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The purpose of this study was to examine child abuse reporting by a national sample of school counsellors in the United States. The qualitative results from a large mixed methods study incorporating both quantitative and qualitative strands are presented. Participants were asked to comment on past child abuse training, noting the areas of training they found most benefi cial and areas where they desired additional training. Participants were also afforded the opportunity to make any general comments regarding their perceptions of the current mandatory reporting legislation and their experiences of reporting child abuse. Results showed that while many school counsellors felt past training on mandatory reporting legislation and identifying types of abuse was helpful, they identifi ed a need for additional training in identifying emotional and sexual abuse, and supervisory neglect (i.e. lack of supervision by a parent or caretaker producing potential injury or harm to the child). They also desired more training regarding working with children and families affected by child abuse. Four themes emerged from the open question. The fi rst theme illuminated concerns regarding the effectiveness of the mandatory reporting process while the second theme was equally negative, with counsellors sharing many frustrations about their working relationship with child protection services. Additional themes related to their reporting experiences and specifi c challenges embedded in the school context, such as dealing with parents following a report, diffi culty getting adolescent reports investigated and working with school personnel to ensure that reporting responsibilities were understood and followed.

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School counselors have struggled to define their roles for years. The use of technology has been discussed as one method for disseminating information about school counselor roles. Content from 456 school counseling departmental Web sites was examined and results showed that the majority of Web sites did not contain information pertaining to school counselor roles, comprehensive, developmental counseling programs, or other current trends in school counseling. Suggestions for using departmental Web sites for school counselor self-advocacy are provided.

A study was done to investigate school counselors’ child abuse reporting behaviors and perceptions regarding the child abuse reporting process. Participants were randomly selected from the American School Counselor Association membership database with 193 school counselors returning questionnaires. Overall, school counselors indicated that they reported the majority of cases suspected, but significant differences in reporting emerged with regard to school level, school setting, and type of abuse reported. Decisional influences and barriers to reporting also were examined. Implications for future research and training are discussed.