School Counselor Preparation to Meet the Guidance Needs of Exceptional Students: A National Study

School Counselor Preparation to Meet theGuidance Needs of Exceptional Students:A National Study

Adriana G. McEachern

A representative sample of counselor educators at U.S. universitieswere surveyed to Identify the kinds of curricula school counselor preparation programs use for preparing students to work with exceptionalstudents (ES). Program courses in exceptional student education (ESE),competencies, field experiences, state certification requirements forESE courses, the degree of importance accorded by counselor educators to prepare graduates to serve ES, and the educators' level ofsatisfaction with current program requirements were investigated.Sixty-two percent of the programs surveyed did not offer a specificESE course; however, 53% of these programs (N = 146) reported thatESE competencies were incorporated in other program courses.

During the past two decades, federal legislation, such as the 1975Education for All Handicapped Children Act (later amended in 1990and 1997 as the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act [IDEA])and the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), has had animpact on the role of school counselors and their work with childrenwith disabilities (see Thompson & Rudolph, 2000). These laws haveinfluenced how counselors interact with these children within theschool setting (Parette & Holder-Brown, 1992). In addition, the schoolaged population of students with disabilities has increased rapidlyduring the past two decades (Office of Special Education Programs,1997). It is estimated that approximately 18% of school-aged children have special needs (Wood Dunn & Baker, 2002). These students need the services that can be provided by professional schoolcounselors (Parette & Holder-Brown, 1992).

Counseling Needs of Exceptional Students (ES)

Thompson and Rudolph (2000) asserted that not enough researchhas been conducted on counseling children with special needs,although it is known that children with disabilities confront problems that require individualized attention. For example, many ofthese children know from an early age that they are somehowdifferent from other children and, because of this, may experience rejection and isolation from their peers (Thompson & Rudolph,2000). Children who have late onset impairments will need assis-

Adriana G. McEachern, Department oJEducational and Psychological Studies, FloridaInternational University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressedto Adriana G. McEachern, Florida International University, University Part, ZEB2 14, Miami, FL 33199 (e-mail: [email protected]).

314 Counselor Education & Supervision. June 2003 • Volume 42

tance with the adjustment process (Snyder, 2000). Many children withdisabilities are mainstreamed into regular classrooms, although someare placed in exceptional student education (ESE) programs andattend special classes so that they can achieve their potential (Snyder,2000). Students who have been placed recently in ESE classes mayalso need counseling and guidance to assist them in understandingthe academic, personal, and social benefits of these placements (Snyder,2000). Parents and teachers can also benefit from interventionsprovided by school counselors (Parette & Holder-Brown, 1992). Manyparents may not understand the physical and psychological impact oftheir children's impairments, they may experience feelings of guilt, orthey may deny that the disability exists (Hardman, Drew, & WinstonEgan, 1996). In addition, if teachers do not understand the effect ofthe disability on learning and day-to-day functioning, they may experience frustration, helplessness, and confusion when confronted withspecial needs children in their classrooms (Snyder, 2000). Counselorscan help by providing information, resources, and strategies for teachingthese children (Gerler, 1991).

The Role of Counselors With ES

The 1997 IDEA required that school counselors participate in thedevelopment of the Individual Education Plan (IEP)and in child studyplacement meetings (Helms & Katsiyannis, 1992; Synder, 2000). Insome cases, counselors also have the added responsibility of coordinating and documenting the activities of the IEP placement team(Korinek & Prillaman, 1992). Counselors consult and collaborate withparents, teachers, and other school and agency personnel and mayact as advocates for ES in the educational placement process (Snyder,2000; Trotter, 1993). They provide personal adjustment counselingto individuals and groups and academic and career guidance to middleand secondary students (Helms & Katstyannts, 1992; Pankaskie,2000; Trotter. 1993; Wood & Beale, 1991).

Counselors working with ES provide many of the same servicesand use many of the same interventions they would use with students who have no disabilities (Helms & Katstyannis, 1992). Thecore counseling courses found in school counselor preparationprograms provide a strong foundation and knowledge base for counseling ES. However, some researchers have suggested that counselors who work with these students may need additional knowledgeand skills (Hosie, Patterson, & Hollingsworth, 1989; West, 1992).These include (a) information on the characteristics of disablingconditions; (b) how these conditions affect students' physical, social, psychological, and cognitive development; (c) the implicationsof federal and state laws on the education and counseling servicesprovided in the schools; (d) diagnostic and placement criteria; and(e) methods of modifying interventions to meet specific individual

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needs. Hosie et al. (1989) recommended that school counseling curricula include topics in courses on types of disabilities; range ofservices for individuals with disabilities; ethnic, cultural, and language issues; family issues; asststtve devices and technology; ethics;and collaboration.

Other researchers have asserted that counselor preparation programs may not be meeting the training needs of students who willeventually work with children with special needs in schools (Hartman,1989; Korinek & Prillaman, 1992; Trotter, 1993). Helms andKatstyannis's (1992) survey of elementary school counselors revealedthat 76% felt they needed more preparation in working with ES. Ina more recent study, 61% of elementary school counselors surveyed in North Carolina reported that they had acquired some typeof formal graduate training on students with disabilities; 37% hadtaken relevant undergraduate course work (Wood Dunn & Baker,2002). However, the counselors in Wood Dunn and Baker's studyreported that the expertise and skills necessary to work with students with disabilities exceeded their acquired knowledge. Moretraining was needed, particularly in consultation, problem solving,advocacy, and team building to enhance school counselor expertise in working with ES.

Korinek and Prillaman (1992) surveyed 350 randomly selectedcounselor education programs and found that there was a discrepancy between counselor educators' perceptions of the role of schoolcounselors in serving ES and actual counseling program requirements. The surveyed counselor educators encouraged school counseling trainees to work with these students; however, few counselingprograms included specific courses in ESE or in counseling ES.

The lack of such course work may be influenced by state certification and national accreditation requirements. Some state departments of education may not require specific ESE course work inschool counseling curricula (Frantz & Prillaman, 1993). Recentlyrevised standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counselingand Related Educational Programs (CACREP; 2001) have recognized the importance of studies in social and cultural diversityand those "that provtde an understanding of the cultural contextof relationships, issues and trends in a multicultural and diversesociety related to such factors as culture, ethnicity, nationality,age, gender, sexual orientation, [and] mental and physical characteristics" (p. 61). The National Council for the Accreditation ofTeacher Education (NCATE) does not delineate specific requirements in the area of ESE for school counselors, deferring insteadto the professional and state counseling standards (e.g., CACREP,departments of education; NCATE, 2002).

Since the 1980s, there has been a paucity of research regardingschool counselor preparation in relation to serving ES in schools


(West. 1992). Consequently. the aim of this evaluative survey studywas to investigate school counseling preparation programs in relation to (a) types of program curricular experiences (e.g.. course work.competencies, and clinical field experiences) in ESE. (b) state certification and national accreditation requirements and inclusion ofan ESE course in program curricula. (c) degree of importance accorded by counselor educators to prepare their graduates to serveES, and (d) counselor educators' perceived level of satisfaction withthe school counseling program in relation to serving ES. The studyalso sought to answer the following questions: (a) Is there a significant relationship between the inclusion of an ESE course in program curricula and state certification and program accreditation?and (b) Is the inclusion of an ESE course related to perceived program satisfaction for preparing graduates to work with ES?

Method

Participants

Participants in this study represented universities from 43 statesin major geographical regions of the U.S.-the Pacific. Midwest.South. Northeast. and Alaska and Puerto Rico. One hundred fiftyfive questionnaires were returned. resulting in a response rate of39%; of these. 146 were included in the analysis. Respondents identified their position as chairs. directors. or program leaders ofthe counseling program (73%. n = 107); faculty members (20%.n = 29); administrators; or graduate assistants offacuIty (7%. n = 10).Forty-six percent were full professors. 32% associate professors. 14%assistant professors. and 8% were visiting professors or instructors.The nonrespondents were similar to the participants in that theyrepresented programs in the major geographical regions of the nationand shared similar characteristics (e.g.. types of degrees conferred.number of faculty members. number of graduates per year. type ofprogram offered. accreditation status; Hollis & Dodson. 1999). Inaddition. the demographic data reported by the participants in thisstudy were similar to the data reported by Hollis and Dodson (1999)for school counselor preparation programs.

The participating institutions in this study offered master ofeducation. master of arts. master of science. and doctorate degrees in counseling. Several of the universities conferred advanceddegrees in guidance and counseling. The average number of fulltime faculty members teaching in the school counseling programswas 5.8 (SD = 3.2; range. 0-17). The average number of full-timefaculty teaching only in the school counseling program was 3 (SD= 2.8; range. 0-20). The average number of part-time faculty was5.3 (SD = 5.3; range. 0-36). One respondent reported that his orher program hired only part-time faculty. The average number of

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graduates per year was 21.2 (SD = 21.9; range, 0-150). Thirtythree percent of the programs reported that they were accreditedby CACREP, 41% were accredited by NCATE, 12% were not accredited, and 14% were in the process of seeking accreditation.

Instrument

The instrument used was the 34-item Counselor Education Questionnaire, which I developed to investigate curricular experiencesand certification requirements related to ESE, level of importanceassigned to the inclusion of an ESE course and competencies intocurricula, and degree of satisfaction with curricula in relation toESE preparation, The first 7 items on the questionnaire elicitedinformation on program characteristics (e.g., type of degrees offered, number of faculty members in the department, number offaculty teaching in the school counseling program, number ofgraduates) and the position (e.g., counselor educator, departmentchair, director, coordinator) and level (e.g., professor, associateprofessor, assistant professor, instructor) of the respondent. Sixteen ESE items required a forced-choice response ("yes," "no," or"don't know") or a Likert-type response, ranging from 5 (very important) to 1 (not important). These items asked respondents toprovide information on the following: (a) curricular content in ESE(courses and competencies), (b) clinical field experiences (i.e., typesoffered-practicum or internship, exposure to ES during fieldexperiences and amount of time school counseling students spendworking with ES), (c) state department of education certificationand program approval requirements, and (d) program accreditation. One of the forced-choice items asked about perceived program satisfaction in relation to ESE and required a response of"very satisfied with the program as it is," "will be satisfied with itwhen some improvements are made," and "not satisfied at all,needs considerable improvement." In 1 item, respondents wereprovided with a list of ESE competencies and asked to check theones that were being incorporated in other program courses. Toreduce measurement error and the simple checking off of items,the forced-choice and Likert-type items were placed throughoutthe questionnaire randomly (Salant & Dillman, 1994). The lastitem on the questionnaire was an open-ended question that askedrespondents for additional comments and any critical programchanges they believed were necessary to preparing school counseling students for working with ES (see Appendix).

To establish content validity, the questionnaire was administered to a pilot group (N = 10) of experienced counselor educatorsand school counseling supervisors, all of whom had taught counseling or had supervised counseling students for a minimum of 4


years. The instrument was reviewed for clarity of the items, readability, time for administration, and consistency with the purposeof the study. Modifications to several items were made on the basisoffeedback received from the reviewers. A coefficient alpha of .66,generally viewed as acceptable for rating scales, was computed toassess the internal consistency estimates of reliability of the Likerttype and forced-choice items (Murphy & Davidshofer, 1991). Thecoefficient alpha was used because of its versatility with instruments with dichotomous items and items that can be scored withthree or more possible values (Huck & Cormier, 1996).

Procedure

A national list of department chairs and program leaders of counseling preparation programs was acquired from profiles of nationalcounseling programs (Hollis, 1997). A mail survey was used becausethe procedures used in such surveys are efficient, simple, relativelyinexpensive, and lend themselves to obtaining information from asmall sample of the population being studied (Dillman, 1991). Packets consisting of the questionnaire, a statement identifying the purpose of the study, a statement regarding the confidentiality of thedata and participants, and two copies of the consent form were mailedto the randomly selected sample of 400 counselor educators anddepartment chairs. A self-addressed, stamped envelope was includedto encourage participants to return the questionnaires. To ensure ahigher response rate, a second mailing to nonrespondents was conducted approximately 1 month later. Due to cost constraints, nofurther follow-up was conducted.

Results

Curricular Experiences

Of the programs surveyed, 35% required students to enroll in anESE course, and 62% did not; 3% of the respondents did not knowwhether their programs had such a requirement. Several programsthat did not require an ESE course in program curricula reportedthat students take such courses at the undergraduate level asprerequisites, or they can take them as electives on the graduatelevel. ESE courses included in programs are survey/overview ofdisabilities; emotional and behavioral disorders; visual, hearing.speech, and language impairments; counseling exceptional students; learning disabilities; varying exceptionalities; and giftedness. Of the programs that did not require an ESE course, 53%reported that ESE competencies were being incorporated into otherprogram courses. These competencies included (a) an overview of


disabling conditions, (b) development of the IEP, (c) legal and ethical issues related to counseling ES, (d) federal laws related toeducating ES, and (e) consulting with ESE teachers and parentsof ES. When asked if an ESE course was planned for inclusion inthe future, 42% indicated that there was no plan to include sucha course, 12% reported that an ESE course was planned for inclusion, and 21 % did not know.

Only 29% of the programs required school counseling studentsto work with ES during clinical experiences, whereas 69% did notrequire such experiences; 7% were not sure. Participants indicatedthat, when required, students spent approximately 10%-15% oftheir time working with ES. Although it is not a program requirement, 78% encouraged their students to work with these groups.

State Certification Requirements

When questioned regarding certification requirements, 26% ofthe respondents reported that their state required an ESE coursefor school counseling certification, 69% did not require such acourse, and 5% did not know. Twenty-two percent reported thatan ESE course was required for state program approval offeredthrough the individual states' department of education; 71 %reported that it was not required, and 7% did not know.

Perceived Level of Importance

An ESE course was perceived to be "very important" (30%) or "important" (46%) to the school counseling program by 76% of therespondents, 13% perceived the course to be "somewhat important," 8% were "undecided," and 3% indicated that the coursewas "not important." The majority of the respondents reportedthat it was "very important" (49%) or "important" (39%) for schoolcounseling trainees to work with ES during field experiences; 8%were "undecided"; 4% reported it was "somewhat important" or"not important." Although 67% of the programs did not requirestudents to work with ES during their field experiences, they wereencouraged (64%) to do so by program faculty.

Overall Program Satisfaction

Of the 140 (96%) respondents who answered the item on programsatisfaction regarding preparing graduates to work with ES, 41%expressed being "very satisfied" with their program as it is, 51%"will be satisfied with it when some improvements are made," and4% report being "not satisfied at all, program needs considerableimprovement."


Respondents' Comments

Many of the participants' comments indicated that there was alack of resources in their programs to meet the students' trainingneeds to effectively work with ES. For example, one respondentsaid, "We need more faculty to teach specific courses in these[ESE) areas. Until then, these competencies are embedded in moregeneral courses," and "The school counselor educator program,while sound, would not be in a position to add further coursesregardless of their relative importance in providing a better product. With four full-time faculty and 120 students, we cannot domore than we are doing without additional staff." Several respondents commented that their programs now included a course on"counseling diverse populations," which incorporates topics andissues dealing with ES and diverse populations. "We recently established a 'counseling diverse populations' course which overviews many of the issues you address-we are excited about thisaddition to the curriculum." "We have a required course in theprogram titled, 'Counseling Special Populations' that covers ESE,multicultural, gender, and ADA/IDEA issues."

Certification, Accreditation, Program Satisfaction, and CurricularExperiences

Cross-tabulations were calculated to determine whether state certification requirements and perceived program satisfaction wererelated to the inclusion of ESE courses in school counselor preparation programs. Level of significance was set at .05. State certification requirement and ESE course were found to be significantlyrelated, ,..zO, N = 135) = 16.66, p = < .001, Cramer's V = .35. Forrespondents whose states did not require an ESE course for certification, only 14% had such courses in their curricula. Of the statesrequiring an ESE course for certification, only 46% of the respondents' school offered such a course. There was no relationshipbetween program satisfaction and inclusion of an ESE course inprogram curricula.

Cross-tabulations calculated by accreditation status (CACREP andNCATE) and an ESE course revealed no significant differences acrossaccreditation type, X2(3, N = 141) =4.52, P < .210.

Discussion

Despite the apparent need for school counselors to work closelywith ES, the results of this survey were similar to previous research findings (Korinek & Prillaman, 1992), which reported thatthe majority of school counselor preparation programs did nothave specific course requirements in ESE. Despite the lack of ESE

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course work. the majority of the respondents indicated there wereno plans to include such courses in program curricula in the future. Although faculty members may believe that including ESEcourses is important to programs. the significant relationshipbetween state certification requirements and the inclusion of suchcourses suggested that state certification requirements influencedfaculty decisions in this area. as in other course content requirements (Perusse. Goodnough. & Noel. 2001). Very few programs instates that did not require ESE courses in program curricula included these courses. Furthermore. in states that did have thisrequirement. fewer than 50% included at least one course in theprogram. These competencies seem to be embedded in other program courses. Perceived program satisfaction was found to benonrelated to the inclusion of ESE courses; therefore. other factorsmust influence this variable. The identification of these factors isbeyond the scope of this study and warrants further research.

Recommendations

Counselor educators seem to agree that school counselor preparation programs should address the need to adequately prepare students to serve ES (Helms & Katsiyannts, 1992; Korinek & Prillaman.1992). However. despite this need. for many programs. lack offunding and resources precluded the addition of such specialized coursesin curricula (Margolis & Rungta, 1986). Many existing programs already contain too many required credits for completion. thus notjustifying the additional course work. Furthermore. ESE courses arenot being included because most state departments of education donot require them for school counselor certification or for programapproval (Frantz & Prillaman. 1993). The expectation in many programs was that school counseling students came prepared with ESEundergraduate courses or that they received this training and knowledge on the job (Korinek & Prillaman. 1992). It seems that programswithout specific ESE course work are embedding these competencies in existing courses.

For the aforementioned reasons. students' levels of knowledge andskills in ESE vary (Korinek & Prillaman. 1993). Therefore. counseloreducators must assess existing programs to determine whether schoolcounseling students are receiving sufficient exposure in ESE to provide them with the expertise needed to serve ES. Consideration shouldbe given to ensuring that durtng clinical field experiences. studentsengage in practical work experiences with ES. teachers. and families (Bradley & Fiorini. 1999). In modlfytng or creating school counseling program curricula. counselor educators must address the realitythat the roles and functions of school counselors are changing and

322 Counselor Education & Supervision' June 2003 • Volume 42

that these professionals are now more involved in the education andplacement of ES (Helms & Katsiyannis, 1992; Wood Dunn & Baker,2002). Learning activities (e.g., visits to special education and rehabilitation centers, films, case analysis, role-played counseling sessions with students with disabilities) that focus on ESE issuesand topics can be integrated into existing counseling courses(Margolis & Rungta, 1986). Counselor education departments cansponsor seminars and workshops that focus on disabilities and oncounseling interventions for serving these students in schools.

Some counselor education programs have received grants fromthe U.S. Office of Special Education to support preservice graduatetraining for preparing related services personnel (school counselors)with special emphasis on special education needs. Project SPECIALWPIC (Brandell, 1993) at Central Michigan University trained 22 fulltime graduate students by using existing program competencies andadding 14 competencies in special education developed by Hosie et al.(1989). Project ESST (Exceptional Student Specialization Track;McEachern, 2002), at Florida International University, trained 24 schoolcounseling students who completed, along with program requirements,a course in ESE that included topics on the identification of studentswith disabilities, federal and state regulations, completion of the IEP,the psychological and sociological impact of disabilities, and consulting with families of ES. School counseling students also worked onresearch projects and papers with program faculty on topics dealingwith counseling and educating ES and spent 25% to 50% of their timeworking with ES during their clinical field experiences. External funding for school counseling programs, such as the ones mentioned earlier in this article, can provide faculty with additional resources todevelop curricula that address the needs of ES.

This study represented only a sample of existing school counseling programs. More research is needed on the types of curricular experiences in school counseling preparation programs thatfocus on the guidance needs of ES. It would be important to knowthe types of activities in which school counseling interns engageand the amount of time they spend on these activities with ESduring clinical field experiences. In addition, further studies mightinvestigate the beliefs of school counseling students regarding theirperceived level of competence and preparation to serve the needsof ES in relation to the actual demands of the work environment.

It is important for all students in schools, including those with disabilities, to receive the services provided by professional school counselors. Exposing counselors-in-training to curricular experiences inorder to help them learn about the special needs of ES students willincrease their comfort and confidence and provide them with theknowledge and skills needed to effectively serve these populations.


References

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Brandell, M. E. (1993). Project SPECIAL TOPIC (Training of Professionals in Counseling). Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant. Paper presented at theannual meeting of the Council for Exceptional Children. San Antonio. (ERICDocument Reproduction Service No. ED365081)

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. (2001).CACREP accreditation manual: 2001 standards. Alexandria, VA: Author.

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APPENDIX

The Counselor Education Questionnaire: Sample Items

1. Does the school counseling program contain a specific course or courses in exceptional student education (ESE)?

2. Do your state certification requirements require that students complete at least onecourse in ESE?

3. Is such a course required by your State Department of Education for stateapproval of the program?

4. If the school counseling program does not contain any ESE courses, are such requirements being contemplated for inclusion at a later time?

5. If there are no specific ESE course requirements in the school counseling program,are any competencies in ESE infused (included) in other required courses?

6. Whether or not your school counseling program has a course or courses in ESE, howimportant do you believe such a course is, or would be, to the school counselingtraining program at your university?

7. Are students required to work with exceptional students during their practica and/orinternship experiences?

8. If not required, are students encouraged to work with exceptional students duringtheir practica and/or internship experiences?


Documents

School Counselor Preparation to Meet the Guidance Needs of Exceptional Students: A National Study