School counselors are licensed educators with a minimum of a masters degree in school counseling, making them qualified to tend to all students academic and career/personal, and social life needs by guiding and evaluating in a school program that promotes the success of every student. You can be an elementary, middle school, or high school counselor. I chose this carrier for my senior exit project because therapy has been a very big part of my entire life, but I want to also be able to be that person in high school that every student knows they can come to about anything. I want to be a mentor and guide kids and help them create the most successful high school career that they can have and also be there mentally and emotionally. To start on the journey to being a school counselor you need to experience in counseling as early as possible by doing volunteer counseling, camp counseling, peer counseling, or teaching. You need to have a professional commitment to a school and earn an undergraduate degree in education, sociology, or psychology. Secondary teaching credential is also a good thing to have under your belt because school counselors are mainly employed in secondary schools, high schools, and middle schools. Also you need a masters or doctoral degree in educational psychology or child psychology, and any required supervised counseling internships and take any required state or federal certification exams. A lot of programs focus on developing the skills that are needed to help young adults understand there problems that they are having in there personal life and try to work together to find a coping mechanism so that they are able to get there school work done successfully. Courses cover topics regarding family therapy to cu... ... middle of paper ... ...sion and understanding of each and every one of the students they are assigned to help and it requires a personal relationship that is trusting and also professional. It requires a lot of multi-tasking with counseling collage, personal/social, and academic, along with having to do classroom checks and student checks to see how your students are doing in each class are are they being successful to all there capabilities. For a typical high school counselor the work hours tend to be 7 to 9 hours Monday through Friday when working in a traditional high school time schedule. Every counselor has there own way of approaching everything they do with there students because its a very personal hands on relationship with each and every student. But most counselors are closer with the seniors of every year because of all the collage advising them through the entire process.
The responsibilities of a professional school counselor are to design and deliver comprehensive programs to promote student achievement. The guidelines
The topic of this paper focuses on the battles school counselors face as the law and ethical standards collide. School counselors face a number of legal and ethical issues and recognizing a clear decision isn’t always easy. School counselors have to work with a large number of students, parents, and administrators while conforming to ethical codes, state laws, and school board guidelines. This topic is of great relevance to me as I will be going into the school counseling profession. It is also a meaningful topic to me because life-changing decisions are made every day in reference to legal and ethical issues. Researching this topic has shed some light on the difficulty for school counselors to fulfill both legal and ethical requirements. The main reason for this is that laws and ethical codes may sometimes provide differing and contradictory messages regarding the same subject. This can lead to legal ramifications, even while following ethical norms as we will look at in the example case of Woodlock v. Orange Ulster B.O.C.E.S. (2006/2008).
Deciding to become a Student Guidance Counselor was not a fly by night decision. I did a great deal of reading and research before making a decision. I knew once I started a graduate program in School Guidance Counseling, it would be both challenging and a commitment until the end. I am somewhat nervous about this new journey that I am about to partake; however, I am ready to accept the challenge and make the commitment. I am a newly licensed teacher and there will be areas and terminology which I am not familiar. But, what I have found out thus far is that a teacher and a student counselor have quite a few things in common. They both work with other teachers, parents, school administrators, and the community in an academic setting. The skills I have acquired as a preschool director and teacher will be integrated into my career as a guidance counselor. I will have the skills to guide and enhance the social, academic, and personal growth of my students by using a variety of strategies which will be my primary goal. I will be able t...
I received the pleasure of interviewing two school counselors, Mrs. Jean Harmon and Mr. Devon Herrick. I was excited about interviewing school counselors within the Chicago land area. Despite many negativities spoken about the Chicago Public School (CPS) system, I desire to work within CPS. I’ve heard many pros and cons of working at a selective enrollment school, compared to a public charter school. By interviewing these two individuals, I assumed that I would get a snapshot of a potential work day for a school counselor. Mrs. Harmon is a school counselor at King College Preparatory high school. Mr. Herrick is a personal counselor at Urban Prep Charter Academy- Bronzeville campus. It was interesting in learning about the daily responsibilities,
I have seen that The Masters of School Counseling degree provides students with a chance to learn more about their inner selves and abilities. Not only will this program prepare me for life beyond the classroom, but it will also provide me with the opportunity to offer the needed support to the students with whom I will be working. When students develop a positive and trustworthy relationship with a School Counselor, there is no limit to the things that they can accomplish. School systems shouldn’t just teach content knowledge, they should also offer real world experience. Sharing simple things about our lives can be used as a tool when teaching. I feel that students can overcome obstacles they have experienced in their lives and begin to find many successes that encourage them to be the best that they can be. One of the biggest ways I think children find success is when their curiosity creates creativity “getting the wheels turning”. During my undergraduate program at Piedmont College, I observed in many classes in which it was clear the students had a variety of abilities and skills. While observing techniques that the teachers utilized I learned that there is a great deal of strategy involved in teaching, mentoring and guiding
The school counseling department is linked with community agencies. Part of the counselor job description is to remain connected with the community agencies because parents rely on the counselor for addition resource for their child’s needs. The school is linked with the neighborhood social service agencies.
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
HS 43 Term Paper 4 Core functions of a Substance Abuse Counselor By Roslyn Smith Introduction This paper will discuss the following 4 Core Functions of a Counselor: Case Management, Client Education, Crisis Intervention, Referral and their primary purposes. Discussion Case Management According to IC & RC, Case Management is defined as, “activities intended to bring services, agencies, resources, or people together within a planned framework of action toward the achievement of established goals.
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.
Counselors have large shoes to fill. They not only administer assessments, but are also involved in group counseling, individual counseling, and have to plan and implement comprehensive school guidance programs. A counselor must know and be competent in all realms of their position. School counselors work with all children, including children with disabilities in various settings within the school (Villalba, Latus, Hamilton, & Kendrick (2005 p 449). As stated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), school counseling services must be made available to all students in special education programs as part of their right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) (Bowen & Glenn, 1998; Clark, 1998). School counselors are to take on this role in the educational and personal-social well being of students in special education programs. Federal law does require that children, who receive special education services, and do not display appropriate behavior have a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) team (Villalba, Latus, Hamilton, & Kendrick (2005) p 449). This team constructs a BIP. Since counselors should be active on the FBA team, there is a need here that must be addressed because this article defines a lack of knowledge present with practicing counselors. With that, counselors do receive relevant training throughout their program. There are only so many classes and hours of instruction that the pre-counselors receive. The curriculum that is generated encompasses what counselors need, but could their be a few gaps and missing pieces? This study was conducted to determine counselors awareness, knowledge, and role in the Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) process (Villalba, Latus, Hamilton, & Ken...
Professional Identity Statement Before beginning my journey as a school counselor, I feel it is important to reflect upon the education and experiences that have shaped my views as a school counselor. School counseling is a unique profession in which is always evolving. Growing from the expanding experiences of the counselor and adapting to the changing needs of the community. It is the counselor’s role to be a leader and advocate for all students and families in the schools community.
becoming a counselor, you must allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in all that you do and that should be the number one thing that is in your heart
The Role of a Counselor According to the ASCA Model the role of counselor is described as “an individual that addresses all students’ academic, career, and social/emotional development needs” through a comprehensive school counseling program (American School Counselor Association, 2005). However, through the interview that I had with Ms. Tijerina, a middle school counselor, I was able to confirm that a school counselor’s role exceeds what is defined in the American School Counselor Association competencies. In this interview I discovered that for some counselors, their role s not clearly defined. An effective school counseling program should contain four key characteristics: foundations, management, delivery, and accountability (American School
As Curry & Milsom (2014) state that school counselors need to put together a comprehensive curriculum (counseling) that reflects different theories as well as choosing evidence and theory based interventions that will help the child in career and college preparedness. The curriculum needs to include different styles of learning, be age appropriate and be sensitive to different cultures as stated above as well as being effective (Curry & Milsom, 2014).
The Counseling Theory and Practice course has exposed me to various theories and approaches counselors’ use. Learning about the different goals, key concepts, relationships, and techniques has given me insight into the various ways counselors work with students. Furthermore, it has encouraged me to begin to think about my own theoretical framework and which theories resonate with me. As a counselor it is important that I select theories that are in line with both my values and beliefs so that I can more effectively support my students needs. As I progress as a school counselor I will likely develop an integrated theoretical approach to counseling. There are many parts and pieces that I can pull from different counseling theories to tailor an approach well suited for myself. In this paper I discuss three theories with research and how I plan to implement the techniques as a counselor.