Perceptions of the professional development needs to sustain urban school counselors

ABSTRACT

School counselors face adversity in the urban environment that impacts them personally and professionally, including their career sustainability in the urban field. The focus of this research study was to investigate and analyze the experiences and perceptions of 10 urban professional school counselors. Data were obtained through a generic qualitative study asking eight open-ended questions in semi-structured interviews to address their professional development needs to personally and professionally sustain them in their careers. Participants' perceptions were examined through the influence and interaction with the urban environment supported by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. The ecological perspective characterized the meaning-making school counselors developed from interactions in the urban environment in which they work. Participants were licensed professional school counselors with 10 or more years of experience in the urban environment while currently employed as an urban school counselor in a public school. Thematic analysis was utilized starting with the transcription of the 10 interviews. The analysis led to four themes that emerged environmental factors require a shift in mindset, leadership and advocacy, finding your purpose, and system support. Additionally, there were three subthemes for further clarification of support microsystem, exosystem, and chronosystem (impact of COVID-19). The urban environment requires a shift in mindset to meet the unique needs of students and families in the urban environment. Leadership and advocacy empower school counselors to bring equitable services for students and school counselors in the urban environment. Finding your purpose is a career-sustaining factor seen through the urban school counselors' meaning-making of their roles. System support provides the personal and professional development in many layers to sustain urban school counselors in their work. These themes and subthemes answered the research question What are the professional development needs to sustain urban school counselors? It was determined that urban school counselors shift their mindset to meet the needs of their students and families. Because the needs of urban school counselors are different from school counselors in rural or suburban areas, intentional efforts are needed to develop skills for challenging work. Future research might include qualitative and quantitative methods that explore ways to increase the well-being of urban school counselors, namely level of stress, burnout, and impact on their career intentions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)