ABSTRACT

S chool counselors confront many different challenges every day. Some challenges are student-related, such as chronic absenteeism, family violence and child abuse, conflicting values between home and school, angry and disruptive students, substance abuse, and underachieving students. Staff-related challenges include working with teachers who may not believe all children can learn, staff who are experiencing high levels of stress in situations they view as overwhelming, or principals who do not know how to best utilize their counselors' skills and instead use them as disciplinarians, substitute teachers, or administrative assistants. Counselors also face challenges that include trying to involve parents in their children's learning, or locating adequate community resources to help students and their families. Finally, counselors working in large urban school systems often fight stifling bureaucracies or red tape.