Stacey Cothren Dallas Baptist University EDSC 5310: Introduction to School Counseling Philosophy and Plan for School

Counseling March 3, 2012

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Part 1: Philosophy and Plan People are born to learn. It is with vigor and great interest that we begin exploring our world from the time we are very small. Watching a small child, one might think there is no limit to a beings potential for learning, and as life unfolds, and familial bonds are nurtured, the majority of children remain in that awe-filled state about the world around them. Carl Rogers believed that if people could abide in that state of unconditional regard we have for the very young, that they would become self-actualized, fulfilling their potential for creativity, intellectual achievement, or musical mastery, whatever the individuals desire. A child appears to find learning enjoyable, enlightening, and desirable. It appears to be normal for people to want to succeed, to please others, and to excel at various things. When intellectual pursuits are nurtured, people appear to flourish, and can often succeed beyond the hopes and dreams of even the parents. It should be the job, then, of the school, to nurture this desire. Children should look forward to coming to school, and approach their studies with anticipation, eager to encapsulate the knowledge and make it their own. Teachers can have a great impact on the childs attitude toward learning. A good teacher should not only teach academic material and skills, but develop a sense of responsibility in children by helping them set and attain goals for learning, which will lead to increased intrinsic motivation and desire to succeed. The counselor is in the unique position of being able to concentrate the teachers efforts by building and maintaining a spirit of excitement and hope in the school environment, and fostering this attitude in individuals who seem to lack this innate drive to learn, or whose lives or handicaps impede their ability to succeed without support. A school counselor should be a leader in the school, one who can define her own role and assume responsibility for numerous duties,

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without someone else defining them for her. She must be, first and foremost, an advocate for students one who comes alongside and supports, as well as advises and encourages. Keeping these critical requirements in mind, a counselor should develop a balanced and comprehensive program to address the wellbeing of the entire school population, and partner with families, teachers, and administrators to implement, evaluate, and maintain it. As a counselor, I will be careful to keep my duties balanced by making myself available and present in the classrooms and hallways in order to provide guidance and intervention, and identify individual needs to be addressed in private. Administrators will find it hard to reduce my position to tedious or technical tasks, because I will be serving the student population with vigor, and evaluating and announcing my efforts with performance-based data. In general, I would like my office to very accessible, and in the center of the school. It will be a warm and inviting, kid-friendly place with space big enough to hold groups, and corners cozy enough to share secrets. When parents come to my office, they will see that it is a place where their children can feel at home. My motto, which the school will happily adopt, will be ATTITUDE is everything! The mnemonic in attitude will remind me of my own personal responsibility: Always Try to Improve Trust, Understanding, Development, and Engagement. I will do this by being present for children, walking through the cafeteria and talking to them at their lunch tables, coming in their classrooms for personal and group visits, providing a warm smile and a listening ear to those who are having a hard day. Throughout the year, I will do my best to ethically address the needs of the student population while working within the district and campus policies and regulations. The following is a tentative list of activities I will conduct throughout the year, yet I will remain flexible and adapt to other needs for intervention as they

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arise. Test coordination is not mentioned here, but I expect it will be a part of my job, though I intend to minimize its impact on my ability to serve kids. I will strive to partner with the PTA, and be an active and supporting member of the team, lending a sympathetic ear and wise counsel where needed, and assisting with conflict resolution and decision making. I will have a very visible bulletin board in the center of the school, where I will create a monthly bulletin board, highlighting a word from the mnemonic ATTITUDE, allowing myself to create new words for each letter each year to keep ideas fresh and interesting. I would like to partner with parents to create the board, and have a section of it dedicated to PTA news and information.

Part 2: A Yearlong Developmental Guidance Program September Be present and available to meet and greet new and returning families during enrollment and Meet the Teacher night. (SS*, RS*) Set up an eye-catching, fun-loving booth at Open House. Distribute information about myself and my services, along with cute pencils and notepads with my motto and phone number on them. (SS, RS) Identify children who have ADHD, Aspergers Syndrome, or epilepsy so that I can make visits to their classrooms once they are settled in. (RS, IP*) Identify failures of standardized tests and their prospective classrooms and teachers so I may assist in their intervention. (RS, IP, SS) Have a New Student luncheon. (SS, RS, IP) Initiate Kindergarten guidance lessons Emotions and Controlling Them. (GC*) Put a survey in teachers box asking them what student needs should be addressed. (RS, IP) Word for the month Available.

October Begin guidance curriculum Bullying for Grades 3-5.

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Begin visiting children with ADHD, Aspergers, and epilepsy in their classrooms. Quietly monitor them and sit with them while they study. Allow them to ask questions and get to know me. ITBS tests for 2nd and 5th graders. Continue guidance lessons for Kindergartners, teaching responsible in-school behaviors and responses. Word for the month Tolerant.

November College T-Shirt day. Make a big deal out of college. Create a bulletin board where students can learn kid-bits about our nations universities, and an online blog where they can post their thoughts about college and where they would like to go one day (SS, IP). Begin Love and Logic book talk with a presentation by well-known speaker. Offer incentives for attendance. Make an effort to speak to every parent personally that comes through the door. I will have been promoting this book club to many parents, while fielding phone calls from parents, and addressing child- and family-specific needs. Evaluate the years children. Are there any specific themes so far? Things that seem to be bothering the kids right now? Consider planning for and forming a group (RS, GC). Form fifth grade leaders group (GC). Word for the month Thankfulness.

December Support music and art programs by attending and assisting teachers where possible (SS). Ensure the needs of needy families are met (RS). Review grades for students who failed last years tests, and discuss progress with teachers (SS, RS). Evaluate bullying guidance curriculum and kindergarten curriculum (GC). Plan to implement test anxiety curriculum and start an issue-specific group in January (GC). Fifth grade leaders read to kindergartners, talk to other classes about bullying, help out with various programs (GC, IP). Word for the month Initiative. January Initiate test anxiety guidance curriculum. Begin issue-specific group for fourth and fifth graders (GC). Continue school walkthroughs and classroom visits to be present and available (IP, RS).

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Take notice of kids who may have moved over the holiday and talk with them about their move (RS). Fifth grade leaders continue to meet and assist with various school projects (GC, IP). Word for the Month Trust.

February Host parent information meeting about standardized tests during conference week. Inform parents about the test anxiety curriculum. Provide lists of ways parents can help children throughout this season. Hear parent concerns (SS, GC). Continue group and test anxiety curriculum (GC, RS). Assist teachers with paperwork for accommodations for testing (SS). Partner with PTA to make Teacher Treat Day special. This is a high pressure time of year (RS, SS). Fifth grade leaders talk with third graders about test-taking (GC, IP). Word for the month Understanding. March Complete test anxiety curriculum. Conduct initial evaluation (GC, RS). Continue to visit classrooms and children, paying careful attention to whose with ADHD who are not medicated or otherwise treated, and help them try to develop behaviors that will allow them to concentrate and pass the tests (SS, RS, IP, GC). Complete Love and Logic book study. Conduct initial evaluation (GC, SS). Fifth grade leaders peer tutor in the computer lab (GC, SS). Have a Counselors Corner at Book Fair or other fundraising activity. Earnestly seek to engage and welcome parents and families (SS, RS). Word for the month Discovery. April Continue to utilize fifth grade leaders as peer tutors (SS, RS). Conduct final evaluations of all efforts, curriculum, and programs, and present to administration (SS). Make preparations for end-of-year activities (SS). Word for the month Excitement. May

Identify children not responsive to intervention (SS). Help teachers with recommendations for summer school or retainment (SS, IP). Learn about summer programs offered in the area, and make that information useful. Spend time helping with carpool and porch duty, continuing to maintain a presence.

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Present awards to fifth grade leaders (GC, IP). Have a party for students who participated in any groups or programs (IP, GC, SS).

Part 3: Approaches and Techniques I believe cognitive behavior strategies and solution-focused therapies will probably be the most utilized tools in my belt, and I am an Adlerian at heart. I believe people, including children, are their most happy and aware when they are contributing to society in a positive way. It starts from the earliest age and continues throughout a lifetime. As a counselor, I am certain I will see kids who have lost this drive or motivation due to outside influence, and I will use the cognitive strategies to help them understand their own thinking, and respond by creating a more positive outlook. Children with serious issues such as abuse or trauma, I will refer to capable professionals, and collaborate with them, acting as a liaison between the therapists and the teachers and administrators. I imagine I will also deal with issues of relationships between children, teachers, and families, and I will address these with solution-focused therapy, helping the student discover and implement solutions in order to put them behind him and allow school to be the focus. Again, I will refer ongoing family relationship problems to outside entities, but encourage parents to see me as an advocate for all childrens wellbeing. Play therapy and choice therapy are strategies I am less familiar with, but I will pursue education in these areas in order to utilize them with younger children who are so often incapable of expressing themselves. I would also like to learn about activity therapy and incorporate its principles into my groups. Most importantly, I will be salt and light in a world filled with pressure and obligations, fulfilling the role of parakleto (advocate, wise counsel, defender) to all who serve on my campus offering a stable and sound presence in the midst of the storm.

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