VALUES AND BELIEFS OF A SCHOOL COUNSELOR

Values and Beliefs of a School Counselor

Values and Beliefs of a School Counselor

Introduction

A school counselor is a licensed professional educator trained to address the needs of students by implementing a standards-based school counseling program. School counselors are employed in elementary, middle/junior high, and senior high schools, and in postsecondary settings (Wrenn, 2006). Their work requires attention to developmental stages of student growth, as well as to the needs, tasks, and student interests related to those stages. School counselors work with all students, including those who are considered at risk and those who have special needs.

Although best known for their role in counseling students with mental health concerns, school counselors also are responsible for prevention and health promotion programs. They are specialists in human behavior and education, and they provide assistance to students through four primary interventions:

Counseling (individual and group)

Large-group guidance

Consultation

Coordination

Their school psychologist colleagues also work to optimize students' health and learning, but they typically provide assistance through consultation and assessment (Keat, 2005).

Discussion

Initially, school counselors were perceived to be providing services only to certain groups of students: those having personal adjustment problems and those who were college bound. (Gysbers, 2008) advocated that school counselors should focus on the developmental needs of all students rather than only on the needs of those who are at risk or college bound. His influence began the movement of the field of school counseling to developmental counseling.

Since the early 1990s, the focus of school counseling has been on the development and promotion of comprehensive school counseling programs. This movement rests on the philosophy of (Erford, 2006), who first developed the Comprehensive Guidance Program Model (CGPM) in the 1970s (Conant, 2006). The developmental approach differs from the traditional model of school counseling in significant ways. Table 6.1 contrasts the two perspectives.

To fully implement comprehensive school guidance and counseling programs, school counselors need to be clear about their professional identity. The program establishes the framework for an appropriate job description for school counselors and the basis for school counselors' professional identity. Historically, there has been debate about whether school counselors are counselors or educators. School counselors are both (Campbell, 2007). Their responsibilities include educator tasks, such as teaching (guidance curriculum) and guiding individual student planning, and counselor tasks, such as individual and small group counseling and consulting (responsive services). Program development and management, collaborating with colleagues and administrators, and reaching out to the community (system support) are tasks done by both counselors and educators (Baker, 2008).

While the program model is helping change the situation, school counselors still spend a disproportionate amount of time doing non-guidance tasks (e.g., administrative, clerical, instructional, or student supervision duties). With clear standards for the program, for school counselor competence, and for ethical behaviors and values, counselors will continue to replace these tasks with those that apply their professional competence (Wrenn, 2006). Additionally, having one vision for the program and school counselors' jobs provides a common language for school counselors across the United ...