“We Are the Heartbeat of the School”: How School Counselors Supported Student Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to online learning exacerbated the mental health needs of children and adolescents, especially among minoritized students who were disproportionately impacted by the virus. Although the pandemic has increased the demand for counseling, research finds that school counselors are often hindered by organizational constraints. Using organizational role theory, this study examined school counselors’ perceptions of their role delivering mental health supports during the pandemic. Findings indicate that school counselors reported an increased need for counseling, but faced multiple barriers to supporting students, leaving those who most needed the support particularly vulnerable.

Introduction to the Special Issue on School Counselors Addressing Education, Health, Wellness, and Trauma Disparities

“…The first section, School Counselor Experiences Supporting Students During and in the aftermath of COVID-19, includes two articles that speak to the extraordinary lengths to which school counselors go to ensure that they are meeting the academic and social/emotional needs of their students. In the qualitative article, “‘We are the heartbeat of the school’: How School Counselors Supported Student Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Alexander et al (2022) use an organizational role theory framework to explore school counselors’ perceptions of their role delivering mental health support during the pandemic. Similarly, “Exploring the Induced Disparities of Implementing School Counseling Services During COVID-19” ( Limberg et al, 2022 ), is a mixed-methods study that investigates how school counselors adapted their approach to address K–12 students’ academic, career, and social/emotional development needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

School counselors’ perceived school climate, leadership practice, psychological empowerment, and multicultural competence before and during COVID‐19

“…With the multilayered challenges, school counselors are recognized as the “heartbeat” of schools in the time of COVID‐19 (Alexander et al., 2022). Their systematic training on mental health and comprehensive school counseling programs necessitates their role as active leaders in the schools (Pincus et al., 2020).…”

“…Both students and school personnel have been significantly impacted. The literature highlights a myriad of mental health challenges in students impacted by COVID‐19 (e.g., Alexander et al., 2022; Savitz‐Romer et al., 2021). A small but increasing body of scholarship provides evidence that illustrates school counselors’ emphases and priorities during the time of COVID‐19 (e.g., Hipoliito‐Delgado et al., 2021; Savitz‐Romer et al., 2021; Villares et al., 2022).…”

“…Overall well‐being or psychological functioning of educators, including school counselors, is associated with their programmatic service delivery (Mullen & Gutierrez, 2016) and, in turn, student development and success (Huck & Zhang, 2021). Furthermore, with added stressors and novel behavioral and relational challenges associated with the pandemic, school counselors have been urged to actively intervene and to support students as they navigate through the evolving learning environments (Alexander et al., 2022; Villares et al., 2022).…”

“…Grounded in this framework, school counselors deliver services to all students systematically and address achievement and opportunity gaps (Hines et al., 2020; Ratts et al., 2016). While the guiding framework and responsibilities remain the same, COVID‐19 has played a significant role on the priorities of school counselors’ roles, with mixed findings (e.g., Alexander et al., 2022; Villares et al., 2022).…”