A Guide to Practicum and Internship for School Counselors-in-Training

Jeannine R. Studer

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781317653332
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Psicologia
• Subtopic: Consulenza psicoterapeutica

A Guide to Practicum and Internship for School Counselors-in-Training, 2nd ed, covers all aspects of the practicum and internship experience, from the initial contact with supervisors to detailed descriptions of students' different roles. Readers will gain both an awareness of the school culture and the understanding needed to develop an individualized philosophy of school counseling. Specific topics covered include popular counseling theories used by school counselors, strategies for working with special populations of students, understanding the school counselor's role in utilizing the 2012 National Model of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) including the inherent elements and themes, putting the ASCA ethical standards into practice, and administration of day-to-day tasks. Each chapter contains activities, case studies, worksheets, and images to facilitate understanding, and all material presented is consistent with both the accreditation standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and the school counselor standards identified by the ASCA.

Section II
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model as a Structure for Understanding the Role of the Professional School Counselor

6
The ASCA National Model as a Supervisory Guide

Jeannine R. Studer

CACREP Standard

Counseling, Prevention, and Intervention

C. Knowledge

• 2. Knows how to design, implement, manage, and evaluate programs to enhance the academic, career, and personal/social (now renamed social/emotional) development of students.

Foundations

A. Knowledge

Understands current models of school counseling programs (e.g., American School Counselor Association [ASCA] National Model) and their integral relationship to the total educational program.

The purpose of this chapter is to:

• review the ASCA National Model
• introduce the ASCA National Model as a template for supervision
• discuss time percentage recommendations as a tool to guide supervisory activities.

Introduction

In recent years, the school reform movement has served as a catalyst for all school personnel to demonstrate how their programs contribute to the growth of all their students; school counselors are no exception. Although some people believe that educational accountability is a recent focus, demonstrating effectiveness has historically been an issue. Since “guidance workers,” now known as professional school counselors, first entered schools in the early part of the 20th century, people were curious as to how these professionals made a difference in the lives of students (Gysbers, 2004). As a profession we have been remiss in demonstrating contributions to student success despite the urging of our predecessors to prove how we are significant contributors to student growth. By now you have probably been introduced to a traditional approach to school counseling and how comprehensive, developmental school counseling (CDSC) programs have replaced this service-oriented approach with one that is proactive and preventive. In this chapter my intention is to assist you in understanding school counselor activities that mirror programming advocated by the ASCA.

A Summary of the Development of the Asca National Standards (Now Asca Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success)

The profession of school counseling has a relatively brief history. Yet, despite societal changes and historical efforts of leaders of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) to standardize our profession, counselors continued to perform numerous but different tasks. These tasks varied from school to school, grade to grade, and even among counselors within the same school setting.

The initial impetus behind our profession was the Industrial Revolution, in which there was a need to train school-aged youth for the emerging occupations that resulted from this event. Teachers were given this task with no training and no relief from their classroom responsibilities. Later, the push to compete with Russia’s “Sputnik” in the race for space drove the first “guidance counselors” to direct or guide students into the fields of math and science. Making a difference was measured by increased student enrollment in math and science majors in colleges and universities. In the 1960s and 1970s, the proliferating free spirit movement brought about greater recognition of concerns such as civil rights, women’s issues, and students with special needs. School personnel, including “guidance counselors,” were confronted with increasing student diversity and legislative mandates and requirements that supplemented their already existing responsibilities. As a result, school counselors responded to these cumulative issues from a reactive stance rather than proactively engaging in prevention activities. Slowly, there was a shift in evaluating essential tasks, and with this awareness there was a change in the vocational title from “guidance counselor” to professional school counselor. (Unfortunately, I am aware that even today, not all school counselors embrace this title and continue to refer to themselves as guidance counselors.)

The ASCA responded to the demand for educational reform by standardizing the school counselor role and developed the ASCA National Standards (revised in 2012 to ASCA Student Standards, and recently renamed the Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success). Initially implemented in 1997, these standards identify student competencies and indicators in the academic, career, and personal/social (renamed social/emotional) domains. In 2003 these standards were incorporated into the first edition of the ASCA National Model, which serves as a prototype of a comprehensive, developmental school counseling (CDSC) program (ASCA, 2012). The model contributes to legitimatizing the school counseling profession and assists school counselors as they reorganize and reconstruct their traditional approach to working with students and other constituents. The National Model was revised in 2012 to reflect the trends of the profession (ASCA, 2012).

A Review of a CDSC Program

The fundamental philosophy underlying ASCA supported programs is to create “unity and focus toward improving student achievement” (ASCA, 2012, p. xii). In addition, the ASCA National Model (2012):

• ensures that all students have equal access to a rigorous curriculum that is delivered systematically,
• identifies the knowledge and skills all students are to acquire upon graduation from high school,
• emphasizes data collection and analysis to make informed decisions.

The foundation, delivery, accountability, and management components are the organizational structures of the ASCA National Model and provide guidelines for school counselors in leading a CDSC program (American School Counselor Association, 2012). Core themes of leadership, advocacy, collaboration and teaming, and systemic change are repeated throughout the components to emphasize the vital services school counselors perform within these areas (Education Trust, 2009). The ASCA National Model is shown in Figure 6.1.

Historically, the school counselor’s role and identity changed as economic, political, and social variables influenced educational initiatives, and the ASCA continually advocated for school counselors and their contributions to the educational mission of the institute. Yet, there continues to be debate as to the primary role of professional school counselors. Today, with the growing numbers of students who display risky behaviors, there is a growing need for school counselors to engage in prevention and risk management (Joe &; Bryant, 2007). In a study by Harris and Jeffery (2010), school counselors reported working with students in such high-risk behaviors as suicide attempts, self-mutilation, bullying, and eating disorders. Yet some participants in this study believed that despite their interactions with students’ high-risk behaviors, this was not their role (Harris &; Jeffery, 2010). Others (Brown &; Trusty, 2005) believe that school counselors can show their contributions to student growth by “establishing the efficacy of interventions that increase academic achievement” (p. 14). Comparatively, in a study by Amatea and Clark (2005), administrators believed that the school counselor’s role was to serve as a collaborator with other teachers, parents, administrators, etc., to improve student growth. To add even more confusion, the ASCA position statement on the role of the professional school counselor states, “professional school counselors are certified/licensed educators… making them uniquely qualified to address all students’ academic, career and personal/social development needs” (ASCA, n.d.). Therefore, a fundamental professional identity question remains, “is the school counselor a mental health expert who works in an educational setting, an educator who works with social/emotional and career concerns to increase academic growth, or a collaborator with others?”

Figure 6.1 ASCA National Model. Reprinted with permission from the American School Counselor Association (2012). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, third edition.

Conceptual Application Activity 6.1

Discuss these issues with your site supervisor and learn about his/her perceptions on school counseling. In class, share what you learned from your site supervisor with your peers and discuss your perception of the school counselor’s role in the school.

Regardless of how you see yourself within the school setting, the ASCA National Model is a template for you to utilize during your clinical experiences and when you transition into a role as a professional school counselor. The Foundation component serves as the what of the program (ASCA, 2012) or a supporting program base. The Delivery component describes direct and indirect student services. The Accountability component is designed for program analysis and decision making, and the Management component stipulates tools and assessments for addressing program needs (ASCA, 2012).

Box 6.1

School counselor interns at the high school level are more likely to receive experience in individual planning than are middle and elementary sch...