The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of school organization on interprofessional collaboration between school guidance teachers and counselors. The participants included four school guidance teachers and counselors respectively from the southern regions of Taiwan.
Study results found that school organizations influence the collaboration in terms of three aspects: 1. professional roles: in addition to psychological counselling, school guidance teachers, being insiders within the school organization, identify themselves as school rule enforcers, while counselors, being as outsiders, identify themselves as mental health advocators and consultants. 2. Professional expectations: school guidance teachers expect counselors to work in a systematic approach, addressing pressures from the school administration. On the other hand, counselors expect school guidance teachers to serve as mediators between them and the school organizations. 3. School organizations affect interprofessional collaboration as a result of a lack of knowledge of psychological counselling and an unrealistic expectation. Based on the findings, this study proposes professional suggestions for enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration between school guidance teachers and counselors, hoping to maximize the outcome of their future collaborative endeavors.