THE PROVISION OF COUNSELING SERVICES AMONG SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS: AN EXPLORATION OF TRAINING, CURRENT PRACTICES, AND PERCEPTIONS

Although school psychologists have been called on in recent literature to assume a leadership role in a collective and comprehensive effort to address students' mental health needs, many practitioners find that their professional roles continue to be narrowly focused on special education-related activities, such as individualized assessment and eligibility determination. Meanwhile, students' mental health needs have never been greater. The current study focused specifically on school psychologists' provision of school-based counseling, an activity that has been shown to be effective in addressing students' mental health needs, as well as a professional role that many practitioners have expressed a desire to expand. A national sample of school psychologists responded to an Internet survey related to various aspects of counseling service delivery, including their training to provide services, current practices, and perceptions of the importance for school psychologists to assume the responsibility of providing school-based counseling services. (C) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.