Abstract
When school counselors manage an intervention in critical events, they must act both quickly and wisely to manage it effectively, with an eye toward rehabilitation. Such events are traumatic for the children and families in need and may involve, for example, sexual assault, suicide attempts, or domestic abuse. Although it is an irregular occurrence in an individual’s life, critical events are part of the daily routine in schools, thereby constituting an ongoing challenge for school counselors. This qualitative research was guided by a postmodern-constructivist approach that focused on the perspectives and experiences of the interviewees, who were licensed and experienced school counselors in Israel. The analysis of the data was thematic and included identifying main themes and conceptualizing them. It is suggested that the uniqueness of case management by school counselors lies in two factors: the large number of clients in each crisis event, in addition to the student and family at the center of the event, and the complex relationship with a large number of professionals whom it is essential to recruit into teams and manage. The findings challenge the existing theory on case management, which does not reflect the complexity of case management by school counselors. The overall goal of this study was to optimize child and youth rehabilitation services and refine the training of school counselors.