Attitudes of American School Counselor Association members toward utilizing paraprofessionals in school counseling - Statistical Data Included

Professional School Counseling, Feb, 2002 by Randall L. Astramovich, Janice Miner Holden

Finally, concerning the preparation of counseling paraprofessionals, we recommend the development of a standard program that orients future counseling paraprofessionals to the functions and goals of school counseling programs. Although many of the duties assigned to counseling paraprofessionals may be clerical in nature, we believe that their preparation should be distinguished from general clerical and secretarial programs. In order for counseling paraprofessionals to contribute meaningfully to school counseling programs, their preparation should emphasize functions of school counseling programs, components of effective school counseling services, and an exploration of the unique role and responsibilities of the counseling paraprofessional. One means for implementing uniform training standards involves the development of a standard curriculum and certification program that could be offered nationally through professional development seminars or workshops.

Conclusion

Considering the findings of support by school counselors in this study, it follows that utilizing counseling paraprofessionals may help fill a critical need in the delivery of school counseling and guidance services. However, professional counselors have yet to develop uniform preparation standards or qualifications for school counseling paraprofessionals. Furthermore, the impact of utilizing counseling paraprofessionals upon the school counseling profession remains to be seen. Although numerous questions still remain, utilizing counseling paraprofessionals shows promise in enhancing the quality of support services that elementary and secondary schools provide to students.

Participants' Rankings of School Counseling Paraprofessional Job Duties

Rank   Job Category       Job Duty                         M      SD

1      Clerical           Database management             4.14   0.85
2      Clerical           Maintaining supplies            4.10   0.77
3      Clerical           Maintaining occupational data   4.02   0.83
4      Clerical           Designing brochures             3.89   0.94
5      Indirect Helping   Assisting students with
                            information gathering         3.89   0.89
6      Clerical           Appointment scheduling          3.79   1.14
7      Indirect Helping   Administering career center
                            tools                         3.78   1.03
8      Clerical           Accessing and maintaining
                            student records               3.76   1.17
9      Clerical           Supervising work study
                            students                      3.70   0.97
10     Clerical           Recording minutes for group
                            meetings                      3.61   1.12
11     Indirect Helping   Putting clients at ease         3.58   1.00
12     Indirect Helping   Providing information about
                            colleges                      3.51   1.12
13     Clerical           Standardized testing
                            assistance                    3.50   1.27
14     Clerical           Managing the counseling
                            office                        3.47   1.18
15     Clerical           Making reports                  3.39   1.08
16     Clerical           Collecting and analyzing data   3.39   1.09
17     Clerical           Budgeting and purchasing
                            supplies                      3.38   1.20
18     Indirect Helping   Locating and making referrals   2.95   1.22
19     Indirect Helping   Explaining counseling           2.81   1.08
20     Indirect Helping   Leading small topic groups      2.48   1.13
21     Direct Helping     Interviewing students           2.36   1.13
22     Direct Helping     Classroom guidance              2.32   1.14
23     Direct Helping     Interviewing parents            2.20   1.05
24     Direct Helping     Crisis management               1.91   1.07
25     Direct Helping     Group counseling                1.88   1.00
26     Direct Helping     Individual counseling           1.70   0.87

Note. Means correspond to responses on a 5-point Likert scale
(5 = Strongly Agree; 4 = Agree; 3 = Uncertain/Neutral; 2 = Disagree;
1 = Strongly Disagree); N = 207.