I sincerely believe that today’s educator has a unique opportunity to impact the future of our diverse world. Professional school counselors are educators who share in this great task by designing and implementing comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs that champion the success of all students; however, the school counselor must first take the time to have clarity about their school counseling philosophy and mission statement for the school counseling program. In this paper, it is my hope to clearly articulate my school counseling philosophy, as well as my personal mission statement as an aspiring professional school counselor.
School Counseling Philosophy
For a comprehensive school counseling program to be effective, there …show more content…
The first component, foundation, dictates how the school counseling program is managed and delivered. The last component, accountability, determines how students are different as a result of the program. For example, a professional school counselor must lay the foundation of a comprehensive school counseling program by developing a school counseling philosophy and personal mission statement. By identifying personal beliefs, and envisioning student outcomes through a vision statement that aligns with the school’s mission, student competencies, and standards. School counselors are also held to professional standards that include knowledge, skill, and attitudes that ensure they are equipped to maintain “integrity, leadership, and professionalism” as outlined in the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors (Stone, 2013). These elements lay the foundation for how the counseling program will be …show more content…
This includes monitoring the use of time to protect the roles and responsibilities of school counselors. For example, it is recommended that counselors spend at least 80% or more time spend towards direct and indirect services with students. Annual agreements are developed annually with administrators to ensure the school counseling program has goals for the school year. Another element of management are organizing an advisory council, comprised of students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community stakeholders, that provide feedback, input, and evaluation of the school counseling program (Erford, 2015). Use of data is utilized to measure student progress, program results, and evaluate the need for systemic change. Action plans for the use of curriculum in classroom guidance, small groups, individual counseling, as well as weekly and annual calendars that keep everyone informed about important dates and the whereabouts of the school counselor in case of an emergency.
The final component, accountability, is the program component that is used to validate the effectiveness of a comprehensive school counseling program in measureable terms (ASCA, 2012). The use of program evaluations and data are key in demonstrating significance the school counseling program has had on promoting student achievement, behavior, attendance, college acceptance and a variety of measurable
School Counseling Philosophy
For a comprehensive school counseling program to be effective, there …show more content…
The first component, foundation, dictates how the school counseling program is managed and delivered. The last component, accountability, determines how students are different as a result of the program. For example, a professional school counselor must lay the foundation of a comprehensive school counseling program by developing a school counseling philosophy and personal mission statement. By identifying personal beliefs, and envisioning student outcomes through a vision statement that aligns with the school’s mission, student competencies, and standards. School counselors are also held to professional standards that include knowledge, skill, and attitudes that ensure they are equipped to maintain “integrity, leadership, and professionalism” as outlined in the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors (Stone, 2013). These elements lay the foundation for how the counseling program will be …show more content…
This includes monitoring the use of time to protect the roles and responsibilities of school counselors. For example, it is recommended that counselors spend at least 80% or more time spend towards direct and indirect services with students. Annual agreements are developed annually with administrators to ensure the school counseling program has goals for the school year. Another element of management are organizing an advisory council, comprised of students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community stakeholders, that provide feedback, input, and evaluation of the school counseling program (Erford, 2015). Use of data is utilized to measure student progress, program results, and evaluate the need for systemic change. Action plans for the use of curriculum in classroom guidance, small groups, individual counseling, as well as weekly and annual calendars that keep everyone informed about important dates and the whereabouts of the school counselor in case of an emergency.
The final component, accountability, is the program component that is used to validate the effectiveness of a comprehensive school counseling program in measureable terms (ASCA, 2012). The use of program evaluations and data are key in demonstrating significance the school counseling program has had on promoting student achievement, behavior, attendance, college acceptance and a variety of measurable