Individual academic development counseling culminates in the high school with career and post-secondary school planning in coordination to the students plan of study to reach college and career readiness by the time of graduation. The personal plan of study, at this level especially, must be reviewed and revised annually with the school counselor to ensure that it continues to provide direction towards the students’ academic and career goals. The student will work with the counselor in continuing to build upon their personal plan of study through the use of developing interests, skills, and values. School counselors in the high school should conduct individual meetings with students to encourage registering, and interpreting test results in …show more content…
The nature of a group counseling setting involves the development of respect, emphasizes teamwork, and supports proper human interaction between group members. This type of approach is invaluable for students’ further development. As the school counselor, one must be sensitive and responsive to all types of group dynamics regardless of the groups goals. School counselors must also know when to intervene in guiding discussions, as well as being capable of reconstructing conclusions reached to effectively achieve success within the group. Above all, the counselor must present themselves in a genuine, empathic way with all members of the group in order to continue a collaborative, trusting relationship. As with any comprehensive guidance program, school counselors who are conducting small group sessions must first develop the structure, time of each session, total number of sessions, and goals of the group. Students’ must also be screened for their age appropriate development, needs, and commitment to the group in order for the group to be successful. An academic group may be intended for students, at any age level, whose obstructions to school success and achievement can be reinforced through the application of improving study and organizational skills, maintaining attendance, making steps involved in goal-setting and
Although there is value in group counseling at school, some of the problems that surface include scheduling issues, teacher resistance, and ethical concerns as well (Pérusse, 2009). Leading group counseling requires highly specialized skills (Pérusse, 2009). It is important for the counselors to have a solid foundation in group counseling theory and practice to be effective (Pérusse, 2009). As with individual counseling, counselors in this setting struggle with issues of confidentiality from parents wanting to know details of what was said but also with the issue of other students breaking confidentiality outside of group (Crespi, 2009).
As a professional counselor, I hope to accomplish the development of children academically, personally/socially, and with career development. I strive to be the professional school counselor who implements the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model and develop programs and provide responsive services that are all designed to promote the optimal development of their students. To lay the groundwork for this work, I will need to use leadership and communication skills, collaboration strategies, and advocacy skills. We are essential members of education teams that address all aspects of student
At Capella University the Master’s program fieldwork obligations for School Counseling are pertaining to the CACREP standards which consist of 600 hours of internship and 100 hours of practicum. The practicum participation is dedicated to receiving advanced clinical competencies, and the internship focal point is on research, supervision and teaching.
Group therapy is considered one of the most resourceful forms of therapy. The benefits to group therapy can be both cost-effective and a great means of support (Corey, Corey & Corey, 2014). The process of experiencing ideas and viewpoints expressed by your peers allows group members to become more susceptible to the counseling procedure. Group counseling also helps individuals to feel a sense of belonging due to similar situations and experiences shared by the group. The sense of support from group members can be an excellent means towards developing long-lasting relationships and developing communication skills needed to move forward during the counseling phase. In this paper, I will discuss my experiences throughout the group-counseling phase.
Counseling Futures (Walz et al., 1991) reviewed the evolution of counseling and examined data regarding trends in counseling from 1980 through 1991. The monograph identified six major factors that were shaping counseling in the early 1990s: lack of funding for counseling research and program development; marketing forces; demographics; the acquisition and use of new knowledge; the proliferation of self-help resources available to the public; and computers and technology. WaIz et al. hypothesized that these six forces would have specific effects on the future of counseling. They postulated 12 mega trends for the
Middle school marks a very exciting, yet challenging time for many students, parents, and teachers. During this time period students are exploring their interests, moving deeply into their studies, taking on more responsibilities, and trying to find their personal identities. Most importantly, this is a time where students turn from their parents and seek advice and approval from their peers. Because many adolescents are emotionally sensitive and vulnerable during this stage of development, their heavy reliance on peers for acceptance and approval makes them more susceptible to emotional damage. For that reason, school counselors plays an essential role in the lives of their students. Gonkawon Strother and Sheree Leonard, middle school counselors at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Temple Hills, Maryland understands the importance of their role. Gonkawon Strother, the primary counselor for sixth and seventh grade students, has been a counselor for five years. His colleague, Sheree Leonard, has been a professional school counselor for three years. Leonard primarily
Jacobs, E. E., Masson, R. L., Harvill, R. L. & Schimmel, C. J. (2012). Group counseling: Strategies and skills (7th ed.), Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole
A professional school counselor is skilled and trained to use his/her best judgment when it comes to students’ rights and confidentiality. One should behave as a professional at all times and be mindful of their behavior. One not only have to be aware of professional values they should also be knowledgeable of applying these standards as they apply to the role of the school counselor. The professional school counselor is responsible for removing barriers to learning and to advocate for change for all students. In the case study assigned for review, I will examine ethical violation as it contains to student rights, confidentiality and professionalism relationships. The school counselor lives and works in a community where one socializes
The roles within the group that present obstacles are the aggressor, monopolize, recognition-seeker/attention-getter, hostile/acting out and the advice-giver (Erford, 2010). The counselor will take on the role of group leader and coordinator. The group leader may explain the dynamics and organization to the group so that self-disclosure and feedback can be positive. The different roles of the members of the group are not necessarily predetermined. Through the communication and rapport between each member of the group, roles will be established (Puskar et al., 2012).
American School Counselor Association. (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Third Edition. Alexandria, VA: Author.
These particular chapters focusing on; theories and techniques of group counseling and the formation of a group, are centered around the need for a clear theoretical rationale in order to make sense of what occurs in the group, as well as the process of actually forming such a group. Furthermore, the ability to understand, conceptualize and describe what group leaders intend to accomplish in a group is vital. Additionally, I agree with the text in that an integrative approach to group counseling may be most compelling due to the flexibility it provides. Through an integrative framework, the incorporation of the feeling, thinking and doing dimensions of human behavior offer several advantages versus a single theoretical approach (Corey, Corey
As adolescents transition between elementary and middle school they are certain to struggle with making decisions that affect their academic progress and personal life. Outside factors such as peer socialization plays an important role in how adolescents manage time and transition between childhood and adulthood. Middle school students are more likely to challenge authority and value their peer opinions more than adults, which sometimes lead to bad decisions. School counselors play a very important role in teaching students how to be responsible for their actions. Providing students with organization tools and time management strategies will help them to identify productive and unproductive behaviors.
As I expand my knowledge in the different counseling approaches, my values appropriately fit in with the humanistic theoretical orientation. The career theory Integrative Life Planning (ILP) also resonates in my future ambitions as a counselor. I am very interested in working with high school and/or college students and helping them successfully prepare for their future. The holistic approach has stood out to me from the start of the program and has been useful in my personal life. My goal is to help the student/client to be able to discover their own personal motivations and self-satisfaction within them, as well as a way to benefit society. My role as a counselor is to assist the student in organizing their personal skills, work values, and career interests as a start to finding an ideal work environment. With some guidance, this will empower the student to appreciate that they have options to do what they truly enjoy. I have known many students that do not have guidance in creating a successful future. Accord to the Gates Foundation study, only 7 of 10 U.S. students are graduating within the four years they are in high school (Corbett, G. A. & Huebner, T. A.. 2007). These students do not have reason to be motivated in discovering their ambitions. The quote that inspired me in my career journey is, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” by Confucius.
Throughout the course of a Master’s counseling program, moments of doubt, and a lack of working knowledge are bound to play a major role in the confidence a future counselor will posses in effectively implementing interventions early on in the instructional phase of his or her career. Corey (2010) states that an effective group leader, is able to become aware of their own vulnerabilities, and take responsibility in their responses. To become aware of a possible vulnerable area, a counselor must first take a concise look into their personal strengths and weakness, and then decide to actively seek out assistance with working on vulnerabilities. In exploring the roles of an effective group leader, I have realized that within the group process, I most fear the roles of a group leader that pertain to direct confrontation of a client, I also fear that the improper implementation of a intervention could lead to potential harm of the client. Attending to these fears I hold regarding group member confrontation, and intervention implementation is the key to gaining further understanding into how I can become comfortable with these essential functions of a group leader. The current paper will take a closer look into my vulnerabilities, using current research to gain insight into how I can overcome fears, when facilitating a task, psycho-educational, counseling, and psychotherapy group.
A study performed in 1992, reported approximately 3,400,000 youth had failed to complete high school and were not enrolled in high school (Starr 1998). This statistic is based on the United States where job competition has greatly increased due to technology. Many of these student lacked the support and training necessary to succeed in today’s society. Currently in every high school across the nation, there is a person responsible for offering support and training to the youth of America. Available for all students is a guidance counselor. Counselors within the high school setting play an influential role in the forming of post high school goals through the planning of numerous activities.