Article Transformative School Counselor Leadership: An Intrinsic Case Study Molly M. Strear 1 , Patricia Van Velsor 1 , Daniel A. DeCino 2 , and Gregory Peters 3 Abstract This descriptive, intrinsic case study explored a transformative leadership professional development opportunity designed for school counselors in a large, urban school district. Interviews with 19 participating school counselors provided increased understanding of school counselors’ beliefs, skills, and agency regarding leadership and comprehensive school counseling program implementation. We discuss the results to support school counselor leadership development and implications for school counselors striving for educational equity. Keywords comprehensive school counseling programs, school counselor, transformative leadership School counseling has evolved considerably, now emphasizing systematic, data-driven, comprehensive school counseling pro- grams that provide services for all students. Comprehensive programs “have provided school counselors K–12 with the organizational structure to focus efforts, organize work sche- dules, and allocate time necessary for implementing proactive school counseling activities and services that promote critical aspects of student development” (Lapan, Gysbers, & Petroski, 2003, p. 196). The American School Counselor Association (ASCA, 2012) National Model has arguably become the most salient model for organizing the diverse roles and responsibil- ities of school counselors to establish comprehensive programs (Martin, Carey, & DeCoster, 2009). Substantive research indicates that intentional and struc- tured implementation of comprehensive school counseling pro- grams leads to counselors’ increased capacity to affect positive educational outcomes (Wilkerson, P´ erusse, & Hughes, 2013). For example, school counselors operating within comprehen- sive programs have demonstrated positive effects on the aca- demic, social/emotional, and postsecondary development of students (Burkard, Gillen, Martinez, & Skytte, 2012; Carey, Harrington, Martin, & Hoffman, 2012; Lapan & Harrington, 2009). Comprehensive programs also contribute to improved school climate and safety (Duarte & Hatch, 2014; Lapan et al., 2003). Despite such evidence supporting the benefits of com- prehensive programs, research reveals that school counselors often are not performing preferred activities or implementing best practices as outlined by the ASCA (Scarborough & Cul- breth, 2009). Although multiple barriers can prevent school counselors from implementing comprehensive programs, such as the assignment of clerical and noncounseling activities (Nelson, Robles-Pina, & Nichter, 2008), school counselors are in a pivotal position to facilitate change by assuming a leadership role in the transformation of their school counseling programs. School Counseling Leadership The ASCA National Model (2012) identifies school counselor leadership as one of the primary themes of the profession. Research indicates that school counselor leadership is essential for developing comprehensive school counseling programs that meet the diverse needs of school communities (Dollarhide, Gibson, & Saginak, 2008; Shillingford & Lambie, 2010). Further, school counselor leadership is necessary for establish- ing more equitable, accessible, and emancipatory educational environments (Amatea & West-Olatunji, 2007; Janson, Stone, & Clark, 2009). A study of school counselors engaging in educational leadership found “those who were successful took responsibility for leadership; had clear, focused goals; self- defined their roles as a counselor; secured support from others; 1 Department of Counseling, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA 2 Division of Counseling and Psychology in Education, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA 3 San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools, San Francisco, CA, USA Corresponding Author: Molly M. Strear, PhD, Department of Counseling, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA. Email: mstrear@sfsu.edu Professional School Counseling Volume 22(1): 1-9 ª 2019 American School Counselor Association Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/2156759X18808626 journals.sagepub.com/home/pcx