Advocacy and School Counseling

Wilson R. Harvey

Though all members of the education system are in some way mandated to be
advocates for their students, by virtue of their unique position this role is perhaps even more
critical for the school counselor. A significant function of the school counselor is to serve as a
person of trust in the school system, someone trusted and non-judgmental with whom
students can openly share. Confidentialiity between counselor and student is of course
important to this bond, but in a school is limited by the ethical necessity of advocacy in the
school counselor role.

Simply put, issues of student safety supersede the concern for trust in the relationship.
Should the school counselor feel as though students are in danger of harm to themselves or
others, they have a duty to warn those who are stakeholders in the student’s life, including
parents/guardians if they are not the source of the concern and agencies such as Child
Protective Services as needed.

Advocacy can also take forms beyond student safety, however. Because of the potential
for closeness in the student-counselor relationship, school counselors are positioned to
understand student performance and the reasons for it as much as anyone in the school
system. An effective school counselor can leverage this information while also respecting
confidentiality so as to advocate for student success. And in a school system where students
face any kinds of issues from teachers or administration that might be barriers to success, such
as discrimination or unprofessionalism, school counselors can tactfully use their voices to stand
for student welfare. Finally, school counselors are in the current day and age in a position
where we must be prepared to advocate for our own jobs due to confusion about our role, and
as such must be prepared to use data to underline our effectiveness in our school environment.