Homeless Students ' Perceptions of School Counselors: Implications for Practice by

Youngsters who live in shelters face numerous challenges in school. Some of their experiences are highlighted here, along with an examination of the perceptions that these youth have of school counselors. The paper provides an overview of the impact of homelessness on school-aged youngsters and their families and discusses the results of a qualitative research study that was conducted among a group of homeless students. The numerous barriers and threats to the students ' personal well-being and academic success are outlined, and it is argued that school counselors are in a pivotal position to help students with academic, social, and emotional development. For the qualitative study, 21 homeless, sheltered youth (ages 11 to 16) were interviewed by graduate-level counseling students. The results are discussed in terms of homeless students ' familiarity and comfort with school counselors, their perceptions of the school counselor's role, the types of concerns with which homeless students need help, counselors' knowledge about whether they knew that students lived in shelters, and students ' sources of assistance and help. Some of the implications that these answers hold for school counselors are presented. (RJM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document