By Norman C. Gysbers, Ph.D., Curators’ Professor, University of Missouri – Columbia

S

chool counseling is 100-plus years old. It evolved shaped by various

economic, social and educational forces guided by the work of many

individuals. The ASCA National Model, first published in 2003

and now in its fourth edition, is a product of this evolution. By embracing

knowledge from the past, we can learn how school counseling evolved

from a position, to a service, to a program, the organizational concept

embedded in the ASCA National Model. By welcoming the future we can

combine the insights gained from the past with new knowledge, enabling

teachers. No organizational structure was

provided other than a list of duties. In the

1920s school counseling began to change,

shaped by the mental hygiene, psycho-

metric and child study movements. As a

result, a more clinically oriented approach

to school counseling emerged. This sig-

naled a shift away from economic issues

to psychological issues with an emphasis

on counseling for personal adjustment.

structure called pupil personnel services.

Within that structure, the concept of

guidance services emerged. The field of

school counseling had moved from a

position with a list of duties to a position

with a list of duties organized by guidance

services all under the overall structure of

pupil personnel services.

The 1940s and 1950s saw the expan-

sion and extension of counseling in the

the schools and on ways to improve

the services provided. The selection and

training of school counselors also received

attention and support with the passage

of the Vocational Education Act of 1946

and the National Defense Education Act

(NDEA) of 1958. In addition, the Amer-

ican School Counselor Association was

established in 1952.

also information, assessment, place-

ment and follow-up activities? Although

school counseling at the elementary level

had been discussed previously, it wasn’t

until the 1960s that it became a reality.

NDEA, amended in the 1960s, stimulated

training practices and procedures that set

elementary school counseling apart from

and 1970s also witnessed increasing con-

cern about the services model of school

1920s

School counseling shifts from

vocational guidance to counseling for

personal adjustment

1930s

The concept of guidance services

emerges as part of pupil personnel

services

1940s/1950s

Federal legislation in 1946 and

1960s

School counseling takes root in

elementary schools

1960s/1970s

Concept of a program for school

counseling begins to take shape

TIMELINE

EMBRACE THE PAST, WELCOME

THE FUTURE: A BRIEF HISTORY

OF SCHOOL COUNSELING

counseling began to take form in the

1960s and 1970s and then became a

major way to organize and manage

school counseling in the schools in the

1980s, 1990s and into the 21st century.

During this time many states developed

state models. Training programs to help

personnel in school districts plan, design

and implement comprehensive school

counseling programs also were initiated.

counseling and consulting. Tied to the

role and function issue was the issue of

terminology. Is it guidance, guidance and

counseling or school counseling?

Although progress was made in develop-

ing, implementing and evaluating compre-

hensive school counseling programs in the

first decade of the 21st century, discussion

continued about program purposes and

the work of school counselors. Should the

issues needing more attention. Still other

writers urged the adoption of a holistic

approach emphasizing attention to all

three areas.

During this same decade discussion about

program purposes and school counselors’

roles continued with some writers empha-

sizing an advocacy change agent focus.

Others talked about the need to emphasize

collaboration. Still others recommend-

school counseling programs across the

country grew in the first decade of the

21st century. This growth was stimulated

by the publication of the ASCA National

Model in 2003 and its adoption by many

states and school districts. A second

edition was published in 2005, followed

by a third edition in 2013 and the fourth

edition in 2019.

is a renewed sense of urgency today

concerning accountability. The literature

makes it clear that evaluation is here to

stay and needs to be designed and carried

but also to improve the work of school

counselors.

What will the next 100 years be like? No

one knows for sure, but if the next 100

years are like the first 100 years, school

suggests that at least for the near future

students and their parents in school

districts across the country will continue

to benefit from having fully implemented

past, welcome the future.

1980s/1990s

The role and functions of school

counselors is of concern; many

states adopt state models for school

counseling programs

2001

ASCA releases a national school

counseling program model, the ASCA

National Model, providing consistency

to standardize school counseling

programs across the country

2003–Present

Many states and districts adopt the

ASCA National Model as their model

for school counseling programs

2005