My informal observation took place during one of our weekly Peer Mediation meetings. The students who participate in this group were already a part of the Student Council at our school, hand chosen by the campus counselor for their leadership skills. I normally help to co-lead the peer mediation trainings; however, this particular meeting I took a step back to be sure that I would be able to be fully present and aware of counseling skills during this time. The students are in their sixth week of training, and will soon be presenting themselves to their peers at a school assembly for 4th and 5th grade students. It is evident that Mrs. Potts utilizes a person-centered theory when dealing with students as she is always sure to facilitate a therapeutic environment by building rapport with students during their snack time. She initiates conversations with students by asking open ended questions about how their school week has been so far, what are some of the exciting things that have been going …show more content…
Potts and I had an opportunity to discuss the things I observed and just as I had thought, she uses person-centered therapy as her foundational therapy. The peer mediation curriculum that guides the sessions each week are not identified as being aligned with the ASCA National Model; however, it is evident that the session’s objective that was teaching student to be active listeners and show empathy fell right in line with ASCA National Model as direct services to students through guidance curriculum. ASCA standard III-B-2g describes how a school counselor uses methods to develop students ability to be leaders of their own academic, social, and career development success, as well as has the ability to build an effective peer helper program as described by ASCA standard III-B-3k. Both these standards were evident throughout the session. It is clear that through Mrs. Potts group leadership style, students are engaged while being developed as peer
A Training Guide for College Tutors and Peer Educators by Sally Lipsky defines the role and importance of peer tutors’ on college campuses, the importance of promoting active learning, how to incorporate critical thinking and questioning skills, assessing students’ learning, collaborative learning and group work. Furthermore, this book defines tutoring as a proactive process, the value of diversity and students, online assistance, and a summary of effective peer lead sessions. One of the major strengths of this book is the learning activities throughout to assist peer tutors with their tutees. For example, the activity in Chapter 2 (Promoting Active Learning) has what the tutor may potentially hear
While CBT has many advantages, it alone does not encompass all of the concepts I believe are necessary to tackle a client’s needs. Therefore, I draw upon concepts from various theories to assist clients in achieving their goals. Pulling from Reality therapy, a key concept I utilize is focusing on what the client is doing and how to get them to evaluate whether they’re present actions are working for them. CBT does use some form of this in the sense that one must examine and establish their cognitive misconceptions; however, I prefer to extract this concept from Reality therapy because CBT tends to do so by focusing on the past. I am a firm believer that while the past can shape who you are, it does little good to remain focused on it. Focusing on overt behavior, precision in specifying the goals of treatment, development of specific treatment plans, and objective evaluation of therapy outcomes all come from Behavior therapy (Corey, 2013, p. 474). Behavior therapy is highly structured much like that of CBT. By utilizing this aspect of Behavior therapy, I am better able to closely observe where a client is currently and where they are headed. Lastly, I pull from Person-Centered therapy as the final key concept of my counseling approach. PCT focuses on the fact that client’s have the potential to become aware of their problems and resolve them (Corey, 2013). This Person-Centered therapy concept has overlap with CBT as
Although there is value in group counseling at school, some of the problems that surface include scheduling issues, teacher resistance, and ethical concerns as well (Pérusse, 2009). Leading group counseling requires highly specialized skills (Pérusse, 2009). It is important for the counselors to have a solid foundation in group counseling theory and practice to be effective (Pérusse, 2009). As with individual counseling, counselors in this setting struggle with issues of confidentiality from parents wanting to know details of what was said but also with the issue of other students breaking confidentiality outside of group (Crespi, 2009).
I also have become passionate for person-centered therapy. As I start to work with students I will need to help the student to emphasis on how they act in their world with others, how they can move forward in a constructive directions, and how they can successfully deal with obstacles that are blocking their growth. The student may be dealing with obstacles from within themselves and outside of themselves. As the counselo...
The counselor accomplishes the above by expressing empathy, developing discrepancies, going along with resistance and supporting self-efficacy. Moreover, the counselor guides the client toward a solution that will lead to permanent posi...
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
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.
To explain, the client should not be inferior to the counselor; the environment should be two people discussing an issue and ways to make a difference. A therapist should occasionally share similar experiences; therefore, sessions should make clients feel comfortable. To add, the client should feel safe due to the positive atmosphere the therapist brings to the session. The goal is to finally give the client a chance to be heard, regularly people are muted and feel like they are insignificant to society. Similarly, to Person-centered therapy where communication with the client is unconditionally positive. The therapist needs to genuinely care about the client needs for them to fully express themselves successfully. Furthermore, clients should be encouraging to make their own choices which model how to identify and use power responsibly. Hence, this will help the client feel more confident in everyday life when making a meaningful
One theme of the book that stands out is the counselor as a person and a professional. It is impossible to completely separate one’s personal and professional lives. Each person brings to the table certain characteristics of themselves and this could include such things as values, personality traits and experiences. A great point that Corey, Corey, and Callahan (2010) make is to seek personal therapy. Talking with colleagues or a therapist will keep counselors on their toes and allow them to work out any issues that may arise. This could also prevent counselors from getting into a bad situation. Another good point made in this book was counter transference. Therapists are going to have an opinion and some reactions are going to show through. It is not easy to hide one’s emotions, but a good therapist will keep the objective in sight and keep moving forward. After all, the help counselors are providing is for the client.
American School Counselor Association. (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Third Edition. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Throughout the course of a Master’s counseling program, moments of doubt, and a lack of working knowledge are bound to play a major role in the confidence a future counselor will posses in effectively implementing interventions early on in the instructional phase of his or her career. Corey (2010) states that an effective group leader, is able to become aware of their own vulnerabilities, and take responsibility in their responses. To become aware of a possible vulnerable area, a counselor must first take a concise look into their personal strengths and weakness, and then decide to actively seek out assistance with working on vulnerabilities. In exploring the roles of an effective group leader, I have realized that within the group process, I most fear the roles of a group leader that pertain to direct confrontation of a client, I also fear that the improper implementation of a intervention could lead to potential harm of the client. Attending to these fears I hold regarding group member confrontation, and intervention implementation is the key to gaining further understanding into how I can become comfortable with these essential functions of a group leader. The current paper will take a closer look into my vulnerabilities, using current research to gain insight into how I can overcome fears, when facilitating a task, psycho-educational, counseling, and psychotherapy group.
Group therapy is considered one of the most resourceful forms of therapy. The benefits to group therapy can be both cost-effective and a great means of support (Corey, Corey & Corey, 2014). The process of experiencing ideas and viewpoints expressed by your peers allows group members to become more susceptible to the counseling procedure. Group counseling also helps individuals to feel a sense of belonging due to similar situations and experiences shared by the group. The sense of support from group members can be an excellent means towards developing long-lasting relationships and developing communication skills needed to move forward during the counseling phase. In this paper, I will discuss my experiences throughout the group-counseling phase.
Helping people, whether it is through difficult times or to just achieve a goal, is one of the most rewarding of human experiences. However, with it being so rewarding, there is significant difficulty behind successfully helping someone. Luckily there are people that specialize in helping such as peer counsellors. Although helping does come naturally for some, certain things can be learnt to make one a better helper.
Within the individual psychology relationship the counselor has several roles that they hold. The counselor establishes an egalitarian relationship, working as teachers in their relationships. They model, teach, and assess areas of the client’s life such as how Ana grew up the middle child and her ways of responding and functioning. The counselor’s role is also to direct and encourage Ana, being warm and human, and admitting their own mistakes when necessary (Gladding, 2005; Murdock, 2013).
In reflection on my learning experience in the group class, I have gained clarity on what sorts of competencies of facilitating group therapy, as well as in what areas social workers and students tend to feel most strong in my practice. Regarding my specific gains in competencies, I feel that I learned the most and was most likely to gain specific group facilitating competencies at the weekly class. Learning in group class is taught me the tools to use to work with groups therapy, communities and also with individuals through the process of changes. In this past three months I think a lot of opportunities have been created to shadowing with (beside and behind) and being a part of group members to learn. In addition, this class has taught me about the skills and how effectively help