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Abstract
One in four children under 18 in the U.S. have at least one foreign-born parent (Pew Research Center, 2015). These children attend schools in the U.S. While schools are becoming more diverse, education must adapt to the changing demographics. Children of immigrant parents and immigrant students will need social-emotional support, academic advisement, and post-secondary options adapted to their specific needs. Immigrant students may suffer from pre-migration trauma and acculturative stress (Kaslow, 2014; Saechao et al., 2012) Challenges like trauma and acculturative stress may also be affected by discrimination that can happen in the U.S. due to the negative connotations of immigration in the mainstream media. These social-emotional needs can lead to issues in academic achievement, including motivation (Perreira, Kiang, & Potochnick, 2017). One of the solutions to provide appropriate supports for immigrant students will be a comprehensive school counseling program. School counselors provide comprehensive programs delivered through classroom lessons, small group services, and individual student planning that support the academic success of all students (ASCA, 2009). However, school counselors have to consider how identifying as an immigrant can impact what a student may need to be academically successful. This study uses participatory photo elicitation as data collection method for a qualitative research study to explore the experiences immigrant students had with their school counselors in K-12 public school settings (Kolb, 2008). The study explored what supports school counselors provided to immigrant students and the barriers that kept immigrant students from seeking support from their school counselors. Seven participants shared eight photographs reflecting their experiences with school counselors. Through discussions about the photographs, the participants co-collaborated to determine five themes, two related to support and three related to barriers. The study provided a deeper understanding of how immigrant students perceive the role of the school counselor and how it can help them navigate the U.S. school system. The study offers suggestions for school counselors to provide an inclusive program that addresses the needs of immigrant populations. The study concludes with personal reflections and reflexivity related to the process of conducting qualitative research as an insider to the research.