Developmental Counseling and Therapy: An effective approach to understanding and counseling children

The roles and functions of school counselors are notably complex and multifaceted (Bruns & Kopala, 1993; Gysbers & Henderson, 2000; Skovholt & Ronnestad, 1992). Sink and MacDonald (1998) noted that these roles have changed over time, and that both internal and external demands on school counselors have increased significantly. Further, they noted that school counselors have primarily become "crisis-oriented, reactive, focused on remediation over prevention, and overburdened with nonguidance-related clerical and administrative tasks" (p. 88). Recent efforts at renewal of the profession focus on the implementation of comprehensive developmental counseling and guidance programs (Gysbers & Henderson, 2001; Myrick, '1997; Paisley, 2001; Paisley & Hubbard, 1994, Paisley & Peace, 1995). Although the goal of these programs is often preventive in nature (American School Counselor Association, 1999; Wittmer, 1993), the reality of life for many children includes events and circumstances—ranging from parental divorce to person and substance abuse to the challenges of blended families—that place them at risk and require remediation as well (Vernon, 1999; Wang & Reynolds, 1995). Clearly, school counselors need a repertoire of interventions to address the myriad of challenges present in the schools.