The School Counselor and Gifted and Talented Student Programs

(Adopted 1988; revised 1993, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2013, 2019, 2025)

ASCA Position

Gifted and talented students have unique and diverse developmental needs. Intentional, well-structured gifted and talented education programs offer a range of benefits, and school counselors provide additional academic, career and social/emotional support to meet those needs within the scope of the school counseling program and in collaboration with parents/guardians, school personnel, and community partners. 

The Rationale

Students who are gifted and talented often experience unique and diverse challenges related to their social/emotional and behavioral development. Therefore, it is important for school counselors to be aware of their needs so appropriate support can be provided (Minor & Duchac, 2020; Wood & Peterson, 2018). 
 
Additionally, significant disparities exist in gifted education programs nationwide. Students who are Black, Hispanic, from rural communities or lower socioeconomic status are often unidentified and underrepresented within gifted education (Crawford et al., 2020; Ford et al., 2020). In addition, students from minoritized groups enrolled in gifted education often experience challenges such as isolation, microaggressions, stereotype threat and negative peer pressure. Due to the lack of diversity in the teaching field, teachers may have difficulty meeting the needs of gifted students from multicultural backgrounds (Cohen, 2022). 
 
Intentional, well-structured gifted and talented education programming offers a range of activities supporting gifted students’ development. These activities may include proactive strategies such as referring students for gifted identification (Crawford et al., 2020), guiding them in setting and achieving college and career goals, clarifying postsecondary pathways (Edwin & Fisher, 2023) and enhancing academic performance. 

The School Counselor's Role

School counselors refer and provide consultation in the identification of gifted and talented students when appropriate through the use of a districtwide, multicriteria system (i.e., intellectual ability; academic performance; visual and performing arts ability; practical arts ability; creative-thinking ability; leadership potential; parent/guardian, teacher, peer nomination; expert assessment). The definition of gifted and talented requirements differs by state and district. School counselors are involved in the analysis of data obtained from multicriteria sources and are not responsible for the coordination, collection, and/or administration of the multi-criterion system or any assessment used in the selection process.
 
In addition, school counselors often provide focused social/emotional support through individual or small-group counseling (Boulden et al., 2021). They promote supportive school climate for gifted and talented students through collaboration with teachers (Wood, 2018) and lead efforts among parents/guardians to ensure consistent support (Johnson et al., 2024).
 
School counselors advocate for the inclusion of and the participation in activities that effectively address the academic, career and social/emotional needs of gifted and talented students at all academic levels (ASCA, 2022). School counselors assist in promoting understanding and awareness of the unique traits and issues that may both positively and adversely affect gifted and talented students including:
  • accelerated learning 
  • advanced cognitive functioning 
  • underachievement
  • dropping out of school
  • delinquency
  • difficulty in peer relationships
  • stress management
  • depression
  • anxiety 
  • twice exceptional
School counselors play a pivotal role in advocating for each and every student, serving as crucial change agents who can: 
  • support underrepresented gifted learners
  • challenge biased assessments and referral systems
  • connect families with available resources
  • promote more equitable identification practices
School counselors keep current on the latest gifted and talented programming research and recommendations to employ best practices to meet the needs of identified students and collaborate with other school personnel to maximize opportunities for all gifted and talented students. They also keep current on the latest gifted and talented programming research and recommendations to employ best practices to meet the needs of identified students and collaborate with other school personnel to maximize opportunities for all gifted and talented students (Hatton, et al., 2024).

Summary

Students identified as gifted and talented have unique developmental needs and special abilities, which are considered when implementing a school counseling program. School counselors work in collaboration with other school personnel to maximize opportunities for gifted and talented students.

References

American School Counselor Association. (2022). Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Alexandria, VA: Author.
 
Boulden, R., Stone, J., & Ali Raisa, S. (2021). Supporting the College and Career Needs of Gifted and Talented Learners in Rural Elementary Schools: Strategies for School Counselors. Clearing House, 94(5), 223–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2021.1939248
 
Crawford, B. F., Snyder, K. E., & Adelson, J. L. (2020). Exploring obstacles faced by gifted minority students through Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory. High Ability Studies, 31(1), 43-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598139.2019.1568231
 
Cohen, K. (2022). Young, gifted and black: Inequitable outcomes of gifted and talented programs. Journal of Public and International Affairs. 2022 edition, https://jpia.princeton.edu/news/young-gifted-and-black-inequitable-outcomes-gifted-and-talented-programs
 
Edwin, M., & Fisher, J. (2023). School counselors’ experience and self-efficacy in providing career counseling to high-ability visual artists. Professional School Counseling, 27(1) https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X231165495
 
Ford, D. Y., Wright, B. L., & Trotman Scott, M. (2020). A matter of equity: Desegregating and integrating gifted and talented education for under-represented students of color. Multicultural Perspectives(Mahwah, N.J.), 22(1), 28-36.                         
 
Hatton, C., Richeson, B., Clemons, K., & Harris, M. (May/June 2024). Serving gifted Black students in schools. ASCA Magazine. 
 
Johnson, R. M., Rinn, A. N., Mun, R. U., & Yeung, G. (2024). Perspectives of parents of          highly and profoundly gifted children regarding competence, belonging, and support within a sociocultural context. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 68(4), 294-315. https://doi.org/10.1177/00169862241254840
 
Minor, J. S., & Duchac, N. E. (2020). The experiences of elementary school counselors            working with gifted students: Utilizing the ASCA national model. Georgia School Counselors Association Journal, 27, 69.
 
Wood, S. (2018). Collaboration, Consultation, and Systemic Change: Creating Supportive School Climate for Gifted Students.  In S. M. Wood & J.S. Peterson (Eds.), Counseling gifted students: A guide for school counselors (pp 157-171). Springer Publishing Company, LLC
 
Wood, S. & Peterson, J. (2018). Counseling Gifted and Talented Students.  In S. M. Wood & J.S. Peterson (Eds.), Counseling gifted students: A guide for school counselors (pp 1-13). Springer Publishing Company, LLC

Resources
Desmet, O. A., Cakmakci, H., & Tuzgen, A. (2023). Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Online Delivery of Affective Curriculum for Gifted Students. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 46(2), 140-166. https://doi-org.marshall.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/01623532231162606
 
Hatton, C., Richeson, B., Clemons, K., & Harris, M. (May/June 2024). Serving gifted Black students in schools. ASCA Magazine. 
 
Mayes, R. D. (2020). College and career readiness groups for gifted black students with disabilities. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 45(3), 200-212. https://doi.org/10.1080/01933922.2020.1789790
 
Minor, J. & Duchac, N. (2017). Enhancing elementary school counselors’ work with gifted students: Recommendations for professional practice. The Practitioner Scholar: Journal of Counseling and Professional Psychology.
 
Renzulli, S. J., & Gelbar, N. (2020). Leadership Roles for School Counselors in Identifying and Supporting Twice-Exceptional (2E) Students. Professional School Counseling, 23(1). https://doi-org.marshall.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/2156759X20940636
 
Wood, S. M., & Peterson, J. S. (2018). Counseling gifted students: A guide for school counselors (1st ed.). Springer Publishing Company, LLC