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Attached is an example of what a high school counselor may work with seniors to complete on their personal plan of study. A huge role of a school counselor is to help students prepare for life beyond high school. This can include helping students learn about their personal strengths and goals they have for their life.
Goals of Lesson: There are multiple goals within this lesson plan. The first goal is to have students define college and career readiness and its importance. This allows students to see the value of creating action steps for the goals they set forth for themselves. The second goal is for students to identify the key components of college and career readiness through research. This goal will help students to outline the necessary steps they must take to fulfill post-secondary requirements. The third goal to explore resources and tools for career planning. In this case, the Personal Plan of Study Review for Seniors handout is a great tool for students to complete to help assist in their career planning. The last goal is for students to be able to set personal goals for college and career readiness. After completing the handout, students will have the opportunity to rethink and revise their learning plans.
Challenges of Lesson: One challenge that could arise from this lesson plan is having students take it seriously. Some of the population may be eager to plan out their lives, while others may find the task daunting and not be interested in completing the assessment. At the high school level, some may have had limited exposure to different career options and industries. They may not be fully aware of the many opportunities that exist beyond the commonly discussed careers. These are the two main challenges that I foresee when implementing this lesson.

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Define: School Counselor Competency and Reflection 

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Define: School Counselor Competency and Reflection 

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Vision Statement: Lead a transformative school counseling program that empowers students to achieve their full potential emotionally, academically, and socially, fostering a school culture that values personal growth, equity, and inclusivity.

Core Beliefs:
1. Every Student Deserves Support: I firmly believe that each student has a unique background and deserves to have access to support, guidance, and resources to thrive in their educational journey. I am committed to ensuring that resources are provided to each student that I serve.

2. Student-Centered Approach: My counseling program will prioritize the individual needs and well-being of my students. I am dedicated to understanding their challenges, strengths, and future aspirations to better provide personalized support.

3. Inclusivity and Equity: I am committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment where all students feel respected, valued, and safe. I will actively work to eliminate barriers and address disparities to ensure equal opportunities are given to all.

4. Collaborative Partnerships: It is important for me to build strong relationships with teachers, parents, administrators, and community partners. By working together, we can create a comprehensive network of support for students.

5. Data-Informed Decision-Making: My counseling services will be evidence-based, and will rely heavily on data and assessments to guide interventions. I will continuously evaluate the effectiveness of my programs based on data. By looking at the data, I will be able to make improvements and ensure accountability.

6. Prevention and Resilience: While I will always address immediate concerns, I believe in fostering resilience and providing life skills, like emotional regulation and problem-solving, is equally important in their overall development.

My Personal School Counseling Philosophy is driven by the belief that all students deserve support, personalized guidance, and equitable opportunities. My services are centered on inclusivity, collaboration, and data-informed decision-making, and the proactive approach of emotional well-being and life skills. My vision is to lead a school counseling program that transforms lives to shape students to be productive members of society.

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This article outlines many studies that outline positive ways that a school counseling has on schools. The studies highlighted in the article helped me recognize the impact that school counseling has on students' academic achievement, personal development, and overall well-being. These studies highlight and reinforce the importance of school counseling as a critical component of the educational system. It was neat to see the multiple ways that counseling programs can help students. There are multiple domains that counselors can focus on to help and multiple program implementation routes to take. It validates my reasoning to becoming a school counselor and the positive impact they can have on their students and the school community. These studies have increased my interest in expanding counseling services. These positive research findings make me hopeful that I can also implement successful programs in my future school. This article promotes the importance of evidence-based practices. With evidence-based practices, more effective and measurable outcomes are possible for students. It was neat to see that counselor programs can help instill life skills that will help a student beyond the school walls. This condensed version of multiple studies makes it easy to access key take-aways. It is evident of the impact that school counselors play in the school.

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Attached is an infographic that can be displayed in school to help students find resources to be successful for college and career readiness.

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Manage: School Counselor Competency and Reflection

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Manage: School Counselor Competency and Reflection

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The School Counselor Self-Assessment is a very valuable tool that all school counselors should use to reflect on their skills and identify areas for growth and improvement. After completing the test, I have identified strengths, growth of improvement, and surprises.
Completing the School Counselor Competency Assessment was a bit overwhelming. Not overwhelming in a bad way but overwhelming in the sense that I have so much more to learn throughout my courses at Walden. I learned the value of taking this assessment because it ensures that as a future counselor, I possess the essential skills needed to support my students in today's everchanging and complex educational setting. By completing this assessment it did help to provide some reassurance that I am already practicing and implementing some of these standards and competencies in my job today. I have learned that competency assessments serve a vital tool that will help make me feel more equipped to be able to make a positive impact on student's lives.

Strengths

I was not all that surprised with the results of my areas of strengths. One of those areas was mindsets. I feel confident with these standards because they align with my core beliefs and values of a counselor. As a current high school counselor, I work a lot with my students to foster resilience and to instill a growth-oriented mindset. I truly believe these are the foundational pieces that will lead them to careers beyond the high school walls. M. 5. in one standard within the mindset domain that I really feel is a strength of mine because I am a huge advocate that each student's success requires all of us working together as a team, rather than alone. This also makes sense as to why I felt section B-PF 8. a-c was another strength of mine because those standards deal with advocacy. I currently love being able to be an extra voice for my students to make sure all their needs are being met. Additionally, during my undergrad years, my professors highlighted advocacy for students thoroughly. Another standard that I consider a strength is B-SS 5 a-c that deal with collaborating with others. I am a huge communicator to parents and teachers when needed. Some of my favorite times is when I can hear feedback from parents and teachers about the progress a student is making in at home or in class. Identifying these strengths makes me confident in my skills that I currently have.

Areas for Growth

I quickly realized that there are far more areas for growth, rather than strengths. However, I am not surprised because I have little to no experience in school counseling. Two main standards I have no knowledge on are B-PF 2 a. and b. I definitely plan to strengthen this standard by keeping up with data and research. B. PF 2. c. talks about policy development at the building, district, state and national levels. Understanding these differences within different levels will open up a new level of understanding for this field. Standards B-PA 3 a-d, Develop annual student outcome goals based on student data, are standards that I have not yet mastered but are ones that I super excited to learn more about in the future! I really enjoy analyzing numbers and using results from students to create better programs fit for their needs. I for sure know I need to work on standards relevant to B-PA 6., Use time appropriately according to national recommendations and student/school data. As a current counselor, I feel I don't prioritize my time the best and often feel overwhelmed as a result. Setting boundaries will definitely help to improve this standard. In order to fulfill standards B-SS 4 a-c, Making Referrals, it will be important for me to keep a document with ongoing outside services that could be beneficial for the students. This document will be extremely helpful when needing to locate a community resource for a student. Overall, a high focus for me throughout this program is to understand policies from a larger scope, such as state level. While I have a lot to learn still, I am super eager to gain new knowledge throughout my journey.

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