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It is my duty as a school counselor to advocate for every student regardless of race, gender, sexual identity, religious belief, or disability. As a school counselor I must be aware of how these differences in my students can hinder success and according to ASCA Behavior guideline B-PF 6, understanding cultural differences is imperative to becoming an ethical counselor (ASCA, 2019). If I do not understand what background my student has, I may not be able to help with their success. ASCA B-PF 6 e explains that as a school counselor I must also be able to explain to other shareholders why cultural differences may be halting the student success (ASCA, 2019).

References:
American School Counselor Association (2019). The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (4th ed.). Alexandria. VA: American School Counselor Association.

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I believe that every student has the opportunity to be successful when they believe in themselves. According to the American School Counseling Association Mindset [ASCA] M 1, a school counselor must believe that every student can be successful (ASCA, 2019).  In order to be successful, the student must believe in their own success. A student will not be successful if they are making excuses for why they are not achieving their goals. ASCA Mindset M 2 for students expresses that students will be successful if they have confidence in themselves (ASCA, 2019). Success and achievement do not happen overnight. It is something that you must work towards. There will be some students who have to work harder than others. For example, those students who have a learning disability may need to study more than their peer who does not have a learning disability. With a positive mindset and drive, students will believe that they have the ability for achievement (ASCA, 2019).

References:
American School Counselor Association (2019). The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (4th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association.

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It is my goal that all of my students will be life-long learners through implementation strategies that value diversity, social skills and development. Students will learn to overcome objectives, make educated decisions and become influential assets to their communities.

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Article assessing role of school counselors and promoting mental health awareness in schools.

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Positive Impact of School Counseling Programs 

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Positive Impact of School Counseling Programs 

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Mental Health Models in Schools

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Identifying Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships.

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Recognizing Signs of Abuse

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The role of a counselor and how effective the school counselor program determines student success. According to the American School Counseling Association [ASCA], school counselors are required to assess their school counseling program as well as incorporate self-reflection on how effective the program is for their students (ASCA, 2019). After completing the self-assessment, I realized that I have a strong mindset for my students. I believe that all students have the ability to be successful and should have access to resources that will allow them to be successful (ASCA, 2019). If the students do not have those resources, it is my duty to obtain the resources for my students in order to aid in their success. An effective school counseling program will include all shareholders; teachers, parents, students, and administration, in order to promote student success (ASCA, 2019). In order for students to be successful, all shareholders must believe in the student as well as have the appropriate resources to aid in student success. I have always believed that everyone is capable for success and that we are in control of our own success. This belief will help me be a successful school counselor, because I will be able to empower my students by helping them through any obstacles they may have.

Additionally, I did fairly well on the Planning and Assessment section, specifically section B-PE 2, which relates to identifying gaps within the student body to promote success (ASCA, 2019). In order to adequately provide for your students, you must be able to determine which resources they need through assessment. Students who are absent more may be facing issues at home, therefore, they may require additional tutoring or even counseling to close the gap (ASCA, 2019). In order to understand if your school counseling program is effective, you must gather data in regard to the students and then compare that data to other schools in the district as well as the state (ASCA, 2019). Perhaps the students in your school are presenting an educational gap, you can take that data and compare it across different school counseling programs to further understand how to change the program to help the students.

I believe one of the number one places I need to improve on is Behaviors: Professional Foundation, specifically B-PF 6 about understanding cultural and social impacts on students (ASCA, 2019). I am a White female; therefore, my experiences will not be the same as my students who are from a different cultural background. I do believe that culture, race, gender, and environmental differences will have impacts on my students, and I need to be aware of those impacts. I will have to do more research on different cultures and expectations of my students in within their households to understand how that will reflect on their classroom behavior and successes. Additionally, I believe this relates back to ethics as well. I believe it is ethical for me as a school counselor to do the research on my students and their cultures in order for me to adequately help them. It is important to understand that culture, race, gender, and environmental differences will determine student success and if I do not understand those differences, I will not be able to assist my students in the way they need and the way they deserve.

References:

American School Counselor Association (2019). The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (4th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association.

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Harvard University Implicit Association Test: Gender and Career

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Harvard University Implicit Association Test: Gender and Career

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Harvard University also has a self-assessment for gender as it relates to your career. I completed the Gender-Science IAT. This assessment was to see if I associated hard science careers, such as engineering and mathematics, to men and liberal arts, such as teaching or art, careers to women (Project Implicit, 2011). Interestingly enough, I did not find myself overtly trying harder to ignore my bias. With this test, I did not feel like I had something to prove. Whereas with the gender bias test, I felt like I had to prove to myself there was no implicit bias there. I received a score of having little or no automatic association between males and females with science and liberal arts (Project Implicit, 2011). The results of this test were not really shocking to me. I have several female friends who have careers in engineering and math, which is a hard science. I also have several male friends who are teachers, which relates closely to liberal arts. As a result of my personal experiences, I believe this is the reason I have no real implicit bias towards gender and career. However, I believe the stereotype is that males tend to have a career in some sort of hard science or mathematics whereas females tend to lean towards careers favoring the arts.

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Harvard University Implicit Association Test: Weight 

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Harvard University Implicit Association Test: Weight 

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Harvard University produced several self-assessments to measure words, or associations with stereotypes (2011). I completed the Weight Implicit Association Test [IAT]. The test was interesting because I felt myself overthinking the associations rather than immediately pressing buttons. I felt like I wanted to try harder to not make myself appear biased in any way.

After completing the Weight IAT, my results determined that I have a moderate preference to thinner people over heavier set people (Project Implicit, 2011).  This means that it is easier for me to associate positive words such as, happy, smiling, or cheerful to people who are thinner rather than associating those positive words to heavier set people. At first, I was shocked by the results, I thought there was no way that I could have a preference. I know people who are heavier set who radiate positivity and thinner people who are nothing but negative. However, I had to sit back and think. I have worked for a company who is imaged based for over 10 years. I take pride in the company I work for as they are the reason I was able to put myself through my undergraduate program. They are the reason I am able to obtain my master’s degree as well. A lot of the ways I self-identify relates to this company and the pressure to maintain a certain image. I worry about my weight, I watch what I eat, I take into consideration how I look every day and I believe that ultimately that has caused me to have a preference towards thinner people. I realized that that simple bias can affect the way that I treat students I come across. Although this is not something I do willingly, it is something that I need to work on throughout this program and something that I must change in my career.