The School Counselor and Safe Schools and Crisis Response

(Adopted 2000; revised 2007, 2013, 2019, 2025)

ASCA Position

School counselors lead safe school initiatives to create a positive school climate, working collaboratively to promote life-readiness and academic success for each and every student. Schoolwide safety programming benefits the overall school community by promoting positive mental health development, strong relationships and effective crisis prevention, intervention and response.

The Rationale

Crises can affect individual students, schools and the overall community. Crises are traumatic for students and can have an adverse impact on their academic and social/emotional development (McDonald & Fenderson, 2024). All students need a physically and emotionally safe environment for learning, and school counselors are uniquely positioned to lead and collaborate on safe school initiatives by providing effective crisis prevention, intervention and response (Charlton et al., 2021). Therefore, it is necessary for school counselors to understand trauma and implement trauma-informed practices to effectively meet students’ needs. 
 
A crisis management plan is the most effective way to prepare for a crisis, as it helps to ensure school staff understand their roles and how they are to respond (McDonald & Fenderson, 2024). School counselors understand that plan and are equipped to respond to crises by providing counseling to students; consulting and collaborating with families, teachers, administrators and other education partners; disseminating resources; and making referrals as needed (McGough & Mylroie, 2024; Ellington et al., 2023). 
 
Furthermore, school connectedness has been identified as a protective factor for promoting safety for students both in school and outside of school (Goetschius, et al., 2021). When students can identify at least one trusted adult within school, they feel better connected to the school environment and may feel comfortable sharing any concerns related to safety. Additionally, engaging with students and being accessible and available to them throughout the school day increases the likelihood that safety concerns can be identified and addressed accordingly (Ellington, et al., 2023). School counselors are well-equipped to sustain healthy relationships with students that foster wellness and student success. 

The School Counselor's Role

Through the implementation of a school counseling program, school counselors promote school safety, avail themselves for disclosure of threats, redirect students engaging in unhealthy or unsafe behaviors, promote positive mental health development and make mental health referrals as needed. School counselors are familiar with the school community and knowledgeable about the roles of community mental health providers, which helps them connect students to proper support (Ellington, et al., 2023). 
 
To support essential crisis prevention and response preparedness practices, school counselors:  
  • Provide classroom instruction and individual and small-group counseling promoting positive mental health development and school safety 
  • Are accessible and available to students in an effort to foster engagement and identify concerns related to safety
  • Provide interventions for students at risk of dropping out or harming self or others
  • Foster safe and connected school environments by building rapport with students 
  • Assess school climate to determine perceptions and beliefs about crisis management and school safety 
  • Participate in district and school response team planning and practices and help ensure resources are available for  students and staff to process/understand crisis response drills
  • Advocate for student safety by recommending that school personnel put consistent procedures, communication and policies in place
  • Collaborate with school administration to report and address any concerns 
  • Offer conflict resolution programs, anti-bullying programs and peer-mediation supports
  • Support student-initiated programs such as Students Against Violence Everywhere
  • Implement family, faculty and staff education programs
  • Facilitate open communication between students and caring adults
  • Defuse critical incidents and provide related stress debriefing
  • Identify and support students with mental health concerns
  • Promote trauma-informed practices
  • Advocate for restorative justice programs
  • Partner with community resources, particularly those that can provide information, support and services during and after community crises
  • Implement safe reporting procedures that protect confidentiality, privacy and anonymity 
(Ellington, et al., 2023; Garran & Rasmussen, 2014; Rajan & Branas, 2018; Swartz et al., 2016) 
 
School counselors engage in roles congruent with their training. When school counselors use risk assessment or universal screeners, they follow ethical guidelines and adhere to any district, local, state and federal law. Additionally, school counselors avoid engaging in roles during drills that are incompatible with the school counseling role, such as acting as the school shooter/invader and trying to get into locked rooms to test that teachers and students are following protocol.
 

Summary

School counselors are leaders in safe school initiatives that promote a positive school climate. They actively engage in fostering safety for each and every student and responding to critical response situations in schools. School counselors are a vital resource in preventing, intervening and responding to crises.

References

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Trauma-informed schools: Creating and sustaining safe, supportive learning environments. American Psychological Association. Retrieved fromhttps://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/schools-trauma-informed
 
American School Counselor Association (2022). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors.Alexandria, VA: Author. 
 
American School Counselor Association Position Statements. (2022). Alexandria, VA: Author 
 
Charlton, C. T., Moulton, S., Sabey, C. V., & West, R. (2021). A systematic review of the effects of schoolwide intervention programs on student and teacher perceptions
of school climate. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 23(3), 185–200.
 
Ellington, B., Dunbar, A., & Wachter-Morris, C. (2023). Elevating and Expanding School Counselors' Roles and Voices in the Prevention of School Violence. Professional School Counseling, 27(1), 2156759X2211500.
 
Garran, A. M., & Rasmussen, B. M. (2014). Safety in the classroom: Reconsidered. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 34(4), 401–412. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2014.937517

McDonald, K. & Fenderson, E. (2024). Crisis management and trauma-informed school counseling. In Neslon, J. & Wines, L (Eds.), School counselors as practitioners (pp. 83-98). Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003400417-8 
 
McGough, K. & Mylroie, R. (2024). Counseling as a responsive service. In Neslon, J. & Wines, L (Eds.), School counselors as practitioners (pp. 53-77). Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003400417-7 
 
Rajan, S., & Branas, C. C. (2018). Arming school teachers: What do we know? Where do we go from here? American Journal of Public Health, 108(7), 860–862. Retrieved \from https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304464
 
Swartz, K., Osborne, D. L., Dawson-Edwards, C., & Higgins, G. E. (2016). Policing schools: Examining the impact of place management activities on school violence. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 41(3), 465–483. Retrieved from https://doi. org/10.1007/s12103-015-9306-6
 
Resources
American School Counselor Association. (n.d.). Crisis & trauma resources. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Publications-Research/Publications/Free-ASCA-Resources/Crisis-Trauma-Resources
 
Elbedour, S., Alsubie, F., Al’Uqdah, S., & Bawalsah, J. (2021). School Crisis Management Planning. Children & Schools, 42(4), 208-215.
 
Ellington, B., Dunbar, A., & Wachter-Morris, C. (2023). Elevating and Expanding School Counselors’ Roles and Voices in the Prevention of School Violence. Professional School Counseling, 27(1), 1
 
Hatton, C., Stockdell, L., & Greiner, A. (September/October 2023). School counselor ethics in crisis management. ASCA Magazine.
 
Modzeleski, W., & Randazzo, M. R. (2018). School threat assessment in the USA: Lessons learned from 15 years of teaching and using the federal model to prevent school shootings. Contemporary School Psychology, 22(2), 109-115. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1007/s40688-018-0188-8
 
Weiler, S. C., & Armenta, A. D. (2014). The fourth r—revolvers: Principal perceptions related to armed school personnel and related legal issues. Retrieved January 18, 2019 from Clearing House, 87(3), 115–118. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2014.891891
 
Winer, J. P., & Halgin, R. P. (2016). Assessing and responding to threats of targeted violence by adolescents: A guide for counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 38(3), 248-262. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.774/mehc.38.3.05
 
Young, A., Dollarhide, C. T., & Baughman, A. (2015). The voices of school counselors: Essential characteristics of school counselor leaders. Professional School Counseling, 19(1), 36-45.