THE

COMPONENTS
OF
COMPREHENSIVE
SCHOOL
COUNSELING
PROGRAM

A D E L D O M I N I Q U E P. G U J I L D E , R P M
WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL
COUNSELING PROGRAM?
A comprehensive school counseling program is vital in
providing services and support to assist all students in
achieving academic, social and career-based success.
FOUR COMPONENTS:

THE GUIDANCE
CURRICULUM
RESPONSIVE SERVICES
 EDUCATIONAL AND
CAREER PLANNING
 SYSTEM SUPPORT
THE GUIDANCE CURRICULUM

• The guidance and counseling curriculum is a well-organized plan

that facilitates the delivery of instructional lessons and group
activities to all students in accordance with the school's mission
and vision statements.
CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE
GUIDANCE CURRICALA. (ASCA, 2003)
A written instructional program.
Comprehensive in scope (educational, career, personal-social
development).
Proactive and preventive in focus
Designed consistent with a developmental perspective
Coordinated by school counselors and delivered by counselors and other
educators
BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE GUIDANCE
CURRICULA
• The guidance curriculum is the major means by which school counselors
ensure that all students meet their developmental needs as closely as possible.
• Guidance supports a positive total education experience for students.
Guidance gives students the developmental big picture.
• The guidance curriculum connects school counselors to students’ total
educational experience
• Guidance is the face of school counselors for most students.
• The guidance curriculum reinforces other components of the total school
counseling program
DEVELOPING GUIDANCE CURRICULUM
1. The school counseling program steering committee (advisory group) is composed of two
school counselors, the principal, two teachers, the supervisor of curriculum for
the school district, the vocational/career counselor for the district, and the vice
president of the parent teacher organization.
2. The steering committee meets and discuss the perceived needs of the students in the
middle school. After the discussion, the committee solicits perceptions of students’ needs
from their constituents (e.g., parents, teachers, administrators, central office personnel,
community members).
3. From this and other discussion, the school counselors develop needs assessments, the
purpose of which is to assess students’, parents’, and teachers’ perceptions of students’
needs.
4. After adjustments, the advisory committee approves needs assessments and the needs
assessments are administered to students, teachers, and parents.
DEVELOPING GUIDANCE CURRICULUM
5. The school counselors compile and aggregate needs assessment results.
6. Needs assessments data, data from focus groups, and other existing data (e.g., achievement
data, disciplinary data, referral data) are used to develop and prioritize student learning goals
and learning objectives. The standards, competencies, and indicators of the ASCA National
Model (2003) is used as guide.
7. The emerging guidance curriculum is adjusted to ensure that it sequences properly with the
guidance curriculum of the elementary schools and the high schools.
8. The scope of the emerging guidance curriculum is examined to ensure that curriculum
covers important domains in students development.
9. The curriculum committees of the school and school district coordinate the infusion of the
guidance curriculum into the total school curriculum.
10. Guidance learning objectives are written and are organize into units, and guidance lessons
are developed from the objectives.
• Guidance curriculum planning, design, implementation, and evaluation are
interconnected in other ways. When the guidance curriculum is well planned,
well designed, and effectively delivered, it provides all students with the
competencies they need across developmental levels and developmental areas.

• Data indicating students’ competencies in meeting guidance curriculum

objectives are the data used to evaluate the guidance curriculum and the
school counseling program.
LESSONS ARE DELIVERED THROUGH
THE FOLLOWING METHODS:
• Classroom Instruction: School counselors provide instruction, in
collaboration with classroom teachers, staff, and/or other stakeholders around
topics such as motivation, getting along with others, goal setting, decision
making, career and college planning, respecting self and others, peer pressure,
conflict resolutions, etc. Existing curricula such as Second Step, Steps to
Respect, Bully Busters, Student Success Skills, Positive Behavior Management
may also be used as part of classroom instruction.
LESSONS ARE DELIVERED THROUGH
THE FOLLOWING METHODS:
• Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development: School counselors work in
conjunction with staff to develop lessons which connect content areas and the
student development/(guidance) curriculum. Examples may include
organizational and study skills, test taking strategies, community service, etc.

• Group Activities: School counselors provide instruction to students in a

small group setting outside of the classroom. This has a different purpose than
group counseling.
RESPONSIVE SERVICES:
RESPONDING TO
S T U D E N T ’ S I M M E D I AT E
NEEDS
 RESPONSIVE SERVICES
RESPONDING TO STUDENT’S IMMEDIATE NEEDS
• Focused on the immediate needs of individuals and groups, the school
counselor uses individual and group counseling, groups, consultation, and crisis
intervention to provide proactive and responsive services.
ASCA National Model (2003)
1. Individual and small group counseling
2. Crisis response and crisis counseling
3. Referral
4. Consultation and collaboration
5. Peer facilitation
 INDIVIDUAL
COUNSELING, SMALL
GROUP COUNSELING
AND CONFLICT
RESOLUTION
 INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
Advice giving or Information giving is appropriately called consultation.
The following are the characteristics and qualities of session indicating Individual
Counseling:
The close psychological and emotional contact between the counselor
and student.
 The content of the session is confidential in nature
 A student’s problem or concern is the major focus of the session.
 The student’s goal is behavior change, including coping and adapting by
learning new skills.
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
Includes counseling activities to assist all students to plan, monitor, and manage their own
academic achievement as well as their personal and career development
Issues addressed include the following:
Personal/Social • Knowledge of occupational training
• Development of healthy self-concept • Development of an education/career plan
• Development of both short- and long-term
goals
Academic
• Acquisition of study skills
• Awareness of educational opportunities
• Lifelong learning
• Utilization of test scores and data
Career
• Knowledge of career opportunities
 SMALL GROUP COUNSELING
SMALL GROUP COUNSELING GROUP GUIDANCE

smaller number of students.

more responsive and remedial More preventive

More therapeutic in focus More psychological or educational

SC take as a facilitator role Teaching role

Higher degree of self-disclosure

Group dynamics

More integrated in school curriculum

 SMALL GROUP COUNSELING
It involves one or two leaders and 4 to 10 members.
Size of the group depends on several factors:
Problem etiology
Student’s developmental levels, and group purposes.
Once a week. Generally meet for 6 to 12 sessions.
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SGC AND IC
SCH M I DT (2 0 0 3), CO R EY A ND CO R EY (2 0 0 2)

 Economy. The counselor can have more total student contact.

 Self-disclosure.
 Social setting. Group members can learn and practice new behaviors, receiving immediate
feedback. It can also provide social support for students. Counselors can observe student’s real
behavior; whereas in IC, it is often difficult for counselors to assess student’s interpersonal
skills.
 Group members as change agents. In IC, students often resist positive behavior change. In
SGC, peer pressure toward positive behavior produces change than interpersonal influence
exerted by counselors.
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SGC AND IC
SCH M I DT (2 0 0 3), CO R EY A ND CO R EY (2 0 0 2)

 Problem etiology. In SGC, interpersonal skills are likely best learned in groups.
 Student characteristics.
 Confidentiality
 CONFLICT RESOLUTION

 Addresses a relatively narrow area, student’s conflict among themselves and with others.
 It is not a disciplinary action. It is employed before a situation requiring disciplinary action or
after a disciplinary action.
 Teachers and administrators take disciplinary actions, school counselors do not.
 In peer mediation programs, conflict resolution is a component of school’s disciplinary action.
It is a common vehicle for conflict resolution. Students trained in counseling techniques and
conflict resolution techniques help other students resolve conflicts.
 EFFECTIVE THEORITICAL APPROACHES FOR INDIVIDUAL
AND SMALL GROUP COUNSELING

 Focuses on the applicability of theories and models to individual and small group counseling.
Important characteristics:
 The degree to which the theory focuses on the Counseling relationship.
 The degree to which it enhances student empowerment.
 The amount of attention devoted to student’s overt behavior. Some focus more on
affect (feelings) or thinking (covert) behvaior
EFFECTIVE THEORITICAL APPROACHES FOR INDIVIDUAL
AND SMALL GROUP COUNSELING

 The usefulness of the theory or model at student’s various levels of development

 The flexibility of the theory or model
 The time span of counseling
ANALYSIS OF COMMON THEORIES AND MODELS
 PERSON- COGNITIVE ADLERIAN SOLUTION REALITY
CENTERED BEHAVIORAL THERAPY FOCUSED/BRIEF THERAPY
THEORY APPROACH COUNSELING

RELATIONSHIP Unconditional positive Not antithetical Collaborative and Collaborative and facilitative. Positive counseling
regard and empathy egalitarian relationships serve
as models for
clients

EMPOWERMENT Takes non-directive, Less empowering because Proactive and goal Help students find and Students and not
empowerment perspective. of reliance on extrinsic oriented view. develop their strengths and counselors, make
Six core conditions are rewards and problems are resources judgements on the
necessary for change not seen as arising from usefulness of their
traits. behavior.

BEHAVIOR Self-theory and self- Focus on overt behavior Behavior rather than Overt behavior. Help students Focuses on
perceptions rather than and observable goals. thinking set concrete, observable goals student’s actions
overt behavior. Abstract or behavior.
rather than concrete.
 PERSON- COGNITIVE ADLERIAN SOLUTION REALITY
CENTERED BEHAVIORAL THERAPY FOCUSED/BRIEF THERAPY
THEORY APPROACH COUNSELING
DEVELOPMENT Formal Operations Sensorimotor- relaxation Sensorimotor- Adlerian Concrete operations level Concrete-operations
level strategies, behavior modification, play therapy level- action oriented
environmental interventions Concrete- logical and techniques
Concrete Operations- CT and consequences of
REBT; Assertiveness training, and behavior
psychoeducational approaches Formal operations-
Formal Operations- cognitive phenomenological and
reframing, imagery, and cognitive psychodynamic aspect
modeling. Beck’s CT and Ellis’s Dialectic/systemic- family
REBT Self-reflective aspect. of origin and social
Dialectic/systemic level- cognitive system
constructivist models, Beck’s CT
and family counseling

FLEXIBILITY Individual and small Used in varies delivery formats, Comprehensive and to a Small group counseling Prescriptive and
group counseling, including small group counseling, wide variety of student and are applied to noneclectic with
play therapy. guidance and psychoeducation problems collaborations with regard to techniques
Flexible to student’s parents and teachers. and theoretical
needs and Models are more creative, perspective. It is used
concerns. pragmatic , and eclectic in in individual and small
application. group counseling.

TIME SPAN Time consuming Varies Varies Flexible in time span. It Flexible in in time span
may encompass one with short-term
session, two sessions or counseling.
six sessions.
 MODEL FOR EFFECTIVE CONFLICT RESOLUTION

1. If people are too angry to begin, wait.

2. Give a basic presentation of the model and let students choose to use the
model.
3. When students are ready, lay down ground rules:
1. One person at a time will talk.
2. When a person A talks, person B listens.
 MODEL FOR EFFECTIVE CONFLICT RESOLUTION

3. The person talking uses assertive type language, speaking in terms of her
or his own experiences, not in terms of what the other person did or did
not to. (I instead of you statements).
4. After person A talks, person B responds directly to person A and reflects
the content of person A’s disclosure (reflection); then revers roles.
5. Person A and person B speak directly to one another.
1. Asks who wants to go first.
2. Hold people to ground rules
3. Handle one issue at a time
4. Avoid generalizations or comparisons.
5. If necessary, explore the history of the relationship.
6. If necessary, involve other people in the conflict resolution
7. Help people own their feelings
8. Look for win-win, win-lose, lose-lose situations– work to keep it fair.
9. Brainstorm for solutions.
10. Seek commitment and do follow up. Use written contracts or agreements.
11. If the conflict is not resolved, suggest that people avoid one another. This may be the best
solution if there is a long history of unresolved conflict.
 CRISIS RESPONSE PLANS

School administrators may see crisis response as outside the purview of the school.
 Brook (2002) noted that administrators often do not see a need for crisis response plans and
structures until a crisis occurs, but by then the response is woefully inadequate.
 The following are guidelines to follow in developing crisis response plan:
 Plans should be developed at the individual school level
 Counselors should lead in developing plan
 The plan development process should encourage wide ownership.
 Plans should be specific and prescriptive.
 CRISIS RESPONSE PLANS

 Counselors should be central to planning and crisis response. However, principals are usually
the overall crisis response leaders and leaders of some components of the actual crisis
response.
 A Crisis Response Planning Committee (CRPC) should be formed to develop a plan.
 Who is the core team?
 Counselors and school administrators. It may include school nurses, health educators,
school psychologists,
 Who composes the response team?
 Professionals who come into the school to aid in the crisis response. It typically includes
counselors at local mental health agencies, counselors from other schools in the district,
school psychologists and clergy.
 What are the responsibilities of the core team?
 1. School crisis response coordinator. -- Principal or a designee of the principal.
 2. crisis intervention coordinator.-- School’s counselor.
  3. emergency medical and health coordinator. – School nurse.
 4. security and safety coordinator. – School administrator. Responsible for local law
enforcement.
 5. media management coordinator.
 6. debriefing and evaluation facilitator.
 What are the responsibilities of the response team?
 Members provide direct services to the students. Those who are severely affected are
referred for individual counseling with response team counselors. Those who are less
severely affected, response tea counselors go into classes and engage students in activities
aimed at helping them deal with the crisis.
  Small group counseling might help those students who were acutely affected by the crisis.
 Main goal are to mobilize existing coping skills and help students develop new coping
skills.
 What are communications procedures?
 The crisis response plan should specify lines of communication and communication
procedures.
IMPLEMENTING CRISIS RESPONSE PLANS
TRAINING
 Core team members will need intensive training.
 Response team members must be trained in the mechanics of crisis response, and must be familiar with the
school’s crisis response plan and procedures.
 A short needs assessment of counselors is an efficient way to determine the training they need.
 All team members also need training regarding the ethical and legal aspects of crisis response.
 Teachers carry responsibility of communicating with the students, they need to be familiar with the plan and
general knowledge regarding crisis response
 Students need to be familiar with the school’s crisis response procedures.
 Classroom guidance is an effective delivery method for providing knowledge on crisis response procedures
and for coping with the trauma and loss.
 A parent-teacher organization meeting is a useful avenue for informing and helping parents.
 SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES

 A general assembly of students is not recommended.

 Get the story straight.
 Provide the facts only. Details of a crisis are usually not necessary.
 Do not dismiss school for funerals or other events.
 Allow students to grieve.
 Listen to students.
 Do not force counseling on students.
 Consider siblings, relatives, and friends in other schools.
 Do not forget about parents and effects of the crisis on them.
 Work closely with entities that provide social support for students who are culturally different.
 Be careful to avoid any practice that exacerbates the crisis or glorifies problematic behavior.
 CRISIS COUNSELING

 All crisis experienced by students are not of the magnitude requiring implementation of the
school’s crisis response plan.
 School counselors must exercise caution in delivering crisis counseling in schools.
 School counselors may become a crisis counselor for those students experiencing the most
severe obstacles and not a counselor for all students in the school.
 COMMON CRISIS IN SCHOOLS:

 Loss  Self-destructive behavior

 Violence  Suicide
 Educational difficulties
 Relationship difficulties
 Social difficulties
 Alcohol and other drug use
 Pregnancy
 Eating disorders
 GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES IN CRISIS
COUNSELING

 Respond immediately  Help students take action.

 Be directive at first.  Pay attention to rituals.
 Be concerned and competent.  Pay attention to anniversaries
 Pay close attention to feelings.
 Get the facts surrounding the crisis.
 Sustain relationships and use resources.
 Help students confront reality.
 Do not support blaming.
 Expand student’s time perspectives.
 Do not offer false reassurance.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES FOR RESPONDING
TO SUICIDE IDEATION, THREATS, AND ATTEMPTS

1. They feel shame about their thoughts of killing themselves.

2. Assess lethality by asking straightforward questions as to the where, when, and how of the
suicide plan.
3. Assess lethality by learning of former attempts, the frequency of suicidal thoughts, losses the
student may have experiences, history of depression, and extent to which the student’s
perceptions are constricted.
4. Take all thoughts of suicide seriously even if the lethality is judged to be low.
5. Inform parents or other responsible adults and refer appropriately depending on situations.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND GUIDELINES FOR RESPONDING
TO SUICIDE IDEATION, THREATS, AND ATTEMPTS

6. Enlist the help of peers.

7. Focus on student’s frustrated needs.
8. Expand student’s time perspectives and reframe by helping them see that suicide is a
permanent solution to temporary problem.
9. Complete a no-suicide contract.
 REFERRAL

Forming relationships. SCs make contact with and continuously communicate with referral
resources within and outside the school.

These are the common referral

resources:  Chemical dependency treatment centers
 Mental health agencies  Private practitioners
 Family counseling services  Recreational programs
 Hospitals and psychiatric hospitals  Educational programs
 Public health personnel such as nurses and  Churches, synagogues and mosques
nurse practitioners.
 Medical doctors
 REFERRAL

 Sharing information on Resources. Counselors should maintain an extensive list of referral

resources for students and families, informs students and parents of these resources and facilitate use
of these resources. This list is kept in the counselor’s office including list of hotline phone numbers,
helpful websites and crisis centers are posted on a bulletin board outside the counselor’s office.
 REFERRAL

Resources within the school. Common in-school referral resources include:

 School psychologists
 School nurses
 Health education teachers
 Special education personnel
 Student assistance programs (SAPs) – referral vehicle for student drug and alcohol
problems
 REFERRAL CAUTIONS

 SCs should be careful to not be aligned or appear to be aligned with particular outside
agencies.
 SCs need to supply multiple referral resources to parents. It is acceptable and wise to scree
referral resources for effectiveness, but it is unwise to include only one resource for a
particular situation.
 Another caution is how the referral is made. Evaluation is presented in more general terms.
 ESTABLISHING REFERRAL PROCEDURES

Specific guidelines and procedures for initiating and monitoring referrals are necessary.
 Situations in which a referral is appropriate. It is defined by student conditions and situations
that require referral.
 Confidentiality is a major consideration. SC should consult
 Informed consent
 Releases from the school and outside agencies. Students and families have the option of
signing a release that allows outside professionals to communicate with the SC
 Consultations regarding the referral. SC has the guidelines regarding what they can chare
with professionals outside the school.
 Documentations of the referral.
 Follow-up with the students and parents
 SUMMARY

 Establish positive working relationships with referral resources within and outside the school.
 Maintain a comprehensive list of referral resources and current list of hotline number, web
sites and contact information.
 Know procedures, policies, regulations and laws regarding referral.
 Maintain specific procedures for referral
 Document all referrals and referral attempts.
 CONSULTATION AND COLLABORATION

Consultation involves consultant, a consultee, and at least one client.

 The consultant is a professional recognized as knowledgeable and experienced.
 The consultee seeks the help of the consultant.
 The consultee has direct responsibility to the client, but the consultant has no direct client
responsibility.
 The consultant helps the consultee develop a plan of action and the consultee implements
the plan.
 The SCs also share responsibilities with regard to actions taken by other professionals on
behalf of students.
 Consultation should be replaced with the term collaboration when describing school
counselors work with a third party on behalf of students.
 Collaboration encompasses team building, community outreach and forming and sustaining
positive relationships with students, parents, school personnel and other stakeholders.
 Consultation involve selecting services for students, advocating for students, and providing
information to school personnel and parents.
 Take on more of an informational function or a problem solving function.
 TWO GENERAL FORMS

 Consultations initiated through counseling.

 It is ethically consistent to get the student’s permission for these consultations and get
student’s approval of the nature of consultation.
 Consultations initiated by teachers, parent-guardians, or others.
 Caution is needed regarding counselor-parent and counselor-teacher consultation and parent
and teacher referral of students to school counselors.
 It is best when counselors do not act as counselors for parents and teachers.
 SCs primary responsibility is to students.
 Engaging in counseling with parents and teachers causes dual relationships
 It could damage the relationships between counselors and students.
 They have more resources and freedom to pursue outside the school.
 PEER FACILITATION

 Peer facilitators can directly bring expanded responsive services to students, strengthen
guidance curriculum delivery, and provide system support for the school.
 ROLES AND DUTIES OF PEER FACILITATORS

 Peer mediators in helping students resolve  Assisting the school counselor in the
conflicts counseling office
 Delivering guidance on conflict resolution, peer  Helping in the facilitation of small groups of
mediation, and other topics. students
 Mentoring students who are at risk for  Assisting with special school events
dropping out of school  Serving as tutor in classes
 Helping with orientations for new students  Acting as tutors for students in after-school
transitioning into the school programs
 Mentoring, advising, and supporting students  Assisting with summer programs
who have recently transferred into the school
 Providing support for students experiencing
crisis
 SCOPE OF PEER FACILITATION PROGRAMS

 The scope of services provided by peer facilitation programs is variable.

 In some programs, facilitators provide tutoring only, others target conflicts only, and other are
more general in scope.
 Peer facilitators’ various roles complement one another.
 The scope of the program should be determined by the needs of the students in the particular
school.
 LEADERSHIP OF PEER FACILITATOR PROGRAMS

 It is necessary to that the leader meet with every peer facilitator on a weekly basis. It will help
the group build cohesion and peer facilitator identity, and peer facilitators often provide
support for one another.
 Trusty and Black (1993) found that intensive summer training was effective in building a
cohesive peer facilitator group, increasing self-efficacy for peer facilitation and increasing
facilitators’ acceptance of diversity.
 DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING PEER FACILITATION
PROGRAM

3 common models of peer mediation programs:

1. The total school model. All students are trained in mediation and conflict resolution and all
students have the opportunity to serve in the mediator role.
2. The student club model. Group of peer mediators is selected from the school body and
they meet outside the regular school schedule.
3. The elective course model. Group of students is selected and receive credit from the class.
Group meeting occur as a regularly scheduled class.
 BEST PRACTICES FOR PEER FACILITATION PROGRAMS

 Peer facilitation programs are best led by  Ongoing supervision is necessary.

school counselors.  Referral procedures should be described in
 Programs should be publicized and promoted written guidelines.
well.  Peer facilitators must be protected because of
 Written guidelines should detail the scope of the limited scope of their authority.
the peer facilitation program.  Peer facilitators should receive formal and
 Peer facilitators should reflect the diversity of informal feedback/evaluation.
the student population  Evaluation/redesign of the program should be
 Potential peer facilitators should be carefully ongoing.
screened.
 Adequate initial and ongoing training are
essential.
E D U C AT I O N A L A N D
CAREER PLANNING
Schmidt (2003) maintained that schools often ignored the educational and career planning of
talented students.

 In reality, talented students are likely to become frustrated with school when not challenged,
and their talent may be lost.
 THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER
PLANNING
 Schimdt (2003) noted that many students enter school without respect for learning and many
do not readily develop an intentional attitude toward education.
 Adelman’s study was the bases for a series of studies.
 LTED model (Long-term Educational Developmental model) is a result from different series of
studies. These studies are unique because they follow students across lengthy periods of time
and across environments (middle school, high school and college).
 These studies emphasize the importance of an EC-16 perspective (early-childhood through
college) and a life-career perspective
ADELMAN’S STUDY
 GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER
PLANNING
 Adult’s advice. counselors, teachers, and parents should be informed, cautious, thoughtful and
thorough in advising students regarding postsecondary education.
 Student engagement. Work to help students become academically and otherwise engaged
in school.
 Educational and career assessment. Use assessment data to inform education/career
planning and decision making.
 Student education/career plans. Provide a structure in which students develop systematic
plan for meeting their goals.
 ADULT’S ADVICE

College-for-all (CFA) norm by Rosenbaum

 A belief that perpetuated by schools that almost students should attend college.
 CFA norm misleads students into believing that what they do in high school is unimportant to their
later educational success.
 Students can easily be admitted into college or four year college programs, but their chances of
success are minimal because they have not gained skills needed to be successful in college.
 Counselors served as gatekeepers to college, sharing judgements regarding their future success or
failure and providing alternatives to students who were not well prepared for college work.
 Students are intitled to know their high school experiences and behavior are determinants of
their success in postsecondary educational pursuits.
 School counselor responsibilities:
 - Be knowledgeable of research that shows the connection between EC-12 schooling and
postsecondary success.
 - Share the knowledge with the people who need it most: students, parents, and school
personnel.
 - Help students plan effectively, providing educational and occupational information and
providing multiple alternatives to students.
 IF STUDENTS WITH LIMITED SKILLS AND LOW LEVELS OF
EFFORT HAVE UNREALISTICALLY HIGH GOALS

 Tell students that their goals are too high

 Encourage their high goals
 Give them a realistic estimate of their high goals.
 THE FOLLOWING ARE THE APPROPRIATE CONTEXTS:

 Providing concrete information on student’s current achievement and aptitude.

 Providing concrete information on postsecondary programs and occupations
 Offering ranges of students’ probabilities of success
 Concretely tying students’ probabilities of success to their past, current, and future behavior
and experience in school
 Helping students explore a range of alternatives and back-up plans.
 STUDENT EMPOWERMENT

 Rosenbaum found that students’ engagement in the school (attendance, participation in

activities, interest in school) led to better achievement in school and beyond to postsecondary
education and still further beyond economic earnings.
 When students are academically engaged through intensive course taking and behaviorally
engaged through attendance an participation in extracurricular activities, they are much more
likely to be successful in reaching their educational and career goals.
 At the school level, counselors should work toward student engagement by ensuring that
academic choices and environments are conducive to student engagement.
 This might involve offering intensive courses in slower-paced formats for students’ exhibiting
average ability levels, establishing partnerships with colleges to offer dual-credit courses, or
creating cooperative agreements and among high schools to expand curricular options.
 We can also promote by helping them become involved in extracurricular activities.
 SUMMARY OF BEST PRACTICES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR
PROMOTING STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT

 Work for students academic engagement through ensuring access to appropriate curricula and
effective instruction.
 Help students become engaged through their attendance and engagement with the broader
school environment.
 Help students become socially engaged through involvement in productive leisure activities.
 Encouraging parents engagement in their children’s educational and career development.
 Pay close attention to tracking processes and how they adversely affect students’ development
 Use individual process to help students become engaged.
 EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER ASSESSMENT

Formal assessments - psychometric data and have a normative data for comparisons of scores to
the scores of others. These offer standard ways of interpreting scores.
Examples:
 Strong Interest Inventory
 Differential Aptitude Test Battery
 Career Maturity Inventory
Informal Assessments – typically not used for comparing scores of students to score of others.
Data from informal assessments can be objective and informative and it is often reviewed in a
collaborative way between the counselor and individual student.
 Examples:
 Checklist
 Games
 Career fantasies
 Interviews
GUIDELINES IN STRUCTURING EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER
ASSESSMENT

 Use existing school data as much as possible. Schools will have achievement data (grades, test
scores) attendance data, and behavioral data
 Use formal and informal assessments.
 Assessment programs should be comprehensive, including data on students academic, career,
and personal and social development.
 Assessment structures should be developmental, with smooth articulation between early
childhood education, elementary school, middle school, high school and beyond.
Education/career development portfolios. These includes:
 Results from informal and formal assessment
 Products resulting from guidance activities and special activities
 Sample of academic performance products
 Student’s educational and career- related profiles resulting from assessment products
 Extracurricular and leisure activities
 Students’ educational and career-related planning materials
SYSTEM SUPPORT
• System support consists of activities that establish, maintain and enhance the
total school counseling program as part of the overall educational program.
System support can include:
• Professional Development: Participation in and presentation of in-service
training, membership in professional associations, and continued post graduate
education, workshops, training, and research.
• Consultation/Collaboration/Teaming: Consultation and collaboration with
staff, parents/guardian and community members and organizations in order to
meet student needs and provide/receive information relevant to the school
counseling program.
• Participation in School Committees: School counselors serving on
important school committees.
• Workshops and Seminars: Planning and implementing afterschool and
evening programs for parents, students and faculty.