School Counseling Model Paper

With the evolution of all things in the twenty-first century, the school counseling models also evolved. “The history of school counseling has been fraught with many twists and turns, leaving a trail littered with artifacts of each change of direction” (American School Counselor Association, 2012, p. x). Each institution generating a model to interpret what a school counselor should be and what a school counseling program should accomplish. The notion of a school counseling program has been developing for over a century. In the 1920s, the program began a metamorphosis. Fueled by mental hygiene and child study movements, a clinical approach to school counseling began to emerge. The 1930s would introduce pupil personal services. This would

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Through the collaboration of professionals, a national model emerged. In 2003, the American School Counselors Association formed a four-component system to describe the school counseling purpose and put uniformity among all the state models. This was largely because states, districts and even schools varied immensely in the structure of their programs. In 2013, the ASCA released their third edition of their model, which would elaborate on the four components to produce a sharper vision for states to base their model on. The state of Florida would begin shaping their framework in the 1990s. “When first articulated in 1995, this model represented a departure from prior “guidance” program concepts to one that is comprehensive in scope, preventative in design, and developmental in nature” (Florida’s School Counseling Framework, 2010). Basing their model of school counseling on the national model, Florida developed framework that both meets and elaborates on the American School Counselors Association national

The program focus is the first part. This section of the foundation is utilized to establish a belief statement, a vision statement, a mission statement and program goals. A belief statement is essential to a program’s success. Counselors must have knowledge of their own beliefs to be able to facilitate open and honest discussions in a variety of complex issues. I vision statement is a focus on the future of the program. It looks at where the future of the program needs to be and sets the mission statement up to develop a path and sharp focus on how to get there. The last aspect of the ASCA’s foundation is the program goals. The program goals define how to carry out the vision statement and the mission statement. The second part of the foundation is the student competencies element. This element is focused on the academic, career and personal development of the student. This element is used in the development of lesson plans, and other aspects for students to acquire and demonstrate skills determined by school systems. The last portion of the foundation component is the professional competencies section. This section is designed to outline the knowledge and skills school counselors must possess. It also details the ethical standards in which school counselors must adhere to. The three parts of the ASCA’s foundation component create a solid infrastructure to support the remainder of a successful school counseling