Key Competencies and school guidance counselling: Learning alongside communities of support

Abstract

Often the work of school guidance counsellors goes on “behind the scenes” in the privacy and confidentiality of the counselling room. This article makes visible particular aspects of school counselling practice. It illustrates the potential for understanding school guidance counselling as a site of student learning, in particular of key competency use and development. Moments of counselling interaction are investigated for their illustration of moment-by-moment learning-in-action. Further, when two students come to counselling, the possibility of a community of support becomes available. Collaboration within a community of support is shown to offer therapeutic and learning benefits.