Role of the school counselor
ASCA asks the question, "How are students different because of what school counselors do" (ASCA, 2012)? Answering this specific question helps define the role of the professional school counselor. Many people are unsure of what the role of a professional school counselor is within the schools. Professional school counselors help students with academic development, career development, and personal/social development, as outlined by the ASCA National Standards in the areas of foundation, delivery, management and accountability (ASCA, 2012). Professional school counselors work hard to create equity in the school by providing services to all students. These services include individual counseling, group counseling, guidance presentations, career counseling, and any necessary educational programs or workshops (ASCA, 2012). Each school counseling program is unique. However, it is important to create a curriculum that advocates for the students while providing resources that promote equity within the school.
The ASCA National Model describes the roles of a school counselor using foundation, delivery, management, and accountability (ASCA, 2012). The foundation of one's program, as described in the professional artifacts section, is what the program is based off. For example, a person has to do research and decide what curriculum best fit their school's needs. This is also the time when school counselors present their ideas to the school board and administration for approval. Delivery is the aspect of school counseling that most people think of when discussing what a school counselor is. This includes individual counseling, group counseling, psycho-educational presentations, and any other direct services the school counselor provides. Management includes all of the activities that a school counselor does to maintain his or her program and curriculum. Accountability is how a school counselor shows that he or she is an effective counselor by proving that the programs and the curriculum provided for students is helping them learn and succeed.
The ASCA National Standards outline the roles of a school counselor in the statement attached below.
The ASCA National Model describes the roles of a school counselor using foundation, delivery, management, and accountability (ASCA, 2012). The foundation of one's program, as described in the professional artifacts section, is what the program is based off. For example, a person has to do research and decide what curriculum best fit their school's needs. This is also the time when school counselors present their ideas to the school board and administration for approval. Delivery is the aspect of school counseling that most people think of when discussing what a school counselor is. This includes individual counseling, group counseling, psycho-educational presentations, and any other direct services the school counselor provides. Management includes all of the activities that a school counselor does to maintain his or her program and curriculum. Accountability is how a school counselor shows that he or she is an effective counselor by proving that the programs and the curriculum provided for students is helping them learn and succeed.
The ASCA National Standards outline the roles of a school counselor in the statement attached below.
Role of a School Counselor | |
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It is also important to understand what schools are looking for when hiring professional school counselors. I have attached three example job descriptions below provided by the ASCA website.
Elementary Job Description | |
File Size: | 23 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Middle School Job Description | |
File Size: | 23 kb |
File Type: | doc |
High School Job Description | |
File Size: | 24 kb |
File Type: | doc |