While there are many roles that a school counselor must take on to support the students’ academic success, some of the most important ones include advocating for students and teaching them to advocate for themselves; collaborating with stakeholders to support equity, access and academic success for all students; and promoting systemic change to support an environment where every student succeeds (American School Counselor Association [ASCA], 2012). Advocating for students academic, social-emotional, and college and career development needs can help students achieve their success within the school environment. Further, by teaching students to advocate for their own needs helps to empower them and give them skills they can use throughout school and later in life. In addition, school counselors must collaborate with stakeholders within the school and outside of the school to provide students with various supports that can support student achievement within the school setting (ASCA, 2012). For instance, a student that has limited food at home may have a hard time concentrating in school because of hunger. Thus, collaborating with social workers or human services personnel can help students gain access to essential supports, such as food. Further, school counselors have a role in supporting systemic change. School counselors are in a position that allows them to identify systemic barriers to student achievement. Through the use of data the school counselor can identify gaps and support policy changes, or procedures, such as making sure all students have access to rigorous courses, to ensure that all students have access to educational opportunities (ASCA, 2012). …show more content…
As a professional school counselor, describe the strategies you can use to develop relationships and collaborate with other human service providers to expand the effectiveness of the overall school counseling
The reason this topic is being researched is because questions have come up asking whether or not school counseling programs are helping the students and what is the role of the school counselor. According to the American School Counseling Association (ASCA)?A comprehensive school counseling program, driven by student data and based on standards in academic, career and personal/social development, promotes and enhances the learning process for all students?. School counselors are placed in the school to implement the comprehensive school counseling program. One of the problems school counselors have is proving how helpful their program is to the students. In my research and findings, it will show how school counselors can use data to show how well their school counseling program is doing and how the program affects the students who are receiving the program.
The responsibilities of a professional school counselor are to design and deliver comprehensive programs to promote student achievement. The guidelines
I received the pleasure of interviewing two school counselors, Mrs. Jean Harmon and Mr. Devon Herrick. I was excited about interviewing school counselors within the Chicago land area. Despite many negativities spoken about the Chicago Public School (CPS) system, I desire to work within CPS. I’ve heard many pros and cons of working at a selective enrollment school, compared to a public charter school. By interviewing these two individuals, I assumed that I would get a snapshot of a potential work day for a school counselor. Mrs. Harmon is a school counselor at King College Preparatory high school. Mr. Herrick is a personal counselor at Urban Prep Charter Academy- Bronzeville campus. It was interesting in learning about the daily responsibilities,
As a future school counselor I do not think there is just one type of theory that will work with all of my students. A few of the theories that stood out to me over the semester were choice theory, person-centered therapy, and solution focused therapy.
During the past three years of college, my interest in counseling has been affirmed through a variety of experiences. One important experience that influenced my decision to pursue a career as a school counselor was my involvement in my community service sorority, Chi Delta Alpha. Through Chi Delta Alpha, I volunteered on several occasions, among them I babysat children to provide parents with a night off; I was responsible for a group of elementary students as they experienced college classes and I painted a caboose for a local playground. A theme that has remained constant throughout all my different experiences is that making a difference in a person’s life is a rewarding experience, and I know that I desire a career that enables me to support high school students as they face difficult situations.
School counseling has evolved over the years into a significant component of the educational system. School counselors are taking on new roles in schools as leaders, working with “school administration and staff in developing student attitudes and behavior which are necessary to maintain proper control, acceptable standards of self-discipline and a suitable learning environment within the school” (Secondary School Counselor 2012). Counselors work in “diverse community settings designed to provide a variety of counseling, rehabilitation, and support services” (Counselors, 2010). When working in a school district as a counselor, you can either be an elementary school counselor, middle school counselor or a high school counselor. This essays explores a recent interview with a high school counselor.
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
A school counselor is the system change agent. As a school counselor, I plan to be a life-long learner and devoted to the equity of all students. Leader and Advocate A school counselor may be a leader among peers, stakeholders, students, and the community.
American School Counselor Association. (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Third Edition. Alexandria, VA: Author.
The primary role counselors should take in closing the achievement gap begins first by becoming proactive prevention experts. Low-income students benefit from what schools offer while other students have the luxury of advantages offered in the home. Counselors’ role is to ensure each student graduate with the required skills to succeed in the everyday world. Majority of the skills may not be from tests or assessments but from everyday life skills and social competence. These skills will not only benefit the current students but will assist generations to come by installing parental values in current students. I believe that counselors must introduce programs with interventions that focus around racial-ethnic and socioeconomic students in their existing environment.
I cannot recall a more rewarding experience than helping facilitate a child’s education while enabling parent participation alike. These experiences have drawn me to my current position as an Educational Assistant where I am constantly interacting and establishing relationships with students, learning about their goals and aspirations. It is that same desire to empower our future students that has steered me towards a career as a school counselor. By enrolling in the Masters in counseling program, I aspire to develop methods and experience to become an effective, experienced, and adaptable school counselor that promotes self-awareness, allowing students to realize their full potential and impetus them towards a promising future. I want to learn skills that facilitate personal and career development, ensuring that our students grow accomplishing their goals and ambitions. To discover techniques that help students improve in all areas of academic achievement, establishing relationships with students and parents alike. By becoming a school counselor, I am determined to become an advocate for underserved youth. I aim to become an effective agent educational reform, providing support for students in the various institutions that may disempower
HS 43 Term Paper 4 Core functions of a Substance Abuse Counselor By Roslyn Smith Introduction This paper will discuss the following 4 Core Functions of a Counselor: Case Management, Client Education, Crisis Intervention, Referral and their primary purposes. Discussion Case Management According to IC & RC, Case Management is defined as, “activities intended to bring services, agencies, resources, or people together within a planned framework of action toward the achievement of established goals.
Counselors have large shoes to fill. They not only administer assessments, but are also involved in group counseling, individual counseling, and have to plan and implement comprehensive school guidance programs. A counselor must know and be competent in all realms of their position. School counselors work with all children, including children with disabilities in various settings within the school (Villalba, Latus, Hamilton, & Kendrick (2005 p 449). As stated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), school counseling services must be made available to all students in special education programs as part of their right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) (Bowen & Glenn, 1998; Clark, 1998). School counselors are to take on this role in the educational and personal-social well being of students in special education programs. Federal law does require that children, who receive special education services, and do not display appropriate behavior have a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) team (Villalba, Latus, Hamilton, & Kendrick (2005) p 449). This team constructs a BIP. Since counselors should be active on the FBA team, there is a need here that must be addressed because this article defines a lack of knowledge present with practicing counselors. With that, counselors do receive relevant training throughout their program. There are only so many classes and hours of instruction that the pre-counselors receive. The curriculum that is generated encompasses what counselors need, but could their be a few gaps and missing pieces? This study was conducted to determine counselors awareness, knowledge, and role in the Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) process (Villalba, Latus, Hamilton, & Ken...
Guidance counseling, also called school counseling, has evolved over the years into an important part of the education system. Counselors are now taking on new roles in schools as leaders so much so that the ways in which counseling is being implemented has become a much talked about topic in schools. The effectiveness of counseling in schools is looked at by the education system more frequently than it was in the past. Though all school counselors must follow a national model for counseling, the roles and functions of counselors at various levels in the school system are different, however, school counselors at all levels of education before college are generally effective despite implications.
Counselors are able to advise more students through planned activities (Ordsmyth, 2002). There is also the need to support students through the transitional stage between significant events. Preparing a student to enter a four-year college, two-year college, military or job force is crucial to their future success.