Model Of School Counseling Paper

A school counselor is a counselor who assists students in their personal, social, emotional, academic, and career development. In “Transforming School Counseling to Serve the Mental Health Needs of At-Risk Youth,” the paper asserts the significance of school counseling but claims that current school counseling programs are ineffective when approaching the mental health needs of at-risk youth. The article addresses the limitations and weaknesses of standard school counseling models, proposes a transformed model for school counseling, redefines school counselor role/functions, and discusses barriers to change. The paper criticizes the current model’s inadequate primary intervention methods, focus on positive development, lack of emphasis of systems-based

Benedict’s Prep, seems to adhere closely to the transformed model of school counseling proposed by the authors of the articles and have addressed and overcame many of these shortcomings. Although many students at St. Benedict’s Prep are dealing with a multitude of personal issues, the school psychologists plan different interventions in an attempt to deal with each individual student’s needs. Whether students are dealing with cognitive learning issues, academic difficulties, behavioral problems, familial hardships, or economic struggles the psychologists are there to provide guidance and support. The school offers academic support, in the form of extra help from teachers or tutors, to all students but puts an extra emphasis on students whose academics are not up to par with the school’s high standards and aim to help the students not only bring up their grades but develop better habits. The school also offers one-on-one counseling, group therapy sessions, and family counseling to students and families, if needed. One thing that surprised me about St. Benedict’s was the fact that there is no stigma attached to going to therapy sessions at the guidance department; instead, many students encourage each other to go to sessions because they have gone and benefitted from the assistance and support provided by their fellow peers and the school psychologists. The school heavily emphasizes the sense of community between students by creating programs and activities to facilitate bonding and connection. Although many children dread the idea of school, many students view St. Benedict’s Prep as not only a school but as a place of refuge where they have a strong support system from peers, teachers, and especially from the psychologists. Although St. Benedict’s Prep has overcome many of the obstacles during the process of providing effective