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Section 4

School Counselor Interview Justina Wills

"My role as a school counselor is to support the students, faculty, staff, community, and parents. There is not a typical day in counseling and I love it! No two days have been alike since I have started. One hour you might have a student that is suicidal, the next hour you might have an irate parent, and the next hour you might just be doing schedule changes. You just never know! I am still learning how to make decisions about allocating time with many demands. I have had to learn how to say no. You will figure out what real emergencies are. When most people come into guidance, they think that their issue is automatically an emergency but in the grand scheme of things some issues can wait until later in the day or until the next day. I try my best to prioritize by level of urgency. I feel like my position as a school counselor is an important one. It has been an adjustment from being in the classroom, teaching English just last year. There are a lot of things in the counseling position that you are asked to look at from a leadership or administrative standpoint. However, I am fresh out of the classroom so I see things from a teacher's standpoint too. For example, when it comes to scheduling, I will see that there are 34 students in one class and from a teacher's standpoint, I hate that but from an administrative standpoint, I see there there is no other option. In my current school setting, strategies for career development, individual counseling, assessments of students, and large group guidance are most frequently used. Group counseling is something that is least frequently used in my current school setting. However, I know at our elementary schools group counseling is something that is used quite frequently. In my current school setting, academic failure and peer relationships are problems of greatest concern, especially with the ninth graders, which is who I deal with the most. The counselors at our school promote the school counseling program by resources on our website and pamphlets that have been designed to demonstrate all the services that are offered. We receive a lot of money from our military populations and grants to fund the program. We keep records for the program through copies of letters that are sent home, RTI folders, college and career spreadsheets, and documentation through emails." (Wills, 2015)

Section 3 (continued)

How do you see the role and function of the school counselor?

I see the role and function of the school counselor as a vital asset to every school. I believe that students would have a harder time being successful without a school counselor present at their school. The school counselor is the only person that can provide classroom guidance, individual student planning, responsive services, and system support.

What is your most pressing concern as you think of yourself in the process of becoming a school counselor?

The only concern that I have as I think of myself in the process of becoming a school counselor is being able to balance everything. School counselors have so many responsibilities and every responsibility is so important to the success of the students and the school. I will want to make sure that I am completing every task at the highest level possible.

What is your theoretical orientation to counseling?

Section 3

What role will my values play in the counseling process?

My values play a role in everything I do in my life so I know that my values will play a role in the counseling process. I am confident that I will be able to separate my personal beliefs from the counseling process when it is necessary. Being a teacher, I have been faced with situations where I knew I could not let my personal beliefs get in the way of counseling a student. Before anything, I will value the Ethical Standards for School Counselors while I am counseling students.

Why do I want to be a school counselor?

I think I relate most to the cognitive-behavioral theory. "Cognitive-behaviorist believe in the role of social learning in childhood development, and the ideas of modeling and reinforcement. People's personalities come from these experiences in which they are involved in critical learning, identification of appropriate (and inappropriate) thoughts and feelings, and imitation of these behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. So, in other words, if your parents act like snooty, uptight individuals all their lives, and treat other people with little dignity or respect, you, as a child, would learn to do much of the same thing. If your parents don't cry when they're emotional, you may also learn to hide your feelings and not cry when you're emotional. Children learn by observing and imitating. This is social learning theory." (Grohol, 2015)

What role will your reaction patterns play in the counseling process?

Section 3 (continued)

I tend to react in a way that is always agreeable with students to make them feel comfortable opening up to me. I know that this is something I am going to have to become better with because there are so many times that I am going to have to disagree with a student and provide them with specific feedback to guide them to make right decisions. I know I will be able to work on this through my practicum hours and my internship. I always want to give students the best advice and guidance, even if it is not necessarily the advice they want to hear.

Being a teacher for the past six years, I have felt like I was already a counselor in many ways. Once you have created a rapport with students, they confide in you and want your advice and guidance. This is where my desire to become a school counselor began. I will love when I can have official sessions with students to help guide them through their issues and situations. Also, I am the oldest of five children and my instincts have always been to help guide young ones throughout their life.

Discuss a specific value conflict, which could arise between you as a school counselor and a client, and discuss in depth the issues that are involved in resolving and dealing with this value conflict.

Select a specific value that you hold and discuss how that value might work for you or against you (and your client).

What is hard for me is to disagree with a student when they are clearly in the wrong. I have realized that I have a fault of telling people what they want to hear. Although this gains their trust and helps them continue to open up to me, sometimes people need to hear the honest truth and that is something I need to work on. I know I am good at clarifying comments made by a student but giving really beneficial feedback is something that I would like to come more natural for me. I know that giving specific feedback would help a student expand on a thought and give me more information so this is something I definitely need to improve.

A situation that I know I will probably face if I become a secondary school counselor is a pregnant student coming to me for help and advice. Although I have my own beliefs about abortion, I know that I will need to provide the student with every possible option and support that student in any decision the student makes. It is not my job to try to convince a student to make a certain decision based on my personal beliefs. My job will be to provide support and guidance and help a student get through this difficult situation. I look forward to being able to help all students in various situations regardless of my personal values or beliefs.

How will your cultural background, cultural values, and life experiences impact you in counseling clients who are culturally different from you?

I believe that a person's cultural background, cultural values, and life experiences will impact them in everything they do in life. Therefore, I know that my background, values, and experiences will have an impact on my counseling sessions with clients that are different from me. I think that a lot of the time I will be dealing with students that either have a different background than me, different values than me, or different life experiences than me. I am fully confident that I will be able to provide every student with the same level of guidance and advice regardless of their background, values, or life experiences. I grew up in a military family so I have always been exposed to people with different backgrounds, values, and life experiences. I know this will play a role in me being successful in dealing with students from different backgrounds, values, and life experiences.

Ethical Situations

Child abuse, pregnant student, suicidal client, and keeping client records

Suicidal Client

Child Abuse Report

D.1. Responsibilities to the School

b. Inform appropriate officials,in accordance with school policy, of conditions that may be potentially disruptive or damaging to the school's mission, personnel and property while honoring the confidentiality between the student and the school counselor. (Legal, 2015)

A.7 Danger to Self or Others

Professional school counselors:

a. Inform parents/guardians and/or appropriate authorities when a student poses a danger to self or others. This is to be done after careful deliberation and consultation with other counseling professionals.

b. Report risk assessments to parents when they underscore the need to act on behalf of a child at risk; never negate a risk of harm as students sometimes deceive in order to avoid further scrutiny and/or parental notification.

c. Understand the legal and ethical liability for releasing a student who is in danger to self or others without proper and necessary support for that student. (Legal, 2015)

Keeping Client Records

Pregnant Student

One thing to remember in this situation is that as the counselor, you cannot make a decision for the pregnant student. So, it would be important to have a list of resources to help her in her decision about her pregnancy. It is very important for her to tell her parents earlier rather than later so the counselor could focus on them speaking to one another. The counselor should offer for the parents to come to the school where the student can tell them in a safe environment and the counselor should be willing to sit with the student to offer support as she told them. In this situation, there are many options so after the parents were informed of the pregnancy, the counselor should encourage them to visit with a clergyman or other person who can help them figure out the next steps as they navigate this difficult situation. If the student decides to continue with her pregnancy, the counselor should help her with her school schedule and home schooling options as she gets further along or after the baby is born.

A.8. Student Records

Professional school counselors:

a. Maintain and secure records necessary for rendering professional services to the student as required by laws, regulations, institutional procedures and confidentiality guidelines.

b. Keep sole-possession records or individual student case notes separate from students' educational records in keeping with state laws.

c. Recognize the limits of sole-possession records and understand these records are a memory aid for the creator and in absence of privileged communication may be subpoenaed and may become educational records when they are shared or are accessible to others in either verbal or written form or when they include information other than professional opinion or personal observations.

d. Establish a reasonable timeline for purging sole-possession records or case notes. Suggested guidelines include shredding sole possession records when the student transitions to the next level, transfers to another school or graduates. Apply careful discretion and deliberation before destroying sole-possession records that may be needed by a court of law such as notes on child abuse, suicide, sexual harassment or violence.

e. Understand and abide by the FERPA, 1974, which safeguards student's records and allows parents to have a voice in what and how information is shared with others regarding their child's educational records. (Legal, 2015)

Section 2

Ethical Situations

1. Define the problem emotionally and intellectually

2. Apply the ASCA Ethical Standards and the law

3. Consider the students' chronological and developmental levels

4. Consider the setting, parental rights and minors' rights

5. Apply the moral principles

6. Determine Your potential courses of action and their consequences

7. Evaluate the selected action

8. Consult

9. Implement the course of action (Legal, 2015)

Professional Identity Project

Professional Orientation

Meghan Dunn

Teachers Administrators

Portfolio development

Classroom guidance

School-to-work transition programs

Academic support

Classroom speakers

At-risk student identification

School climate

Academic support interventions

Behavioral management plans

School-wide needs assessments

Data sharing

Student assistance team development

Section 1

The Professional identity of the School Counselor

Community

What is the role of a school counselor?

What does a school counselor do?

“School counselors are professional educators with a mental health perspective who understand and respond to the challenges presented by today’s diverse student population.” (Legal, 2015)

School counselors provide classroom guidance, goal setting, individual and small group counseling, and professional development.

Sources

What is the need for a school counselor?

School counselors “help ensure that [students] are prepared to become the next generation of parents, workers, leaders, and citizen”, every student needs support, guidance, and opportunities during adolescence, a time of rapid growth and change. Adolescents face unique and diverse challenges, both personally and developmentally, that impact academic achievement." (Legal, 2015) This is why school counselors are needed.

What are the duties of a school counselor?

Job shadowing

Crisis interventions

Referrals

Career education

School counselors collaborate with parents, students, teachers, administrators, and the community to provide various forms of support.

Parents Students

Grohol, John. "Types of Therapies." Psych Central.com. 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.

Legal & Ethical | American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors-members/legal-ethical

Why Secondary School Counselors | American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors- members/careers-roles/why-secondary-school-counselors

Wills, J. (2015, November 5). Meeting Justina Wills [Personal interview].

Academic support services

Program planning

Peer education program

Peer mediation program

Crisis management

Transition programs

Academic planning/support

Post-secondary planning

Scholarship/financial search process

School-to-parent communications

School-to-work transition programs

One-on-one parent conferencing

Referral process

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