Currently, Australia’s school counsellors are increasingly being called upon to respond to adolescent mental health needs. Through semistructured interviews with seven school counsellors working with adolescents, this qualitative study aimed to capture the lived experiences of this group of practitioners. By adopting a phenomenological approach and using thematic analysis, this study provides insight into their profession: the current ambiguity surrounding their role; the opportunities and obstacles they face; as well as the often-present tension between stakeholders including parents, other school staff and external agencies. The findings of this study indicate that school counsellors are challenged by the need to be advocates not only for their students but also for themselves and their roles within the school context.

目前，澳大利亚的学校辅导员越来越多地被要求回应青少年的心理健康需求。通过对七位与青少年一起工作的学校辅导员的半结构化访谈，这项定性研究旨在捕捉这组从业者的生活经历。通过采用现象学方法和主题分析，本研究提供了对他们职业的洞察：当前围绕他们的角色的模糊性；他们面临的机遇和障碍；以及包括家长、其他学校工作人员和外部机构在内的利益相关者之间经常存在的紧张关系。这项研究的结果表明，学校辅导员面临的挑战是不仅要为学生辩护，还要为他们自己和他们在学校环境中的角色辩护。