Volume_4_Issue_5_Digest

TPC D igest 83 Leann Wyrick Morgan is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Mary Ellen Greenwaldt is a family case worker for Licking County Job and Family Services, Children Services Division, in Newark, OH. Kevin P. Gosselin is an associate professor and assistant dean of research at Texas A&M Health Sciences Center. Correspondence can be addressed to Leann Wyrick Morgan, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, College of Education, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, lmorgan7@uccs.edu. G iven the convergence of an increased number of school counselor education programs seeking accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, increased calls for accountability, and the growing influence of the National Model for School Counseling promoted by the American School Counselor Association, it seems imperative that school counselors be prepared to address the vocational and transitional needs of the secondary student. According to the National Office for School Counselor Advocacy, a gap exists between what is expected and suggested by the national standards for a comprehensive guidance program and what is actually being taught in school counselor preparation programs. Zunker noted in 2012 that school counselors must have an appropriate cache of career counseling techniques in order to be effective leaders, not just possess a basic understanding of career development theories. In light of recent economic uncertainty, there is increased pressure on students to find a career path that will yield a job that sustains them into adulthood. Altbach, Gumport, and Berdahl reported in 2011 that 95% of high school seniors expect to attain some form of college education, yet more and more are delaying entry after high school, frequently changing colleges or majors when they do enter, or taking time off throughout their programs. By continuing to examine school counselor training and consequent job competency School Counselors’ Perceptions of Competency in Career Counseling – DIGEST Leann Wyrick Morgan Mary Ellen Greenwaldt Kevin P. Gosselin

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