‘Childhood in the shadow of prison bars’: How school counselors cope while counseling children of incarcerated parents

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how school counsellors perceive children aged 14–18 whose fathers are incarcerated. Three main themes emerged from the in-depth, semi-structured interviews: (1) The school counsellors perceived feelings of vulnerability, shame, anger and lack of trust amongst the adolescents. (2) The father's incarceration was a turning point in the lives of families and served as a catalyst for major economic decline, forcing the adolescents to fend for themselves. (3) The school counsellors often felt frustrated and unsuccessful in dealing with the complex issues these students faced. In addition, helping these adolescents affected their personal lives outside work.