ABSTRACT
The conceptual foundations of Strengths-Based School Counseling (SBSC) are rooted primarily in contemporary theories and research in psychology, especially developmental psychology, as well as in best practices and contemporary models for comprehensive school counseling programs. This chapter considers contributions from developmental contextualism, resiliency, developmental assets, competence, social developmental theory, and positive psychology. It presents SBSC a framework to guide the practice of school counseling in the 21st century. Positive youth development involves nurturing and enhancing a variety of empirically identified student strengths or competencies. The chapter highlights these strengths using the three developmental domains—academic, personal/social, and career—of the American School Counseling Association National Model for School Counseling Programs. In contrast, the influential and interactive role that context and environment play in human development increasingly has been recognized by contemporary developmental theorists and researchers. Contextual theories emphasize behavioral variability and the role of environmental and social circumstances on development.
