The Professional Peer Membership of School Counselors and the Resources Used Within Their Decision-Making

Authors

Dennis D. Gilbride, Georgia State UniversityFollow
Kristopher M. Goodrich, University of New Mexico
Melissa Luke, Syracuse UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Keywords

School Counseling, ASCA, Ethical Decision Making, Professional Peers

Abstract

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the demographic identity of a national sample of professional school counselors who were members of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), understand the manner in which they conceptualized their professional peer membership, and explore what sources they use to make professional and ethical decisions. Consistent with previous research, the majority of participants were white woman, across all four regions in the sample; however, when compared to previous studies, there were a slightly higher percentage of non-white school counselors. Results suggest that there is still a significant gap between the demographics of school counselors and the students they serve. The results of this study indicate that professional school counselors hold a wide range of opinions concerning who they view are their professional peers. There were also significant differences on what resources participants’ used to make professional and ethical decisions. Implications and future directions for research are discussed.

Recommended Citation

Gilbride, D. D., Goodrich, K. M., & Luke, M. (2016). The Professional Peer Membership of School Counselors and the Resources Used Within Their Decision-Making. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 8(2). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/jcps/vol8/iss2/4