| School principals are responsible for defining the role of school counselors, but little is known about principals' perceptions of that role. The purpose of this study is to determine elementary school principals' understanding of the school counselor role. The fundamental questions that guide this study are: How do the elementary school principals conceptualize the school counselor role, how does the principals' conceptions align with counselor organization professional standards, and how do principals' view their responsibilities in terms of supporting and facilitating counselors' work? Study participants were principals with at least five years of administrative experience at the elementary school level. Specific roles of school counselors were child advocacy or counseling, clerical and administrative tasks, referral, educational planning, and teaching and directing guidance departments. Additionally, certain counselor skills were deemed important including a caring nature, creative problem solving, communication skills, crisis management, assertiveness skills, and a sense of humor. |
