Volume_5_Issue_2_Digest

5 TPC Digest This manuscript discusses the rising need for school counselors to be competent in addressing the needs of students with disabilities and the need for counselor training programs to adequately prepare school counselors to work with this population. Due to increased numbers of students with special needs and greater instances of inclusion (i.e., including students with disabilities within the school in the least restrictive environment), school counselors are having greater contact with students who have special needs. Additionally, increased legislation regarding inclusion and students with special needs mandates equal services for all students in public schools, including counseling and guidance services. Increased involvement with special education is a result of legal and ethical mandates and supported by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), which has outlined standards for school counselors to follow while implementing comprehensive school counseling programs. These standards include a greater role in educational planning and identification of students with disabilities, as well as advocacy. Therefore, school counselors must be knowledgeable and adequately trained in special education laws and issues faced by students with special needs. Unfortunately, school counselor training programs have not adequately trained future school counselors to handle their role in special education or to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. It has been reported that fewer than 40% of school counselor preparation programs require students to take coursework that includes special education topics and subjects related to students with special needs. Furthermore, school counselor preparation programs across the country are inconsistent regarding coursework pertaining to special education. This lack of training and consistency has an impact on school counselor readiness and perceived competence. A review of literature indicated that practicing school counselors do not feel adequately trained in addressing the needs of students with disabilities. In particular, respondents indicated a lack of competence in development and review of IEPs, collaboration with special education and general education teachers, consultation with outside agencies or professionals, techniques for working with students with special needs, knowledge of special education law, and awareness of medication side effects. Research in the field supports the need for more training in special education for future school counselors and suggests that they complete coursework related to special education. Counselor preparation programs may address this need through the comprehensive infusion of special education material, activities and experiences throughout existing coursework. However, the type of content, its extent and the means of its infusion have not been revealed or regulated. This article seeks to provide a framework for infusing special education material into all program coursework, not just school counseling classes. Courses that lend themselves to infusion of special education activities and assignments include the following: learning and development, career, group, ethics, theories, multiculturalism, techniques, assessment, practicum, and internship, as well as courses specifically designed for school counselors like introduction to school counseling or a leadership and advocacy course. Infusing activities across the school counseling curriculum is discussed in greater depth in the full article. Suggestions and specific ideas for including special education material and experiential activities in school counseling coursework and syllabi are provided. Jennifer Geddes Hall, NCC is a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Correspondence may be addressed to: Jennifer Geddes Hall, College of Education Suite 241, 920 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223, jgeddes@uncc.edu . Read full article and references: Geddes Hall, J. (2015). The school counselor and special education: Aligning training with practice. The Professional Counselor , 5 , 217–224. doi: 10.15241/jgh.5.2.217 The School Counselor and Special Education Jennifer Geddes Hall Aligning Training With Practice