School Counseling Resources for Impoverished Adolescence in CPS: Policy Issues and Recommendations

Abstract

School counseling in the state of Illinois is not legally mandated, meaning that the necessity of school counselors and counseling services for adolescents is completely the school's administration's choice. For public school students in Chicago, counseling services may exist but are extremely limited. Impoverished adolescence makes up approximately 74% of the student body in high school and middle school percentage totals combined (CPS 2018). Public schools in Chicago are some of the most occupied facilities with a large body of students. In certain neighborhoods of the city, students may experience many violent scenarios. The threat of or experience of violence to students may lead them to need counseling more than the average affluent student would because of the event's trauma and the symptoms of trauma they may experience. Symptoms of Trauma are defined as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, etc. In my research, I hope to reveal the effects of the lack of the proper number of counselors for adolescents who experience trauma in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). I will define traumatic events students may encounter and illustrate what schools are supposed to offer related to school counselors. Through CPS Data, reports from the Chicago Department of Public Health, and a case study of a Chicago teen who has experienced violence, the causes, and effects of trauma will be examined. Results have shown that counseling is used to alleviate trauma's emotional, mental, and physical effects. Still, because certain public schools in some of the most impoverished neighborhoods are limited on mental health professionals' resources, this can lead to an improper imbalance of students who are not being treated for their traumatic experiences. Policy recommendations include the passage of the Resilience Investment, Support, and Expansion (RISE) from Trauma Act, Amendments to the Illinois Compulsory Attendance Article of the school code, and more funding towards onsite health center and staff training to create trauma-informed school environments.