Volume_4_Issue_5_Digest

TPC D igest 71 Addressing Mental Health Needs in Our Schools: Supporting the Role of School Counselors – DIGEST Traci P. Collins Traci P. Collins, NCC, is the Managing Editor of The Professional Counselor and a doctoral student at North Carolina State University. Correspondence can be addressed to: Traci P. Collins, The Professional Counselor , National Board for Certified Counselors, 3 Terrace Way, Greensboro, NC 27403-3660, tcollins@nbcc.org . A significant number of children and adolescents experience mental health problems in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 13% and 20% of children experience a mental disorder in a given year. Because school counselors have access to these students with mental illness in our nation’s school systems, they are a well- positioned resource. School counselors improve the mental health of children and adolescents, thereby improving the students’ overall functioning, personal/social development, career development and educational success. In order to improve child and adolescent mental health and the efficiency of mental health services, the function of school counselors within the school system must be examined. The collection of articles in this special issue of The Professional Counselor combines systemic, theoretical explorations with assessments of school counselor preparation and competencies. Several articles cover school counselor training, self-efficacy, supervision, and burnout versus career sustainability. Some articles focus on the point of intervention (i.e., place for needed improvement and change) as systemic, top-down advocacy efforts; while a few articles utilize a localized, ground-level approach by developing school counselors’ competency areas and specific school counseling interventions. Over the last 100 years, school counseling has evolved from vocational guidance to the current concept of comprehensive school counseling. The first article in this special issue provides a historical perspective, describing the progression of school counselor professional identity, the differences between identifying as an educator and counselor, and the effects of role ambiguity concerning the utilization of school counselors and the assignment of duties. Astramovich, Hoskins, Gutierrez and Bartlett stated that providing direct counseling services are the most unique role of school counselors.