Appreciative Inquiry: A Pilot Study of School Counselor Graduates

Counselor education programs are influenced by humanistic philosophy, including the strengths-based perspective. This article describes how appreciative inquiry, a strengthsbased approach to systems change, informed the development of a pilot survey used to assess graduate perceptions of a school counselor education program. ********** Counselor education programs influenced by humanistic thought draw from a diverse philosophy and an array of practices, including those described as strengths-based approaches. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) require that programs conduct and document formal follow-up studies to understand graduate perceptions on major aspects of their programs (CACREP, 2009; NCATE, 2008). This article describes how appreciative inquiry (AI), a strengths-based approach to systems change, informed the development of a pilot survey used to assess graduate perceptions of a school counselor education program. School counseling is an evolving profession with a history of adapting and adjusting to meet the educational needs of students (Erford, 2007; Paisley & Borders, 1995; Stone & Dahir, 2006). As a product of the Progressive Movement, Gysbers (2001) cited how three program models have influenced school counseling in recent years. First, in his developmental guidance and counseling model, Myrick (1997) emphasized the provision of programs for all students; an organized, planned, sequential yet flexible guidance curriculum; and an integrated approach to program delivery that involved all school personnel. Second, in their competency-based guidance model, Johnson and Johnson (1991) viewed the pupil as the primary client and program and emphasized helping students learn competencies that would help them be successful in school and beyond. Third, in their own guidance and counseling program, Henderson and Gysbers (2002) focused on results and emphasized content, organizational framework, and resources directed toward reaching the program goals. As a product of school reform (Herr, 2002), researchers can view school counseling as a never-ending and evolving project. The image and practices of school counseling have been transformed from those emphasizing gatekeeping functions (Yogev & Roditi, 1987) to those emphasizing advocacy (Hart & Jacobi, 1992; House & Martin, 1998). The school counseling professional discourse has been undergoing a dynamic evolutionary surge prompted by influences including the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) national standards (Campbell & Dahir, 1997), the ASCA National Model (ASCA, 2005), the Transforming School Counseling Initiative (Education Trust, n.d.), CACREP's (2009) 2009 Standards, and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (2002). In fact, in its National Model, ASCA has attempted to integrate elements of the three previously mentioned program models and has prompted much conversation concerning school counselor education and strengths-based practices. During this evolutionary surge, researchers have raised a number of concerns in response to discourse regarding school counselor education programs: the school counselor's role (Bemak, 2000; Herr, 2002), school counselor training being resistant to change (Akos & Galassi, 2004), and that merely one third of school counselor training programs are accredited by CACREP (Hollis, 2000). Efforts to transform the school counselor's role and the training have also created a number of opportunities to redefine what school counselors do, such as promoting student development via resilience, wellness, strengths-based school counseling (Benard, 2004; Galassi & Akos, 2007; Lewis & Hatch, 2008; Myers & Sweeney, 2005), advocating for students via results-based and data-driven practices (e.g., Dimmitt, Carey, & Hatch, 2007; Johnson, Johnson, & Downs, 2006), and confronting professionals via how they might unintentionally perpetuate institutional racism (e. …