Counselor Role & Philosophy
Mission Statement:
We are aware of the ever changing challenges that students encounter. Students are faced with overwhelming media exposure, peer pressure, and technology advances. In addition, they must cope with societal violence and deal with the aftermath. These are among the many factors that contribute to a stressful environment.
The goals of the counseling program at our school are to guide students to achieve success in their academic, career, and personal/social development. We will collaborate with significant adults in students’ families, teachers and administrators, and other counselors to assist all students in their endeavors.
The Role of the School Counselor & Philosophy
My role is to work as a team with school, parents, and community to create a caring environment where children's’ needs are met through prevention, early identification, and intervention.
My role is to be a facilitator of change, leader of school improvement, partner in educational excellence, and coordinator of collaborative community efforts.
In implementing a comprehensive and developmental school counseling program where a team effort is utilized to provide the best possible environment for all students.
In promoting and enhancing the learning process for all students through an integration of academic, career, personal/social development and community involvement whereby the students will always be learning about themselves along the way. “Professional school counselor can enhance students’ life-role readiness by helping students develop life-role awareness.” (Akos, Niles, Miller & Erford, 2011, p. 220)
It is necessary to learn about gender, social, race, environmental, political, religious, ethnic, and cultural issues and differences among people. We need to be aware of what culture our students are a part of in order to serve what they need and how we as counselors along with the administration and teachers, are going to make sure that the students in our local school receive the proper education, knowledge and skills to grow to become an educated adult in their community. (Erford, 2011)
In enabling positive change, empowering leadership, and promoting collaboration. As formulated by the ASCA National Standards and the ASCA National Model, counselors work through collaborative partnerships with school staff, faculty, administration, social workers, and many other personnel within the school setting, to provide leadership, advocacy, collaboration and teaming, and systematic change. (Erford, 2011).
Professional school counselors have a minimum of a master’s degree in school counseling, meet the state certification/licensure standards, and abide by the laws of the states in which they are employed. Martin& Robinson (2011) counselors today have many responsibilities based on the mission of students and school districts. Counselors are given the responsibly to assist with achieving the mission - “to educate all students to high levels to enable them to lead a productive life in a democratic society” (Martin & Robinson, 2011, p.2). They uphold the ethical and professional standards of ASCA and other applicable professional counseling associations, and promote the development of the school counseling program based on the following areas of the ASCA National Model:
Foundation, Delivery, Management and Accountability
Foundation
Professional school counselors identify a philosophy based on school counseling theory and research/evidence-based practice that recognizes the need for all students to benefit from the school counseling program. Professional school counselors act on these philosophies to guide the development, implementation and evaluation of a culturally relevant and comprehensive school counseling programs. Professional school counselors create a mission statement supporting the school’s mission and collaborate with other individuals and organizations to promote all students’ academic, career and personal/social development.
Delivery
Professional school counselors provide culturally competent services to students, parents/guardians, school staff and the community in the following areas:
School Guidance Curriculum – This curriculum consists of structured lessons designed to help students achieve the desired competencies and to provide all students with the knowledge and skills appropriate for their developmental level. The school guidance curriculum is delivered throughout the school’s overall curriculum and is systematically presented by professional school counselors in collaboration with other professional educators in K-12 classroom and group activities.
Individual Student Planning – Professional school counselors coordinate ongoing systemic activities designed to help students establish personal goals and develop future plans.
Responsive Services – Responsive services consist of prevention and/or intervention activities to meet students’ immediate and future needs. These needs can be necessitated by events and conditions in students’ lives and the school climate and culture, and may require any of the following:
• individual or group counseling
• consultation with parents, teachers and other educators
• referrals to other school support services or community resources
• peer helping
• psycho-education
• intervention and advocacy at the systemic level
Professional school counselors develop confidential relationships with students to help them resolve and/or cope with problems and developmental concerns.
System Support – System support consists of management activities establishing, maintaining, and enhancing the total school counseling program. These activities include professional development, consultation, collaboration, supervision, program management and operations. Professional school counselors are committed to continual personal and professional development and are proactively involved in professional organizations promoting school counseling at the local, state and national levels.
Management
Professional school counselors incorporate organizational processes and tools that are concrete, clearly delineated, and reflective of the school's needs. Processes and tools include:
• agreements developed with and approved by administrators for each school year addressing how the school counseling program is organized and what goals will be accomplished
• advisory councils include: students, parents/guardians, teachers, counselors, administrators and community members to review school counseling program goals and results and to make recommendations
• the use of student data to effect systemic change within the school system so every student receives the benefit of the school counseling program
• action plans for prevention and intervention services defining the desired student competencies and achievement results
• allotment of the professional school counselor’s time in direct service with students as recommended in the ASCA National Model
• the use of annual and weekly calendars to keep students, parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, and community stakeholders informed and to encourage active participation in the school counseling program.
Accountability
Professional school counselors develop and implement data/needs-driven, standards-based and research-supported programs, and engage in continuous program evaluation activities. They also create results reports that demonstrate immediate, intermediate, and long-range effectiveness of comprehensive school counseling programs. Professional school counselors analyze outcome data to guide future action and improve future results for all students. The performance of the professional school counselor is evaluated using an instrument based on the School Counselor Performance Standards found in the ASCA National Model, and the ASCA School Counselor Competencies. These standards of practice are expected of professional school counselors when implementing a school counseling program. The National Model addresses, “program foundation, a delivery system, management system, and accountability,” but also stresses four themes “leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and systemic change” (Erford, 2011, p.45).
References
American School Counselor Association. (2003). The ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA: Author. Retrieved from: http://www.ascanationalmodel.org/Ascanationalmodel/media/ANM-templates/ANMExecSumm.pdf
Erford, B. (2011). Transforming the school counseling profession, (3rd ed) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Erford, B.T. (2011). The ASCA National Model: Developing a Comprehensive, Developmental School Counseling Program. Transforming the school counseling profession (3rd ed.). (p.45 & 237). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Martin, P.J., & Robinson, S.G. (2011). Transforming the school counseling profession. In B.T. Erford (Ed.). Transforming the school counseling profession (3rd ed.). (pp. 1-2). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.