Advocacy is an intentional and imperative responsibility for 21st century school counselors. As such, the 2016 CACREP Standards call for increased attention to training students about data-informed school counseling programs. However, research examining how school counselors engage in advocacy as part of their practice has received sparse attention in the literature. During this session, the facilitators will first share the results of a phenomenological study that captured the perspectives of fourteen of ASCA's School Counselor of the Year (SCOY) finalists. Attendees will also be provided with innovative strategies to bolster school counselor advocacy training. Finally, participants will be asked to discuss and brainstorm about how to engage their students in purposeful school counselor advocacy.
