Increasing youth mental health concerns require preventive, data-informed approaches that support students’ emotional well-being within school settings. Digital wellness platforms may provide efficient methods for school counselors to monitor student well-being and inform timely interventions. This pilot study examined the implementation, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of Vibes, a digital emotional wellness platform, within an elementary school setting. The study explored: (a) patterns in students’ emotional well-being across the school year, (b) students’ perceptions and experiences using Vibes, and (c) the potential value of Vibes as a school-counselor-led tool for prevention and data-informed decision making. Because of the exploratory practitioner research design, no formal hypotheses were tested. In this practitioner research study, 52 fifth-grade students in a private pre-K–8 school completed daily emotional check-ins through the Vibes platform during the 2024–2025 school year. Quantitative data included emotional check-in data and an end-of-year student survey. Qualitative data included student open-ended responses and implementation feedback. Descriptive statistics and inductive thematic analysis were used to examine outcomes. Students generally reported positive emotional experiences, although emotional well-being declined across the school year and increased from beginning to end of the week. Three themes emerged: improved self-awareness and coping skills, help-seeking versus not receiving help, and varying levels of engagement with the platform. Students identified benefits related to emotional expression, support, and self-reflection; concerns included privacy and usability. Findings suggest that Vibes may serve as a feasible and useful component of comprehensive school counseling programs. Additional research is needed to examine effectiveness across settings and student populations.
Nearly one third of adolescents report experiencing cyberbullying, yet limited guidance exists within school counselor training frameworks for preparing school counselors to respond.This study explored the lived experiences of counselor educators in CACREP-accredited programs as they prepared school counseling students to address cyberbullying in K–12 schools. The primary Research Question investigated is: What are the lived experiences of counselor educators teaching in CACREP-accredited programs who train school counseling students to address cyberbullying in K–12 schools?Using Husserlian descriptive phenomenology within a constructivist framework and grounded in Schön’s reflective practice, we conducted semistructured interviews with 12 counselor educators and explicated the data through epoché, horizonalization, and imaginative variation. We identified six themes: cyberbullying as a normalized digital reality; curricular integration through experiential pedagogy; technological fluidity and generational fluency gaps; counselor preparedness and ethical mandate; policy, standards, and systemic accountability; and empathy-driven reconceptualization, prevention, and research. Participants navigated indeterminate digital situations through problem setting, reflection-in-action, and reciprocal learning models that positioned trainees as digital cultural informants.Findings support recommendations for accrediting bodies, counselor education programs, and state licensure boards. Embedding digital literacy, cyber-ethics, and proactive intervention within comprehensive school counseling programs and multitiered systems of support would strengthen trainees’ readiness to deliver Tier 1 and Tier 2 digital safety interventions.
As more neurodivergent students pursue postsecondary education, significant gaps remain in postsecondary success and employment outcomes for this population. To address these gaps, this article introduces the ASCA National Model ® and multitiered system of supports (MTSS) framework and examines their application within the school counselor’s role. The article explores neurodivergence and legal requirements shaping educational access and equity, with particular attention to the transition from K–12 to postsecondary education. An overview of neurodiversity, transition challenges, and support needs highlights academic, social, and functional barriers neurodivergent students may encounter, as well as differences in legal protections, support services, and readiness expectations between K–12 and postsecondary settings. The article also examines school counselors’ roles in supporting transitions and considers trends in disability and neurodivergence. Transition services are aligned with the ASCA National Model’s three domains—academic, career, and social/emotional—and the MTSS framework: Tier 1, Universal Support and Prevention; Tier 2, Targeted Support; and Tier 3, Individualized/Intensive Support. We offer recommendations at each tier to guide school counselors in supporting neurodivergent students’ transition to postsecondary education. Emphasis is placed on fostering self-advocacy and self-determination, strengthening collaboration with postsecondary disability and inclusion services, and implementing targeted supports responsive to students’ diverse academic, social, and functional needs. These recommendations emphasize proactive preparation, collaborative planning, and equitable access to supports across educational settings.
School counselor leaders are increasingly expected to provide professional learning experiences that strengthen school counselors’ effectiveness. The Self-Assessment of School Counseling Practices (SASCP) assesses the beliefs, knowledge, and skills needed to develop and maintain an ASCA-aligned school counseling program and helps school counselors identify professional development goals. The SASCP is based on a model that conceptualizes five levels of an ASCA-aligned developmental sequence. This qualitative study sought to examine how self-assessment, combined with individualized coaching and targeted professional development, can support school counselors’ professional growth and implementation of data-informed practices. What is the impact of intentional professional development using the SASCP? A team of high school counselors completed the SASCP at the beginning and end of a year-long professional learning initiative. Quantitative self-assessment data revealed changes in participants’ perceived competencies. Individual coaching and participant feedback provided contextual understanding of growth experiences. The results demonstrated overall improvements across the identified domains of school counseling practice, suggesting that structured self-assessment, ongoing coaching, and intentional professional development can result in the implementation of data-informed school counseling programs. Qualitative findings revealed that reflective coaching fostered greater professional self-awareness and application of learned practices. Results of the self-assessment given before and after the training and coaching indicated growth for 14 of the 16 participants, indicating that the SASCP can be used to identity needed professional development. Although most participants demonstrated positive growth, variability highlights the importance of differentiated supports and organizational conditions that influence professional learning.
Antiracist School Counseling: Antiracist school counseling requires actively disrupting systemic racism through advocacy, critical consciousness, and the creation of affirming school environments that honor Black students’ humanity, cultural identities, and lived experiences. Strengths-Based School Counseling: Strengths-based school counseling emphasizes identifying and cultivating students’ assets to promote agency, belonging, and well-being. For Black students, this approach counters deficit-oriented narratives by centering cultural wealth, resilience, and community-based strengths. The Antiracist Strengths-Based School Counseling (ASBSC) Framework, With Case Study: This article introduces the ASBSC framework, integrating antiracist praxis with strengths-based principles through four components: reframing student narratives, elevating cultural assets as strengths, affirming strengths through data-informed action, and activating strengths for collective empowerment. A case study of Malik, a seventh-grade Black student experiencing racialized discipline, illustrates how school counselors can apply the framework to reinterpret behavior, affirm identity, and challenge inequitable practices at both individual and systemic levels. Implications and Future Research: The ASBSC framework calls for school counselor preparation programs to embed antiracist and strengths-based training that emphasizes systemic analysis, culturally sustaining practices, and advocacy. Future research should examine implementation and outcomes of the framework, centering student voice and employing antiracist methodologies to assess impacts on student development and school climate. Conclusion: The ASBSC framework offers a cohesive, equity-centered approach for reframing narratives, affirming strengths, and advancing systemic change to support Black students’ success and well-being.
