Improving School Counseling Programs
The role of professional school counselors in schools is continuously evolving. Research suggests, “A major role of the school counselor has been that of teacher consultation to help students achieve in school (Gysbers & Henderson, 2000; Myrick, 2003). With the increased emphasis on academic achievement apparent in our nation's schools today, it is clear that collaboration with teachers is essential to provide the best services for students with regard to their academic, career development, and social/ emotional needs (Bemak, 2000).” In order to provide a comprehensive counseling program which impacts all aspects of the school, teacher feedback and collaboration is essential. As a counselor, I would love to know your thoughts on the following (or just one) questions pulled from a study by Clark (2004):
1. What do classroom teachers perceive to be the counseling and guidance needs of their school and how might these needs be addressed by the school counselor(s)?
2. What types of services do teachers perceive that school counselors engage in and what activities would they like them to engage in?
3. What do teachers report as helpful strategies that counselors might use to deliver such services?
1. What do classroom teachers perceive to be the counseling and guidance needs of their school and how might these needs be addressed by the school counselor(s)?
2. What types of services do teachers perceive that school counselors engage in and what activities would they like them to engage in?
3. What do teachers report as helpful strategies that counselors might use to deliver such services?
posted by MollyM at 6:40 AM
7 Comments:
A high school counselor plays a very important role in the student's educational career. I have always been under the impression that the counselor helps student achievement in three different areas. First, counselors develop a student's course of study. Looking at the student's abilities, the student is placed in the appropriate classes to achieve his or her educational goals. Second, counselors provide resources for post-secondary placements. This might include college fairs, vocational placements, or military options. Lastly, the counselors provide an initial emotional support for students. At the high school level, students need a safe place to express personal issues and problems.
As a teacher, I prefer to work closely with the counselors in order to gain knowledge of the student’s strengths and challenges. There have been many times this year that I have worked with counselors to write IEP’s and deal with behavioral concerns. It has been through these experiences that students have responded very positively.
I would agree that in some ways it should be considered a partnership on working with students. We as teachers use counselors as a tool to improve the educational experience with students. I have found a major use concerning counselors is communication with my students and their parents. Students/parents express themselves sometimes better with counselors. As a teacher if this can help then I am always for the assistance.
I think that Paul has outlined quite well the roles and responsibilities of a high school counselor. I not only view counselors from a teacher’s perspective, but also from that of a parent of a sixteen year old. I very much believe that my daughter’s counselor will (and does) assist her with designing a successful high school course schedule to meet her academic goals. As she nears graduation next year, Katie’s counselor has been providing, and will continue to provide, post-graduate assistance and guidance. It is also my hope that my daughter sees her counselor as a safe person to go to for emotional support should that need arise. As an educator, communicating and collaborating with a counselor, with the abovementioned roles and responsibilities in mind, only makes sense if I want students to have the best chance at succeeding in school.
Mark raises the point that the counselor may sometimes act as a bridge between teacher, student, and parents. Depending on the dynamics of the family situation, this “bridge” role may be crucial to a student’s success. Sometimes having a counselor act as a communicator helps all concerned parties truly hear the messages that are being stated.
I myself admire the counselors because between dealing with schedule changes, behavior problems and referrals, being an emotional place for students to go to keeping up on the students' academic progress, and playing a role in helpng students decide their future- there is so much going on- did I even get it all? I think counselors and teachers relationship is important in helping the students and maintaining open communication is the key. If I wonder what is going on with a student due to absences or some other reason, before I contact home I find myself contacting the conselor to see if there is anything I should know. In a way, I almost feel bad that I have to write a referral to the counselors bu that also the counseling office is a safe place where students should go. It is the shared responsibility of punisher and comforter.
I have been for the most part really happy working with the counselors and no complaints with the newbies! When I write e-mails inquiring what's going on I really appreciate the timely responses and find them very helpful. I admit that sometimes I find myself asking for guidance from the counselors for myself to know what to do with certain situations.
I think it's great that the counselors have little mingling sessions with different departments too. This time spent makes you guys feel more accessible!
I agree with Paul and the three things a counselor should provide to a high school. The counselor is there to develop and guide the path the student will take not only during their tenure at the high school but also in their lives after high school. I would like to see more opportunity presented to all students as for choices of college/careers. Not all students should go to college or be pushed toward college. The counselors should be supportive of a student’s decision to attend a trade school. They should provide resources to these students. Like most high schools, we have several colleges that attend our school to present the benefits of their college/university. How many unions or trade schools do we have attend to provides students with this information? We have many students at school who would be great at construction, a pipe fitter, or even a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). Hopefully career day will help to identify these students.
I agree with Paul's assessment of the roles of counselors in the high school setting. As a special education teacher, the working relationship between me and the guidance counselors of the students on my caseload is critical to student success. Frequently there are too many issues for one person to deal with and working as a team to assist a student keeps both the special education teacher and the guidance counselor on the same page and working toward a common goal of student success. There are also times when students and parents ask me questions either informally or at IEP meetings that are out of my realm of expertise. These are times when having the student's guidance counselor present is a real benefit to me as a special education teacher.
In order for a school to provide quality education and counseling to all students, it is very important for teachers and guidance counselors to work together and build on each other's knowledge to benefit students.
I think counselors play an essential role as intermediaries. They are often intermediaries between students and teachers, teacher and parents, and sometimes even students and parents. They are skilled listeners and often can diffuse the tension in a situation to make it easier to compromise. I think we should look at counselors as our allies in creating a more positive, stable, and successful environment for all students.
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