Exploring Factors of Trauma-Related Preparation and Trauma-Related Agency Among School Counselors

Abstract

School counselors support students who have experienced trauma in schools worldwide. Increased awareness of the gravity of childhood trauma (CT) and relationships between exposure to trauma and personal, social, and academic development have advanced the need for schools to provide trauma-informed care. School counselors play a critical role in providing trauma-informed care in the school environment, as they are trained mental health professionals whose roles include supporting all students’ personal, social, and academic development. This study explores the relationship between school counselors’ professional and personal backgrounds and exposure to trauma and their trauma-related agency, which is identified in this study as a construct including variables of secondary traumatic stress, secondary trauma self-efficacy, and implementation of trauma-related interventions. With a sample of 210 US school counselors, canonical correlation analysis revealed significant relationships among counselors’ various backgrounds, including trauma-related exposure, training, self-efficacy, and implementation of trauma-related interventions in schools. We discuss these relationships and the implications for school counselor educators and school counselors.