were female (82.6 %); while 17.4 % of the sample
were males. Overall, female counsellors indicated employment in all three
school settings more often than males. The largest percentage of male
counsellors reported working in high school settings (19.9 %) followed
by middle school (5.1 %) and elementary schools (3.4 %) (see Table 1).
There were differences between how many students were being served by
rural counsellors in various school settings. Overall, high school counsellors
indicated serving the largest percentage of students. Most of the counsellors
reported serving schools that had less than 50 faculty members (see Table
1).
Table 1
Differences for Rural School Counsellors in Elementary,
Middle, and High School Settings.
|
Elementary
|
Middle
|
High School
|
Total
|
|
|
n = 23
|
n = 34
|
n = 61
|
n = 118
|
|
| Gender | ||||
| Female |
16.10%
|
23.70%
|
34.70%
|
74.60%
|
| Male |
3.40%
|
5.10%
|
16.90%
|
25.40%
|
| Number of Faculty | ||||
| 1-25 faculty |
7.90%
|
8.80%
|
11.40%
|
28.10%
|
| 26-50 faculty |
9.60%
|
13.20%
|
21.90%
|
44.70%
|
| 51-100 faculty |
1.80%
|
7.00%
|
17.50%
|
26.30%
|
| 101-150 faculty |
--
|
--
|
0.9%
|
0.9%
|
| ACA Membership | ||||
| Yes |
13.80%
|
11.20%
|
15.50%
|
40.50%
|
| No |
6.00%
|
17.20%
|
36.20%
|
59.50%
|
| LPC | ||||
| Yes |
6.80%
|
5.90%
|
14.40%
|
27.10%
|
| No |
12.70%
|
22.90%
|
37.30%
|
72.90%
|
| Serve Multiple Schools | ||||
| Yes |
9.40%
|
8.50%
|
3.40%
|
21.40%
|
| No |
9.40%
|
20.50%
|
48.70%
|
78.60%
|
| Student Enrollment | ||||
| 1-250 students |
2.60%
|
3.40%
|
6.00%
|
12.00%
|
| 251-500 students |
11.10%
|
12.80%
|
15.40%
|
39.30%
|
| 501-750 students |
3.40%
|
7.70%
|
12.80%
|
23.90%
|
| 750- > students |
1.70%
|
5.10%
|
17.90%
|
24.80%
|
| Age of Counsellor | ||||
| 24-30 years old |
1.80%
|
3.50%
|
1.80%
|
7.10%
|
| 31-40 years old |
3.50%
|
4.40%
|
3.50%
|
11.50%
|
| 41-50 years old |
7.10%
|
12.40%
|
23.00%
|
42.50%
|
| 51-60 years old |
6.20%
|
7.10%
|
23.90%
|
37.20%
|
| 61- > years old |
--
|
1.80%
|
--
|
1.80%
|
| Counsellor Experience | ||||
| 0-5 years |
5.90%
|
5.90%
|
7.60%
|
19.50%
|
| 6-10 years |
5.10%
|
7.60%
|
12.70%
|
25.40%
|
| 11-20 years |
5.10%
|
7.60%
|
14.40%
|
27.10%
|
| 21-30 years |
3.40%
|
6.80%
|
16.10%
|
26.30%
|
| 31- > years |
--
|
0.80%
|
0.80%
|
1.70%
|
| Note: All values are given in percentage. | ||||
A comparison between counsellors in urban and rural school settings was made to explore if differences exist in professional membership and licensure status. For the rural counsellors, only 27.1 % of all rural respondents reported holding a current LPC credential. Within this group of LPC's, the highest representation was at the high school level (see Table 1).
Of the 71 urban counsellors surveyed, 38% indicated holding the licensed professional counsellor (LPC) credential. Middle school counsellors had the highest level of licensure (55.6%) followed by elementary (36.4%) and high school counsellors (31%).
In addition, more urban counsellors reported to be members of professional associations than rural counsellors. Overall, 71.2 % of urban counsellors indicated being members of the American Counseling Association, and 58.0 % reported being members of ASCA. The largest percentage of these urban counsellors were working in high school settings (30.1%), followed by elementary (23.3%), and middle school (16.4%). In contrast, 40.5% of the rural school counsellors reported membership in ACA, and 52% reported membership in ASCA. The largest representation of rural ACA members were at the high school level (15.5%), followed by elementary (13.8%) and then middle school (11.2%).
The number of years of experience in the counselling profession varied across rural school settings. In general, high school counsellors indicated having been in the profession for longer periods, with the largest percentage in the range of 21 to 30 years of service. There were minimal differences in number of years of experience between elementary and middle school counsellors.
The number of rural counsellors serving in itinerant positions was lower than expected for the rural population. The rural middle school and high school counsellors were typically in positions where they were serving only one school (20.5 percent and 48.7 percent, respectively). The elementary school counsellors were evenly split in their representation of itinerant (serving more than one school) and non-itinerant positions.
Finally, we examined what rural school counsellors reported as the greatest perceived challenges in the school settings where they are employed (Table 2). Overall, the sample of rural counsellors indicated financial resources as their greatest perceived challenge (35.2 %). This challenge was most frequently reported for high school counsellors (15.2 %) followed by elementary school counsellors (10.5 %) and then middle school counsellors (9.5 %). However, high school counsellors indicated that a lack of staff support was their greatest perceived challenge (17.1 %). In addition to exploring rural counsellors greatest perceived challenges, we inquired about their greatest perceived needs. Rural counsellors at all school settings indicated that increased financial resources (43.1 %) and staff support (23. 9 %) were their greatest perceived needs.
Table 2.
Perceived Greatest Challenges and Perceived Greatest Needs for Rural
School Counsellors in Elementary, Middle, and High School Settings.
|
Elementary
|
Middle
|
High School
|
Total
|
|
|
n = 23
|
n = 34
|
n = 61
|
n = 118
|
|
| Greatest Perceived Challenge | ||||
| Financial Resources |
10.50%
|
9.50%
|
15.20%
|
35.20%
|
| Curriculum Development |
1.00%
|
7.60%
|
3.80%
|
12.40%
|
| Staff Support |
2.90%
|
7.60%
|
17.10%
|
27.60%
|
| Community Support |
--
|
1.00%
|
1.00%
|
1.90%
|
| Administrative Support |
--
|
--
|
1.90%
|
1.90%
|
| Student Support |
--
|
1.00%
|
3.80%
|
4.80%
|
| District Support |
--
|
--
|
1.90%
|
1.90%
|
| Time |
4.80%
|
1.90%
|
7.60%
|
14.30%
|
| Greatest Perceived Need | ||||
| Financial Resources |
11.90%
|
12.80%
|
18.30%
|
43.10%
|
| Curriculum Development |
1.80%
|
3.70%
|
3.70%
|
9.20%
|
| Staff Support |
3.70%
|
4.60%
|
15.60%
|
23.90%
|
| Community Support |
--
|
0.90%
|
--
|
0.90%
|
| Administrative Support |
--
|
3.70%
|
10.10%
|
13.80%
|
| Student Support |
--
|
--
|
0.90%
|
0.90%
|
| District Support |
0.90%
|
2.80%
|
--
|
3.70%
|
| Time |
0.90%
|
0.90%
|
1.80%
|
3.70%
|
Note: All values are given in percentage.
Discussion
The purpose of this descriptive study was to elucidate
professional development issues of rural school counsellors and to identify
what their greatest challenges and greatest needs were in maintaining
their counselling programs. This study highlights important findings for
school administrators and counsellor educators as they prepare new counsellors
and graduate students for rural school counselling positions. Of particular
interest is the finding from this descriptive study that there are more
females than males currently in this profession. This illustrates the
need for greater efforts in the recruitment of male school counselors,
in order to better represent the demographic characteristics of the schools'
populations.
Findings from this sample of rural school counsellors' suggest that there
is a lack of involvement in professional associations. This is somewhat
discouraging, since counsellors in the rural setting are already at a
disadvantage in establishing and maintaining their professional identity.
Clearly, more concentration is needed on encouraging rural school counsellors
to take an active role in professional organisations. Counsellor educators
can plant the seed for this necessary activity by encouraging more student
presentations and attendance at state, regional, and national conferences.
A possible explanation for this finding could be due to active rural school
counsellor membership in other professional organisations committed to
fostering Counsellor's professional identities. A limitation of this study
is that participants were asked if they belonged to ACA and ASCA, rather
than asking them to list the professional organisations to which they
belonged. Future studies should focus on the specific professional organization
activities similar to those discussed by Worzbyt & Zook (1992), of
rural school counsellors and their reasons for choosing particular organisations
for membership.
The lack of licensed professional counsellors in rural school counselling
positions is another notable result. However, with the previously reported
limitations of the rural setting serving as barriers to quality clinical
supervision, it is not a surprising one. Perhaps a task of professional
organisations can be to establish an effective supervision network, much
like that discussed by Worzbyt & Zook (1992), for school counsellors
in rural areas, to help increase the number of LPC's in school settings.
This effort would benefit school counsellors in all settings, especially
those new to the profession, by promoting awareness of school Counsellor
credentials and professional development opportunities. Such a network
would also result in more resources for planning professional development
activities, a step in the right direction for upholding ASCA's position
statement on the role of the professional school Counsellor (ASCA, 1999).
Another limitation of this descriptive study is due to the methodology
of the rural sampling, as well as the low return rate of the urban comparison
group (71 of 300 participant return rate). A random sample of rural school
counsellors may show different results. However, the majority of the information
reported by the rural school counsellors in this study is consistent with
the literature on rural school counsellors. As for the urban sample, this
study serves as a primer for future studies that may delve more deeply
into the professional behaviors of urban school counsellors.
The results of this descriptive study show that many of the challenges
and needs of rural school counsellors reported in previous studies remain
for the rural school counsellors of today. Financial constraints and a
lack of staff support continue to present barriers to the rural school
Counsellor's ability to run an effective school counselling program. As
a result, the rural school counselor is often overextended, unable to
meet programmatic goals, and a prime candidate for burnout. Clearly, the
school counselling program equipped with ample financial resources and
clerical support to handle the time-consuming nonguidance duties will
enable the counselor to put more energy towards meeting the students'
affective needs. This study reinforces the charge to rural school administrators
and counsellors to use creative methods of funding and staff support of
their programs. An implication of this finding is that counsellor education
programs should address this need, such as through the inclusion of grant
writing and fundraising as part of their training. Rural school administrators
could also address the need for more funding and support for their school
counsellors through budgetary considerations and hiring clerical support.
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