THE DEVELOPMENT
OF
AN INTERVENTIONIST ROLE
IN
ELEMENTARY COUNSELING’
DONALD
ELLIS,
DANIEL
KELLEHER,
EVA
SEIDEL,
JAMES
BAKER*
BACKGROUND
This paper will describe the development of an elementary school counseling
program that grew out of a collaboration between the behavioral sciences and
education. Some three years ago, the Child Study and Treatment Center
at
Western
State Hospital, Tacoma, Washington and the Clover Park Public School District
that adjoins the hospital, undertook a joint project to develop role definitions and
models that would allow more effective collaboration of staff from the two programs
(Kelleher, 1967a). At the outset of the Project, one of the District’s elementary
school principals, the senior author
of
this paper, requested consultation from the
psychologist who headed the Project program around the principal’s plans to de-
velop a counseling program within his school.
At that time there seemed to be four models governing the development of
counseling programs in the public schools. The first is the vocation and academic
guidance role most often found in the secondary schools. Here the aim is to guide
the student into those academic and training programs that
fit
his skills, abilities
and needs.
The second role is that of psychological tester and assessor. The role is derived
from the traditional role of school psychologist, where the emphasis is on the assess-
ment of the individual’s needs and characteristics. The intellectual and personality
profile derived from this assessment is then reduced to written form and passed on
to the teacher, either with or without personal verbal contact with the tester. In
any case the assessment describes the child, and in some cases, the family. Recom-
mendations about implementation are in terms of the child’s needs.
For
example,
the child needs acceptance, limits, remedial reading, psychotherapy, etc.
A third role
is
that of mental health worker. Here the problems of the child
are defined in personal and dynamic terms, and the helping stance assumed by
the counselor
is
derived from the practice of traditional psychotherapy. Although
usually the counselor is said to avoid probing into “deeper” problems
or
assuming
responsibility for long term therapy with “seriously disturbed” children, the basic
thesis about human change and the value system on which this type
of
counseling
is based
is
derived from traditional psychotherapy. Children are seen individually
or
in groups; contact with the teacher is minimal and directed toward interpreting
the child’s emotional needs.
A fourth role of more recent origin is one directed toward normal childhood
development. The counselor is seen as directing her efforts to all
of
the children
within the school, and focuses
on
bringing the knowledge and research relating to
‘This initial program
was
su ported
in
part by a grant from the office of the State Su erintendent
of Public Instruction through
I%.
Marjorie Mottishaw Anderson, State Su ervisor
or
Counseling
Service.
Funds are derived from appropriations under the National Defense Education Act.
‘Donald
K.
Ellis, Principal, Parkway Elementary Schpol, Clover Park School District
#400,
Lakewood Center, Washington
98499;
Daniel Kelleher, Assletant Su emlor, Divieion
of
Planning,
State De srtment
of
Irwtitutions, Olympia, Washington. Eva Seidel, &urnlor, Parkwa Elementary
School, &over Park School District
R400,
Lakewood Center, Washington
98499;
faea
Baker,
Community Center Counselor, Olympic Center
for
Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Bremer-
tort,
Washington.