98 Journal of HUMANISTIC COUNSELING, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT  Spring 2010  Volume 49 RESEARCH INTO HUMANISTIC ISSUES AND TECHNIQUES © 2010 by the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved. Appreciative Inquiry: A Pilot Study of School Counselor Graduates Rolla E. Lewis Serap Emil    Counselor education programs are influenced by humanistic philosophy, including the strengths-based perspective. This article describes how appreciative inquiry, a strengths- based approach to systems change, informed the development of a pilot survey used to assess graduate perceptions of a school counselor education program.    Counselor education programs influenced by humanistic thought draw from a diverse philosophy and an array of practices, including those described as strengths-based approaches. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) require that programs conduct and document formal follow-up studies to understand graduate perceptions on major aspects of their programs (CACREP, 2009; NCATE, 2008). This article describes how appreciative inquiry (AI), a strengths- based approach to systems change, informed the development of a pilot survey used to assess graduate perceptions of a school counselor educa- tion program. School counseling is an evolving profession with a history of adapting and adjusting to meet the educational needs of students (Erford, 2007; Paisley & Borders, 1995; Stone & Dahir, 2006). As a product of the Pro- gressive Movement, Gysbers (2001) cited how three program models have influenced school counseling in recent years. First, in his developmental guidance and counseling model, Myrick (1997) emphasized the provision of programs for all students; an organized, planned, sequential yet flexible guidance curriculum; and an integrated approach to program delivery that involved all school personnel. Second, in their competency-based guid- ance model, Johnson and Johnson (1991) viewed the pupil as the primary Rolla E. Lewis, Departments of Special Education and Counselor Education, and Serap Emil, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, Portland State University. Rolla E. Lewis is now at Depart- ment of Educational Psychology, California State University, East Bay. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Rolla E. Lewis, Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Allied Studies, California State University, East Bay, 25800 Carlos Bee Boulevard, Hayward, CA 94542 (e-mail: rolla.lewis@csueastbay.edu).