TPC-Digest-Vol-3-Iss-1

TPC Digest 4 Effects of School Counselors’ Cognitive Behavioral Consultation on Irrational and Efficacy Beliefs of Elementary School Teachers—DIGEST Jeffrey M. Warren , NCC is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Edwin R. Gerler, Jr. is a Professor at North Carolina State University. Correspon- dence can be addressed to: Jeffrey M. Warren, UNC-Pembroke School of Education, PO Box 1510, Pembroke, NC 28372, jeffrey.warren@uncp.edu . P rofessional school counselors are well-positioned to affect student success through comprehensive school counseling programming. Consultation is an important component of comprehensive programs that leads to educational opportunities and academic success for students. This study sought to explore the effects of the implementation of two modes of cognitive behavioral therapy during group consultation with elementary school teachers. Aspects of rational emotive behavior therapy and social cognitive theory were used to provide rational emotive-social behavior consultation (RESBC). Efficacy beliefs and irrational beliefs of teachers were the main variables under investigation. Teachers from three elementary schools were assigned to one of three groups based on school affiliation. The face-to face group received seven consultation sessions across eight weeks. Each session was held in the school media center and was 75 minutes in length. The on-line group consultation sessions were asynchronous in nature and also spanned an eight week period. Both consultation formats included presentations of identical content based on a model developed by Warren. The third group of elementary school teachers was placed in a control group and did not receive RE-SB consultation. Several measures were used during this study to explore the efficacy beliefs and irrational beliefs of the participants. The Irrational Beliefs Inventory (IBI), developed by Koopmans, This study appears to offer school counselors a viable method for creating systemic change.