Thinking and Acting Like an Eclectic School Counselor

Richard D. Parsons is a full professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at West Chester University. Parsons has over 32 years of university teaching in counselor preparation programs. Prior to his university teaching, he spent 9 years as a school counselor in an inner-city high school. Parsons has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Pennsylvania Counselor of Year award. Parsons has authored or coauthored over 80 professional articles and books. His most recent books include Counseling strategies that work! Evidenced-based for School Counselors (Allyn & Bacon), The School Counselor as Consultant (Brooks-Cole), Teacher as Reflective Practitioner and Action Researcher (Wadsworth Press), Educational Psychology (Wadsworth Press), The Ethics of Professional Practice (Allyn & Bacon) Counseling Strategies and Intervention Techniques (Allyn & Bacon), and The Skills of Helping (Allyn & Bacon). In addition, Parsons has authored or coauthored three seminal works in the area of psycho-educational consultation: Mental Health Consultation in the Schools (Jossey-Bass), Developing Consultation Skills (Jossey-Bass), and The Skilled Consultant (Allyn & Bacon).Parsons has a private practice and serves as a consultant to educational institutions and mental health service organizations throughout the tri-state area. He has served as a national consultant to the Council of Independent Colleges, Washington, DC, providing institutions of higher education with assistance in the areas of program development, student support services, pedagogical innovation, and assessment procedures.