MODULE 2

PROFESSIONALS AND
PRACTITIONERS IN COUNSELING
LESSON 1 ROLES AND
FUNCTIONS OF COUNSELORS
•Learning Objectives

• At the end of the lesson, the learners will be able to:

• 1• Explain the importance of each roles of counselors in different
setting, such as the industrial, educational and clinical setting.
• 2• Define and explain the functions of counselors in the society
COUNSELING
• Counseling is an intimate form of learning, it demands a practitioner who is willing to be an authentic
person in the counseling/therapeutic relationship (Corey, 2015). It involves the person to be immersed
in someone else life, and be able to give
• an authentic support and understanding, especially in the school and clinical setting. Much in our
country’s setting, where we have a young population. Counselors faced a daunting task to understand
this current population. And even in the pandemic setting, counselors are defined by the roles and
functions that they do, both in the clinical and school setting; and mostly appreciated on the outcome
that they produced for the benefit of their clients. Counselors have the duty to their clients, especially
if they come
• seeking comfort and care, counselors’ roles become more of a responsibility to their clients. When
counselors counsel, wounds are opened, feelings will be explored and perception and growth will be
secured as the counselor and client journey to
• wellness and back to functionality in society (Corey, 2015).
• Roles of Counselors Here in the Philippines, Counseling is a profession (R.A. 9258 also
known as the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004) that allows you to help others manage
their responses to life’s challenges (Cleofe et al., 2015). It is more just listening, its “active
listening”; its more emphatic, it’s caring;
• the relationship of client and therapist/counselor are guided by rules and regulations (Code
of Ethics, R.A. 9258) so as to protect not only the Counselors, but also the rights of clients.
And as the counseling profession evolves, so do their roles and functions to adapt in the
changing times, to response to various changes such as, economic, social and technological.
• And this changes also affects clients. Most especially in the academic or school setting,
the role of a counselor is important in the school to assist students in their academic well-
being (Cleofe et al, 2015). Some examples of these are the
• increasing number of students whose parents that are overseas workers; the better
facilitation of students’ learning by addressing their behavioral concerns; progress in
knowledge and use of technology in the classroom; and cultural diversity in the
classrooms by having students from either different regions in the country or different
countries. Given this situation, the guidance counselors are considered important
members of the educational team. They provide assistance to students’ academic pursuit,
socio-economic need, career plans and moral development. In this way, the guidance and
counseling program ensures that students are able to cope well with their circumstances.
This results in nurturing students who shall be responsible and productive members of
society.
FUNCTIONS OF COUNSELORS
• Erford (2014) emphasized that professional school counselors do not take rigid and
static set of functions in the educational system. This means that professional counselors
perform their roles in a continuous state of transformation in response to the current
challenges. Therefore, professional counselors function as follows:

• 1. Providers of individual and group counseling services. School counselors take an

active role in counseling groups or individuals. In a school setting, professional
counselors are equipped not only in helping individuals understand themselves, but also
in providing correct evaluation of either behavioral or clinical problems a student may
have.
2. DEVELOPMENTAL CLASSROOM GUIDANCE SPECIALISTS.

• Professional counselors also prepare lessons and implement guidance

instructions to students. These are executed by developing clear and
measurable objectives to meet the needs of the students. To meet these
objectives, professional counselors deliver talks, seminars, workshop, and
other interesting activities. Lastly, professional counselors improve their
programs and mode of instruction through consistent feedback and
evaluation.
3. LEADERS AND ADVOCATES OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS.

•Professional school counselors have an ethical responsibility of promoting

academic success by helping students identify barriers affecting school
performance. These barriers may be personal (example: living with an
absentee or separated parents); socio-emotional
•(ex. peer pressure); moral dilemmas (ex. failing an exam or
•cheating to pass an exam), or career-related barriers (ex
•indecisiveness about a course in college). Professional counselors guide the
students by identifying strategies so they can positively cope with these
challenges and see these challenges as opportunities for growth.
4. CAREER DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS.

• Professional counselors also provide activities that will prepare students

for the demands and requirements of their chosen profession. These
activities include formal writing of resumes, having proper responses to
job interviews and knowing appropriate clothing for job applications.
• Furthermore, to ensure proper coping and success in the workplace,
professional counselors help students develop essential, basic skills
such as effective communication, creativity, decision-making, critical
thinking, and work ethics.
5. AGENTS OF DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURALISM.

• Professional school
• counselors are trained to deal with and address the needs of people from
different cultural backgrounds. For example, because of the ASEAN
Integration foreign students study in our country; counselors may provide
assistance to these foreign students through activities that allow interaction
with Filipino students, aimed at helping them cope with their new
environment. At the same time, the counselor will also carry out a program for
the Filipino students, aimed at helping them demonstrate hospitality, respect,
and understanding for their foreign classmates.
6. ADVOCATES OF A SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT.

• Conflicts, which may lead to violence, happen in some school

communities. For instance, there are issues on bullying-physical, verbal,
cyber, psychological, etc. nowadays. Hence, a comprehensive school
counseling program with intervention components such as school
bullying campaign and peer and mentoring can address this issue
7. SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY COLLABORATION SPECIALISTS.
• To ensure student’s holistic development and success, professional
school counselors work in collaboration with the other school authorities
and with the parents of the students. For example, they cooperate with
teachers to better assist students with learning difficulties or behavioral
problems. At times, school counselors are tasked to prepare seminar to
facilitate teachers’ better understanding of the personality dynamics of
students. Though conferences, counselors collaborate with the parents to
best facilitate and promote excellent academic performance of the
students.
• Finally, counselors also collaborate with the mental health practitioners
when a student needs referral. For example, those with depression may
experience hormonal imbalance resulting in depressive moods. To
provide proper response to the circumstance, the professional help of a
psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist is needed.
8.ADVOCATES OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS AND STUDENTS-AT-RISK
• . Advocates of students with special needs and students-at-risk. Professional counselors
give attention to students with special needs-such as the athletes, honor students,
students with absentee parents, those with learning disabilities and other clinically
diagnosed students. They are special groups who need additional assistance to help
them cope better-by providing comprehensive assessment programs to better understand
and address their special needs. For example, students with absentee parents might have
stronger needs-in comparison with students whose parents are always around-for social
and emotional support. With this, the counselor may help them become engaged in
extracurricular activities or he or she could even organize a symposium that will help
them become more adjusted with their situation. With professional counselors also
concerned with the promotion of mental health, they could also organize activities that
will help students understand depression, anxiety, phobia or addiction
•Activity 1.1. Situational Analysis
•Objective: Determine the Roles and Functions of a counselor in given situations
•Directions:
•\
1. Identify what role and function is or not portrayed in given situations.
2. Provide the role and functions for each given situation. Provide explanation.

•Situation 1
•Counselor Manabat only sees that students who have financial capacity, deserve to
go to better schools. So he organizes career orientation for students who are in
middle class. He organizes a different career orientation for the others who cannot
afford.
•Roles and Function: ?
SITUATION 2

• Counselor Domingo, the LGBTQ+ community and students who have multicultural
backgrounds are all accepted in a Catholic school. So counselor Domingo provided a
seminar for all the incoming grade 11 and 12 students in the school.
• Roles and Function: ?
• Situation 3
• The school is having a crisis of academic performance for grades 11 and 12 students.
Their school is having a NAT next month. The principal tapped the services of
Guidance Counselor Morales for the students’ improvement and development. Ms.
Morales requested a meeting of both the parents, teachers and other related parties to
discuss some academic interventions and rehabilitation measures to promote
development of the learners.
• Roles and Function: ?
OBJECTIVE: EXECUTE SOME OF THE ROLES AND FUNCTIONS
COUNSELORS EXPERIENCE IN THEIR PREVIOUS OR
CURRENT INSTITUTION. YOU CAN BE THE COUNSELOR AND
PERFORM SOME OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNSELOR.

1.Career Development Specialists

= As a counselor I ______________________
2.Advocates of Students with special needs and students at risk
• =As a counselor I _____________________________________
3. Providers of Individual and Group Counseling
= As a counselor I_____________________________________
4.Agents of diversity and multiculturalism
=As a counselor I ______________________________________
•What have you learned?