Date of Award
2025
Degree Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Education
Committee Chair
Kathleen Wallace, Ed.D.
2nd Reader
Brandon Frame, Ed.D.
3rd Reader
Staci Beegle, MAT-SPED
Abstract
This dissertation examines the issue of chronic occupational stress among school counselors in the Farmville School District (FSD), a challenge rooted in outdated systemic practices that have led to role misalignment, work overload, and insufficient administrative understanding. Using an improvement science framework, this qualitative study sought to identify and address the organizational conditions contributing to counselor stress while aligning district practices with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model. Through interviews, document reviews, and environmental scans, the study explored how systemic factors and unclear role expectations impact counselors’ ability to provide effective student support. The findings revealed that a lack of administrative awareness of the counselor’s professional scope contributes directly to excessive non-counseling duties, resulting in diminished well-being among counselors. In response, the researcher developed a two-phase theory of improvement aimed at fostering systemic change. Phase 1 focused on immediate strategies such as clarifying counselor roles, developing self-care plans, and revising job descriptions, while Phase 2 established a long-term plan for sustainable reform through professional education and workload redistribution. Collectively, the study highlights the urgent need for structural and cultural shifts within FSD to reduce chronic occupational stress, strengthen role clarity, and enhance school counseling effectiveness.
Recommended Citation
Tumolo, A. (2025). Addressing school counselor occupational stress: An improvement science study in redefining roles [Doctoral dissertation, Sacred Heart University]. https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/edd/73/
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Comments
A dissertation in the Isabelle Farrington College of Education and Human Development presented to the faculty of Sacred Heart University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education.