TPC Journal V7, Issue 2 - FULL ISSUE

140 The Professional Counselor | Volume 7, Issue 2 Although we received over 200 undeliverable e-mails, which reduced the original sample size, there is no way to accurately estimate how many individuals actually received the survey in their inbox (Granello &Wheaton, 2004). It is indeed possible that spam-filtering software resulted in many invitations not reaching their intended recipients. Therefore, our reported response rate represents a conservative estimate (Vespia, Fitzpatrick, Fouad, Kantamneni, & Chen, 2010). In addition, it was assumed that the attrition of 100 participants was likely the result of the time required to complete the survey. Our analysis supported that there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups (i.e., completers and non-completers) on demographic variables and that our final sample size was adequate for the selected statistical tests. However, readers should use caution when generalizing the results of this study to all elementary school counselors. A final consideration is that causal relationships cannot be derived from the results of this study, as the research design was relational in nature. Implications for School Counseling Practice Previous studies have indicated that higher levels of school counselor self-efficacy are positively associated with higher levels of comprehensive program implementation (Bodenhorn et al., 2010). For many, the route to increased self-efficacy is through personal and vicarious accomplishments (Bodenhorn et al., 2010; Scarborough & Culbreth, 2008; Sutton & Fall, 1995). Therefore, opportunities to learn and practice the skill set specific to school counseling must be promoted in the education and training of students. School counselor educators have a crucial role in ensuring that future school counselors have a strong foundation with which to begin their careers. Counselor education programs have often not provided adequate preparation for school counselors because there has been incongruence between their training and their actual roles in schools (McMahon, Mason, & Paisley, 2009). A novice school counselor who has had education and training that is consistent with his or her actual work role will have greater chances of acquiring increased self-efficacy from the start. In a cascade, self-efficacy will likely promote stronger program implementation and, in turn, positive student outcomes. More specifically, requiring trainees to provide a range of services will support the transition from training to work. Trainees need opportunities to provide specific interventions (e.g., counseling individuals and groups, teaching classroom lessons) while also evaluating the impact of these interventions, teaching them how to use data in their programs and potentially boosting self- efficacy beliefs (Akos & Scarborough, 2004). Trainees should also be given opportunities to engage in coordination activities to gain experience in the organizational aspects of a comprehensive developmental school counseling program. Finally, counselor educators who supervise internship courses must maintain strong communication with site supervisors to ensure continuity and appropriate trainee experiences. Although effect sizes related to attachment characteristics in this study were small, they imply that attachment theory could be a useful adjunct to understanding school counselor practice. Using attachment concepts as a guide for supervision or structured professional development opportunities could assist school counselors’ ongoing efforts to understand their own behavior and motivations in the work setting. Graduate coursework specific to attachment constructs has the potential to be a useful component of school counselor education, especially because the cultivation of healthy interpersonal relationships has a tremendous potential to facilitate positive change in schools. Recommendations for Future Counseling Research The moderately strong association in this study between school counselor self-efficacy and activities recommended by the ASCA National Model indicates that understanding the factors affecting school