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Before I completed the School Counselor Competency assessment, I had the expectation that I would not be able to do most of the behavior items listed because I am so new to the counseling field. At this stage, I was correct but, I know that once I learn how to collect and analyze data I will be able to present it well. I did well with the Mindsets because those are beliefs. I truly believe every single mindset that the ASCA states a school counselor should have so I scored high in that area. The behaviors come with more knowledge and practice. I did not do so well in the Behaviors section as a whole because I have no experience in demonstrating most of the behaviors. Upon completion of the program, I will be competent in all areas because I will have the knowledge and practice.
The competencies really give insight on what a school counselor does and they do more than I realized. I never knew that counselors had the responsibility of collecting, compiling, and analyzing data. I must familiarize myself with all of the expectations of a school counselor and practice those expectations even before obtaining the certification.

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Transforming High School Counseling: Counselors' Roles, Practices, and Expectations for Students' Success

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Transforming High School Counseling: Counselors' Roles, Practices, and Expectations for Students' Success

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This is a peer-reviewed article on the impact of school counseling programs.

This article assesses school counselor roles and expectations contribute to high school students’ success. It emphasizes how important school counselors, and their programs are and stated that student with comprehensive counseling programs were well-rounded and better prepared for the future. It talks about the roles school counselors had in the past, goals on where progress can be made, and the expectations held for student success. In the study, a random selection of students, parents, and other staff members evaluated the current roles, goals, and implementation. The results show that the ultimate goal of school counselors is to assist in preparation for postsecondary life and help with improvement in students’ development. As a student, I experienced the old roles of just getting students into college, technical school, or military program. I never saw what the counselor did beyond that. There was never a consideration of other parts of a student’s life. I think the type of school counseling program depends on the school district and its location. The goal was to just get students to graduate high school and better themselves to get out of the neighborhood no matter what emotional issues were faced. I hope that students are getting more from school counselors since I have graduated.

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Freshman: Have students begin to explore career interests. Find out what each student has an interest in and match careers that involve those interests. Have students ask their families about their careers and how they ended up in that career. Ask students how they are adjusting to their new environment. Inform students about clubs, opportunities to gain community service hours, scholarships, and sports teams that are offered at the school. If the student shows a particular interest in a specific extracurricular activity, inform student of the academic responsibilities that are required to participate. Check on students periodically throughout the year to get to know them better and to check on their progress and adjustment. Have students draft a plan of what they want their high school career to look like up until graduation.

Sophomore: Begin thinking about post-secondary options and discussing the specifics of what schools they may want to attend whether community college, technical, or four-year universities. Conduct mental health checks with students to make sure they are well in more than just academics. Review the plan drafted during freshman year and make adjustments based on progress or change in interests. Ensure students are on track academically and intervene if students have lost their way. At this grade level, there is still time to get back on track.

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Personal Philosophy of School Counseling

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Personal Philosophy of School Counseling

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I believe that all students deserve to be advocated for by school counselors, should be provided a high-quality education, are unique and should be given a nurturing, safe environment, will succeed to their fullest potential, and that they have the right to be treated with respect and dignity and to be heard.

I believe that the role of a school counselor is to ensure all students reach a level of wholeness and have a balance between social/emotional, academic, and career/college readiness. School counselors need to advocate for every student so that they know that someone is there for them to help them be successful at every level. Advocacy can be demonstrated through fighting for programs that will benefit students or speaking up for students who have been given up on. I will defend all students and never let anyone tell a student that they will never amount to anything or that they are not capable of being successful.

My school counseling program is proactive, comprehensive, and an integral part of the educational program for student success. It monitors student progress and will be rewarding for myself and students to acknowledge their achievements. Through my program, students will become well-rounded citizens who will contribute to the world in a meaningful and fulfilling way.

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All students should be provided a safe place to be who they are. Without a safe space, students' academic lives, mental health, and social lives are put in jeopardy.

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Gender-Career and Race Implicit Bias Test Results

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Gender-Career and Race Implicit Bias Test Results

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My responses for the gender-career implicit bias test suggested a moderate automatic association for male with career and female with family. At first, I was surprised by these results but, upon further reflection, it made more sense. We are conditioned to normalize gender roles from birth. The results only tell part of my beliefs. Although I believe that women are caregivers, I also believe women can be career-oriented simultaneously. If I did not believe this, I would not be furthering my education to pursue a career in counseling while also being a parent. I do not believe that men can only be "breadwinners". From my experience, it is most common that men have careers and do not do as much care giving as women. I have also seen that women either sacrifice family for career, sacrifice career for family, or try to balance the two.
My responses for the race implicit bias test suggested a slight automatic preference for African Americans over European Americans. I am not surprised by this because people tend to gravitate towards other people that they have things in common with. I am pro-black but, that does not mean that I am anti-everyone else. This works for me because I plan to work in areas where African Americans are the majority. This group faces different problems and have a different experience of the world and I want to make a difference by helping students defy the odds.