Stakeholders’ perceptions of school counselling in Singapore: a mixed method study

Stakeholders’ perceptions of school counselling in
Singapore: a mixed method study

Using a combination of questionnaires and interviews, this research compared stakeholders’ perspectives regarding school counselling in Singapore schools. Teachers, school and community-based counsellors’ perceptions in relation to a number of aspects of school counselling were first elicited then compared. Similarities and differences between the stakeholders’ views were examined in light of concerns surrounding the current and future development of mental health care for children and young people in Singapore.

Areas of agreement, clarity as well as differences among stakeholders involved in school counselling were revealed. There was agreement among stakeholders in terms of the need for the extension of counselling service into the school context. However, evidence of marked differences was noted, particularly among perceptions on whether school counselling service should provide family counselling and the level of confidentiality upheld in the school setting.

Another related finding was that the stakeholders’ role played a part in shaping the frame in which they view school counselling process. For example, teachers’ need to gain more information from school counsellors was traced back to their intention to use that information to better carry out their roles as teachers. While counsellors and teachers differ in some aspects, there was also differences between school counsellors and community-based counsellors’ in others. In addition, the school counselling situation was also noted to be far from consistent across different schools and communities.

These findings were further discussed in the practice context in Singapore as well as compared to overseas studies. Practical interventions were designed as well as future research were recommended in light of the findings.