Role of the School Counselor

School Counseling Programs

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A comprehensive, professional school counseling program is designed to align with the school’s overall academic mission in a way that all students receive counseling services that are respective to the student’s developmental and grade level. These services are based on the standards of academic, career, and personal/social development and are created into the school counseling program that is created specifically for the school that the school counselor is working at. It is necessary that this program is intentionally designed and driven based on the data from the school in an effort to promote and develop students to reach their potential. It is essential that school counselors are not working alone in this process and instead work for effective collaboration between themselves, parents, and other academic stakeholders to best promote student achievement.

The ASCA National Model requires that comprehensive school counseling programs:

1. All students are ensured equitable access to an education that is developmentally appropriate and challenging.

2. Identifies the knowledge and skills all students will acquire throughout the K-12 comprehensive school counseling program.

3. All students receive the program in a structured and organized manner.

4. Data-driven

5. Provided by a state-credentialed school counselor

An effective school counselor ensures equitable access to all opportunities and curriculum for all students to participate and have the opportunity to be engaged in the educational process.They ensure this access by exemplifying leadership for students, parents, and other academic stakeholders in all four components that make up a school counseling program: foundation, management, delivery and accountability in an effort to promote and create systemic change within the school.

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Foundation

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An effective comprehensive school counseling program is built on a solid and strong foundation; a foundation that is focused on the program, addresses and teaches student competencies, and displayed and taught with specific attention to the professional competencies that direct school counselors towards success. In an effort to ensure that academic opportunities and a benefit of the school counseling program is equitable for all students, it is important that school counselors establish a program focus by identifying personal beliefs; beliefs that are formed into a vision and a mission statement to define what the direction of student outcomes that the program is directing students toward. It is important that the school counselor creates goals for the program that are able to be measured to access if the program is consistently in line with the mission and vision goals that they have created. These goals are backed up by the principles of integrity, leadership, and professionalism that make up the principles of ethical behavior, guiding school counselors through many of their difficult decision-making processes and everyday professional practice.

 

Due to the increased need for academic, career and social/emotional development in K-12 schools to enhance the learning process, the ASCA School Counselor Competencies help school counselors outline the knowledge, attitudes, and skills that are needed in order to meet those needs for all of the students in their school. The ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College- and Career-Readiness for Every Student guide assists school counselors in making decisions to guide their school counseling program, as well as their making sure to consider how state and districts standards and needs, specifically important to their school, need to be addressed and changed.

 

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Delivery

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The delivery component of a comprehensive school counseling program is easily the most noticed and recognizable, as the ASCA National Model recommends that 80 percent or more of the school counselors’ time is spent in this area of direct and indirect delivery services. While it may not always be possible for this to occur, striving for this percentage helps to ensure that the school counselor is focused on roles and responsibilities that are specifically related to the overall counseling program’s mission. In large, this is because it is what administrators, educators, parents, and students see school counselors engaging in on a day-to-day basis as it includes the tasks that others would assume to be a counselors responsibility; classroom guidance lessons, leading or co-leading small groups, individual counseling sessions, as well as parent, teacher, and administration consultations. These direct student services are likely to be incorporated into the school’s counseling core curriculum addressing their competencies and may occur during individual student planning and development or during responsive services where student’s immediate needs and concerns need to be addressed.

The other part of the delivery component is indirect student services, where a school counselor is focused on the aspects of school counseling that aid to benefit the direct services; referrals for additional assistance, consultation and collaboration with parents, teachers, and other educators and community organizations, along with program management and planning.

 

It might be easy to assume that the delivery component may be the most important school counselor competency as it is recommended to take up 80 percent or more of the time that a counselor spends. While it is important that school counselors spend a good chunk of their time here, the other areas of the  ASCA National Model are just as important in order to develop a strong foundation, ensure consistent program management is done, and maintain accountability through evaluation, collaboration, and analysis.

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Management

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For a comprehensive school counseling program, management may often get overlooked and undervalued because the program is already created, has a foundation, and is being delivered in an accountable fashion. Program management is a necessary and important part of the program for school counselors as the program adapts to the schools need, school counselors are aware of the use of their time and energy, and they continue to improve curriculum, small-groups, and closing-the-gap action plans based on the data that is being assessed. Essentially, assessments and tools should be incorporated and implemented throughout the year to aid the school counselor in managing and reevaluating foundational aspects of their program. As counselors implement and become aware of the use of their time during the school data (from the use-of-time assessment), they are able to use data and advisory councils (made up of students, parents, teachers, school counselors, administrators, and community members) to review the program, access effectiveness, measure the results of their program, and make the necessary systemic changes to continue to promote equity for all students.

 

As collaboration maintains a crucial aspect of a comprehensive school counseling program, developing annual agreements with administrators at the beginning of the school year should address the organization and the goals for the school counseling program in the upcoming year. This agreement lists the counselors specific responsibilities, professional development areas for the counselor, rationale for the program, and reflects the mission and vision of the program and the school. Reviewing this agreement yearly is important to make sure that the counseling program does not remain stagnant and continues to push towards the growth of students overall well-being.

 

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Accountability

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School counselors must include accountability strategies to improve student achievement, implement curriculum, maintain data-driven, and work toward closing the achievement gaps they have set. In a comprehensive school counseling program, school counselors must collect, analyze, and assess data in order to be held accountable towards addressing student and counselors competencies. This data allows school counselors to assess the program and its goals to see how things have changed during and after the program has been implemented, delivered, and managed. Student achievement, attendance, and behavior data is analyzed and shared with crucial stakeholders to share accountability of what the school counselors are doing and to provide data to show that the counseling program is making a positive difference in the lives of the students. If a positive difference is not being made, this accountability piece allows for stakeholders to show that school counselors are attempting to make a difference and may need help as they continue to manage and readdress what is occurring.

 

In order to truly be held responsible and accountable for the school counseling program, accountability has to flow through the foundation, management, and delivery aspects and be able to evaluate and report the effectiveness of each area in order to make the necessary changes when and where needed.