Question about school counseling while collaborating with a clinical mental health counselor

[EStieg]

Hi everyone,

It’s great to be here in such good company! I’ve recently started a graduate program in school counseling at USC, and am doing research for my first project. Part of my project entails highlighting how my scope of practice as a counselor could impact my counseling ability to provide social-emotional services while working collaboratively with a clinical mental health counselor. I’ve been doing a lot of searching on Google, ASCA, ACA and also the California Assoc of School Counselors website, but not finding anything definitive.

I’m not looking for a anyone to just give me an answer, but if anyone has a suggestion for where I can find some information, previous discussions, or recommendations, I would greatly appreciate the help!

Eric

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[foreverbull]

Hi everyone,

It’s great to be here in such good company! I’ve recently started a graduate program in school counseling at USC, and am doing research for my first project. Part of my project entails highlighting how my scope of practice as a counselor could impact my counseling ability to provide social-emotional services while working collaboratively with a clinical mental health counselor. I’ve been doing a lot of searching on Google, ASCA, ACA and also the California Assoc of School Counselors website, but not finding anything definitive.

I’m not looking for a anyone to just give me an answer, but if anyone has a suggestion for where I can find some information, previous discussions, or recommendations, I would greatly appreciate the help!

Eric

The way this is worded is confusing to me. Are you looking for research on the benefits of school counselors (or counselors) seeking their own therapy, or counselor burnout? I’m not understanding the “scope of practice” part or what you mean by “working collaboratively” with a therapist....unless you just mean attending therapy. Can you clarify this by distilling into clearer terms or explaining it more?

I’ve scanned a decent amount of counselor research and counselor trainee research, but not specifically school counselors.

 

[MAClinician]

Did you take a course on consultation and collaboration? Your scope of practice means you are there to support students with social emotional issues as it pertains to school functioning (academic completion, school behavior and attendance). The clinical mental health counselor should be addressing all other issues. For example, a student with depression may have difficulties with completing work, making friends, or even getting to school, etc. Your job is to figure out how to help student with those issues. The mental health counselor should be addressing the depression symptoms (I.e triggers, family dynamics if it contributed to symptoms, coping skills, etc). School counselors should NOT be doing mental health counseling but more brief intervention to help the student in the school setting. At the very least there should be communication (via signed releases) between the outpatient mental health provider and the school.

 

[EStieg]

Thank you all! I was looking at the grading rubric and here's what it states, "How does the scope of practice impact the counselor's beliefs on what they can do in comparison to a clinical mental health counselor, and how this comparison may affect their beliefs on topics and areas counselees may experience outside their scope of practice." Seems a bit of a 2-part question where the reality of a counselor's practice is uniquely differentiated from a clinical mental health pro, and then a question about how subjective "beliefs" on those topics may impact the counselee. I suppose it's the wording that IS getting me tripped up, but you guys are very helpful, thank you!

 

[foreverbull]

This makes more sense now; I see that your scope of practice is much more limited than doctoral level or MFT or master's level professional counselor/clinical social worker, and you end up collaborating with therapists at times to mutually treat a client/student but with different roles.

Try these; varying levels of relevance to what you're discussing, but should be helpful if you need citations:

http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1992-43913-001

Collaboration among school mental health professionals: A necessity, not a luxury - ProQuest

SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research

 

[EStieg]

this is very helpful, thank you!