Competencias y formación de los orientadores escolares: estudio empírico en nueve comunidades autónomas 1 School counsellor competences and training: an empirical study in nine Spanish autonomous communities

What is the association between the competences counsellors say are required by their work at primary and secondary schools and the training they receive? To what extent are counsellors perceived –by themselves and by form teachers and headmasters– as satisfying the guidance needs of students, teachers and families? How big an obstacle is lack of training in satisfying guidance needs? This paper is part of a broader research project on institutional systems of guidance and support in educational psychology at schools in a sample of nine Spanish autonomous communities. The participating sample is made up of 3,179 primary and secondary school headmasters, counsellors and form teachers. The data are analyzed using two approaches, the qualitative (categorization of answers to an open-ended survey question) and the quantitative (descriptive statistics and analysis of differences in perception according to variables such as education stage, job profile and autonomous community). The counsellors’ response is used to identify a sharply defined job profile covering the spheres of action called for by legislation, including technical competences and transversal competences. However, there is no visible demand for more-innovative competences, such as competences associated with the intercultural and community focus of guidance. Guidance counsellors mainly say they respond adequately to the different advice and guidance needs of students, teachers and families, and the counsellors who disagree attribute the situation to insufficient training on their side.