The role of school counselors in the RTI Process at the Secondary Level

Many students come to school with social, emotional, and mental health needs that affect them academically. Secondary students face unique emotional challenges within the academic setting, including relationship concerns, bullying, gender identity, social media, and other traumatic experiences, that could adversely impact them. In addition to addressing academic and behavior needs, the response to intervention (RTI) service delivery model encourages interventions to address the social and emotional needs of students at the secondary level. Although many individuals (e.g., teachers, coaches, principals) provide guidance to students academically, socially, and emotionally, school counselors possess the integral skills and training to support students in all these areas and to collaborate with others to address their needs. This chapter focuses on the secondary school counselor's role in supporting the RTI process by providing a tiered system of mental health support through collaboration and implementing other effective interventions.