Counselor's role
“The best counseling professionals are profoundly committed to clients, to the clients’ best interests, and to their own personal and professional excellence” -Dollarhide & Saginak
Academic Counseling:
Students and their parents are encouraged to talk with a school counselor, teacher or principal to learn more about course offerings, graduation requirements, and early graduation procedures. Each spring, students in grades 5 through 11 will be provided information on anticipated course offerings for the next school year and other information that will help make the most academic and vocational opportunities.
Personal Counseling:
The school counselor is available to assist students with a wide range of personal concerns, including such areas as social, family, or emotional issues, or substance abuse. The counselor may also make available information about community resources to address these concerns. A student who wishes to meet with the counselor should make an appointment with the counselor.
Guidance Curriculum:
Helping students develop competency in essential life skills such as: self-confidence, motivation, decision-making, goal-setting, communication, interpersonal skills, cross-cultural skills, and responsible behavior. This is achieved through classroom lessons and units.
Responsive Services:
This includes group and individual counseling for students whose personal concerns or problems may disrupt their educational, emotional, social, or personal growth as well as consultations with teachers, parents, and administration.
Individual Planning:
Assisting students in managing their own educational, personal, and social development.
System Support:
Support teachers and parents by serving as a consultant and referral source when it comes to the promotion of student growth. Support also involves coordinating services for students.
The school counselor needs to reach out to other resources in the community and homes. (Erford B., Lee V., Newsome D., & Rock E., 2011). Collaboration should be authentic and made with community agencies, businesses, government, families and whomever else students could benefit from or whom could give their knowledgeable input. The counselor should think about the cultural perspective of the student and their families.
The professional counselor has to be willing to facilitate discussions about one’s group identification and help students understand how their group membership has affected their life circumstances. They must build on student strengths and provide students with the knowledge to think critically about their problems and develop strategies to act on and positive change them.
The professional school counselor must take an active role to changing the system if there are injustices, inequities, or ineffectiveness. They should be advocates of all students and not afraid to stand up for what they believe would benefit the students or even what is harming the students.
The professional counselor should empower the students and praise short-term goals that are met and/or small successes.
The professional counselor is responsible for researching, documenting, and assuming responsibilities for successes and failures by students. Too often youth have been blamed for their problems, however we must shift this blame to our programs, systemic approaches, and interventions. The programs and interventions must be redesigned and we as professional counselors, as a society as a whole must assume responsibility (Erford B., Lee V., Newsome D., & Rock E., 2011).
As a professional school counselor, I will do my best to ensure I am collaborating with all the necessary and suggested resources to best benefit (setting goals) and effect (reaching goals) students!
References:
Erford B. (2011) The ASCA National Model: Developing a Comprehensive, Developmental School Counseling Program In B. Erford (Ed.), Transforming the School Counseling Profession (44-52). Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Pearson Education, Inc.
Erford B. & Herr E. (2011)Historical Roots and Furture Issues. In B. Erford (Ed.), Transforming the School Counseling Profession (19-43). Upper Saddle River, N.J.Pearson Education, Inc.