School Counseling Philosophy
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University of Tennessee, Martin *
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781
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Philosophy
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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docx
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Uploaded by LieutenantEelMaster1058
Sarah Tatum’s School Counseling Philosophy
School Counselor as a Systems Change Agent
School counselors act as systems change agents by creating and cultivating environments that stimulate and support student success. School counselors fulfill outcome goals for students by collaborating with administrators, teachers and staff, families, and other stake holders to support the improvement of achievement, attendance, and discipline. School counselors can serve on committees to inspire student success and help in creating schoolwide and district support for the school counseling program (ASCA, 2019a). As stated by Tatum (2021), school counselors advocate to help close the achievement gap
by creating programs which encourage growth, while collaborating with school staff, teachers, families, administrators, and community organizations (Erford, 2019). I have begun working with the school district’s health coordinator to establish a student health council that will promote a variety of issues, such as decreased drug and alcohol use, decrease in bullying, increase in mental health awareness, and overall awareness for student health in general.
School Counselor as an Advocate
According to the ASCA National Model
(ASCA, 2019a), advocacy is a fundamental part of the new concept for school counseling in the
school counseling program framework (ASCA, 2019a). In addition, leadership is one of the four skills needed to effectively integrate the ASCA National Model
(ASCA, 2019a) and is associated with advocacy. I can advocate for my students by demonstrating strong leadership skills, while maintaining a vision for change, discussing the vision effectively with other stake holders, supporting creative and required changes, and promoting perseverance.
School Counselor Values and Beliefs Instrumental to Personal Success
There are values and beliefs school counselors should have to be successful, such as honesty, integrity, and respect. I always want to be honest and show integrity with my students and their families, along with the teachers at my school to ensure our relationship remains professional and beneficial. When they can trust me, I can better assist them when they need my help. Respecting the students and their families’ beliefs and values is also essential in maintaining that relationship so that they remain open to my viewpoint when they come to me for help (ASCA, 2022). My personal success reflects how successfully I am helping others.
School Counselor’s Role in Promoting Academic, Career, and Personal/Social Development
School counselors educate students in ways to advocate for themselves in academic, career, and personal/social-emotional development by helping them form healthy goals, mindsets, and behaviors. School counselors teach students skills in collaboration and cooperation, how to practice perseverance, skills in time management and studying, and healthy self-direction habits (ASCA, 2022).
A comprehensive school counseling program is a critical component an educational program where school counselors can support student’s educational performance and form the foundation for career and college readiness along with personal and social development. I will use my comprehensive school counseling program to support the mission of the school district through guidance lessons, individual counseling, group counseling, referrals, and peer assistance (Tatum, 2021).
School Counselor’s Role in Crisis Intervention
School counselors have many responsibilities, and being trained in crisis response will help when they are in a crisis or need to be accessible last minute (Tatum, 2021). School
counselors promote school safety, redirect unsafe or unhealthy behaviors, and make mental health referrals as needed when implementing a school counseling program. School counselors are critical resources for preventing violence, responding if violence occurs, or intervening when there is a concern about potential violence. As a school counselor, I will ensure I am knowledgeable of the roles of mental health providers and first responders in my community to guarantee I know who to contact during a crisis (ASCA, 2019b). Planning
School counselors observe the school environment and use data to identify and address achievement and opportunity gaps and unfair school policies in areas such as attendance, disciplinary issues, referrals to the school counseling department, grades, test scores, college admissions rates, college entrance exam scores, and college graduation rates (Erford, 2019; Tatum, 2021). ASCA code A.4.b states that school counselors provide and advocate for student’s
career awareness and postsecondary planning and decision-making to support their right to choose from various options, such as college, career and technical school, military, or workforce (ASCA, 2022). As a school counselor, I will help all students by offering a school counseling program that provides an array of information for career and college readiness.
School Counselor’s Role in Accountability Using Data to Inform Decision Making
School counselors use data to differentiate how school, district, and state educational policies, procedures, and practices encourage or inhibit student success (ASCA, 2019a; Tatum, 2021). School counselors are accountable in using data to guarantee services are impartial and every student receives the advantages of the school counseling program. As a data-responsive school counselor, I can use the data collected to determine what strategies, interventions, and activities are effective and what needs to be modified (ASCA, 2019a).
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School Counselor’s Role in Student Assistant Programs, Curriculum, and Advisory Meetings
Student assistant programs offer help with identifying concerns including alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and mental health issues which hinder a student’s success. As a school counselor,
I can advocate for these needs of all students by offering instruction that improves awareness of mental health and substance abuse (ASCA, 2020). Through my comprehensive school counseling program, I can offer a curriculum that improves that student’s personal/social-
emotional development, academic success, and career development. My role for the advisory council includes setting the purpose and function, determining the chairperson, membership size and terms, thinking of candidates for membership, determining dates for the meetings and determining topics for meetings (ASCA, 2021).
Personal Strengths and Desired Improvements, Including a Brief Improvement Plan
My personal strengths including good listening skills, so the students feel acknowledged, communication skills so they feel comfortable talking to me, analytical skills to determine what to do with given data, and the ability to show empathy to let the students feel like their feelings matter. An area I would like to improve is being more authoritative. I will work to cultivate the capability to take control of emotional or traumatic situations. I will practice being confident and considerate in intense situations so I can be a good leader for the students and their families.
References
American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-
f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf
American School Counselor Association. (2021). The ASC National Model: School Counseling Advisory Council (4
th
ed.). Retrieved from https://cdn.videos.schoolcounselor.org/wp-
content/uploads/2021/08/08162128/Advisory-Council.pdf
American School Counselor Association. (2019a). The ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (4
th
ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.
American School Counselor Association. (2019b). The school counselor and safe schools and crisis response. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-
Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Safe-Schools-and-Crisis-R
American School Counselor Association. (2020). The school counselor and student mental health. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-
Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Student-Mental-
Health#:~:text=School%20counselors%20advocate%20for%20the,resources%20for
%20long%2Dterm%20support
.
Erford, B. T. (2019).
Transforming the school counseling profession
(5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. ISBN: 9780134610597.
Tatum, S. (2021). School Counseling Collaborative Model. School of Counselor Education and Family Studies, Liberty University.
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