RUNNING HEAD: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

Personal and Professional Philosophy of School Counseling

Jenny Baker
Gwynedd-Mercy University
EDU 609

RUNNING HEAD: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

School counseling has developed into a vital profession within the educational system. The
definition of school counseling and the job description of the school counselor has also changed
over the years. The development of the American School Counseling Association National Model
in 2003 and the following editions have also helped further define school counseling and provided
competencies and standards that are necessary for developing and delivering a successful school
counseling program. "The ASCA National Model reinforced the idea that school counselors help
every student improve academic achievement, navigate personal and social development and plan
for successful careers after graduation" (ASCA, 2012, p. x). The ASCA National Model consists of
four themes that are leadership, advocacy, collaboration and systemic change (ASCA, 2012). Every
school counselor should be demonstrating these four themes with the ultimate goal being to remove
any barriers to learning that students may have (ASCA 2012). School counselors may have
different methods on how to achieve this ultimate goal. Thus each counselor should develop his/her
own philosophy of school counseling using ASCA's framework as a foundation.
I believe school counselors should be leaders in the school and in the community.
According to Oxford's American Dictionary, to lead is "guiding or showing the way....directing the
actions or opinions of.....guide by persuasion or example" (1999, p. 561). I believe that it is a
school counselor's job to guide the actions of others by providing examples of how a
comprehensive school counseling program can, indeed, remove barriers to a student's learning. In
order to develop, promote and deliver a comprehensive school counseling program, the counselor
must receive buy-in and support from all school personnel in order to achieve success. Gathering
support and buy-in requires leadership. School counselors must be advocates for their profession
and provide examples of how effective and successful the counseling program is through
leadership.

RUNNING HEAD: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

School counselors should be advocates for their profession, students, and families. Some
students and families do not have a powerful voice due to various limitations and barriers. The
school counselor must be the voice for these individuals to ensure every student is receiving a free,
appropriate, public education. According to ASCA, "as educational leaders, school counselors are
ideally situated to serve as advocates for every student in meeting high academic, career and
personal/social standards" (ASCA, 2012, p. 4). I also believe school counselors can teach and
enable students and their families to advocate for themselves.

Self-advocacy does not come

naturally for some. However, the school counselor can provide resources and examples of how to
develop this skill. School counselors also must act on behalf of students and families to ultimate
help the students achieve their academic, career and personal/social goals. Counselors should be
the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves at the individual, school, family, community,
and government levels.
Developing relationships with stakeholders is another key task for school counselors.
Counselors cannot work in isolation. Educating children in academics and personal/social skills
and preparing them for a successful career must be a team effort. "Through school, family and
community collaboration, school counselors can access a vast array of support for student
achievement and development that cannot be achieved by an individual, or school, alone" (ASCA,
2012, p. 6). The school, family, and community are considered stakeholders because they have a
vested interest in the success of the student. The success, or lack thereof, of the student, will have a
positive, or negative, effect on each stakeholder. Because of this, it is imperative that each
stakeholder works collaboratively in order to help students achieve.

The counselor, through

education and training, has the necessary skills to develop effective teams and promote
collaboration. This is not always an easy task as each stakeholder comes to the table with a

RUNNING HEAD: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

different viewpoint and idea as to how to achieve the goal of student success. The counselor must
work diligently to take into consideration the differing viewpoints and merge these ideas into a
solution in which all stakeholders can take ownership.
The educational system should be fluid in order to meet the continually changing needs of
students and our cultural landscape. School counselors are in a key position to be change-agents in
the educational system. Because of the counselors' relationships with stakeholders, they may be the
first ones to learn of student barriers or opportunity gaps. In order to close these gaps, counselors
may need to advocate for systemic change. "Through implementation of a comprehensive school
counseling program, school counselors work proactively with students, parents, teachers,
administrators and the community to remove systemic barriers to learning and to promote systemic
change that will create a learning environment where all students succeed" (ASCA, 2012, p. 9).
School-wide Positive Behavior Systems, ensuring equal student access to college and career
readiness programs and multicultural awareness days are just a few examples of implementing
types of systemic change. School counselors must collect and provide data in order to determine if
a positive systemic change is, indeed, occurring. Providing data is necessary in order to support the
comprehensive school counseling program. Counselors need to measure the systemic change that
occurs due to their programming to promote the effectiveness of the counseling profession and to
demonstrate the positive impact it has on students' learning.
I truly believe school counselors can make a difference in students' lives. I have a passion
to help young people achieve their goals and become the best that they can be. Counselors,
teachers, and other educational staff may be the only shining hope for some of these students.
There is so much need among our student populations today, and if I can reach even just a handful

RUNNING HEAD: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

of students through school counseling, I am willing to do so through leadership, collaboration,
advocacy, and systemic change.

RUNNING HEAD: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

References
American School Counselor Association (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for
School Counseling Programs, Third Edition. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Oxford American Dictionary and Language Guide (1999). New York: Oxford University Press,
Inc.