Reviews of the research on school counseling show that the services of school counselors have a positive effect on children.

• Borders, L.D., & Drury, S.M. (1992). Comprehensive school counseling programs: A review for policymakers and practitioners. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70, 487-498.
• Gerler, E.R. (1985). Elementary school counseling research and the classroom learning environment. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 20, 39-48.
• St. Clair, K.L. (1989). Middle school counseling research: A resource for school counselors. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 23, 219-226.
• Whitson, S.C., & Sexton, T.L. (1998). A review of school counseling outcome research: implications for practice. Journal of Counseling & Development, 76, 412-426.

Quantitative analyses of research (meta-analyses) also substantiate the beneficial effects of school counseling programs.

• Baker, S.B., Swisher, J.D., Nadenicheck, P.E. & Popowicz, C.L. (1984). Measured effects of primary prevention strategies. The Personnel and Guidance Journal, 62, 459-464.
• Prout, H.T. & Demartino, R.A. (1986). A meta-analysis of school-based studies of psychotherapy. Journal of School Psychology, 24, 285-292.
• Sprinthall, N.A. (1981). A new model for research in the science of guidance and counseling. The Personnel and Guidance Journal, 59, 487-493.

Two studies find that elementary guidance activities have a positive influence on elementary students' academic achievement.

• Hadley, H.R. (1988). Improving reading scores through a self-esteem prevention program. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 22, 248-252.
• Lee, R.S. (1993). Effects of classroom guidance on student achievement. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 27, 163-171.

School counseling programs have significant influence on discipline problems. Baker and Gerler reported that students who participated in a school-counseling program had significantly fewer inappropriate behaviors and more positive attitudes toward school than those students who did not participate in the program. Another study reported that group counseling provided by school counselors significantly decreased participants' aggressive and hostile behaviors.

• Baker, S. B., & Gerler, E. R. (2001). Counseling in schools. In D. C. Locke, J. E. Myers, and E. L. Herr (Eds.), The Handbook of Counseling, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Omizo, M.M., Hershberger, J.M., & Omizo, S.A. (1988). Teaching children to cope with anger. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 22, 241-245.

Research indicates that school counselors are effective in teaching social skills.

• Verduyn, C.M., Lord, W., & Forrest, G.C. (1990). Social skills training in schools: An evaluation study. Journal of Adolescence, 13, 3-16.

School counselors are very effective in assisting middle school children in the area of career development.

• Whiston, S. C., Sexton, T. L., & Lasoff, D. L. (1998). Career-intervention outcome: A replication and extension of Oliver and Spokane (1988). Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45, 150-165.

Children who are experiencing family problems report being helped by school counselors.

• Omizo, M.M. & Omizo, S.A. (1988). The effects of participation in group counseling sessions on self-esteem and locus of control among adolescents from divorced families. The School Counselor, 36, 54-60.
• Rose, C.C. & Rose, S.D. (1992). Family change groups for the early age child. Special Services in the Schools, 6, 113-127.

School counseling programs designed to teach students peer meditation skills are highly effective. In fact, studies show that students trained in peer mediation use these skills in other settings (e.g., at home).

• Diver-Stamnes, A.C. (1991). Assessing the effectiveness of an inner-city high school peer counseling program. Urban Education, 26, 269-284.
• Robinson, S.E., Morrow, S., Kigin, T. & Lindeman, M. (1991). Peer counselors in a high school setting: Evaluation of training and impact on students. The School Counselor, 39, 35-40.

(source: Paul Meyers and the California Department of Education)