School counselors' attitudes towards implementing comprehensive guidance and counseling program standards

The primary purpose of this research effort was to determine the attitudes of school counselors towards implementing Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program (CGCP) standards. Since there is not always agreement among staff as to the exact roles of the counselors, sometimes counselors become engaged in functions that are only remotely related to their training or professionally determined roles. Consequently, school counselors are not always able to incorporate Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Programs (CGCPs) into their schools. A review of the literature revealed a lack of information on school counselors' attitudes toward implementing CGCP standards. This study sought to discover these attitudes by using it phenomenological model of research.; Extensive interviews were conducted with 10 school counselors in the metropolitan Detroit area. These interviews were audio taped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using phenomenological research methods developed by Moustakas (1994). Findings indicated that school counselors believe CGCP standards are well-rounded developmental program elements that address academic, social, emotional, and career development; however, the standards are not fully impacting students in schools. They feel that the standards are unrealistic and ineffective due to challenges with implementation. Barriers to implementation include lack of support from administrators, non-guidance activities, large caseloads, and insufficient facilities. It is believed school districts and principals must provide support to counselors if CGCP standards are to be successfully implemented and have maximum impact.