# data[].attributes.body
Lesson Plan and Reflection

School Counseling Through a Developmental Lens: Implications for Working with Adolescent Girls

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1328850.pdf

Goal

I selected this topic because I want to work with high school-level students. I know that my impact will stretch beyond a specific gender; however, I got into this field as an

example I wish I had grown up with. This journal offers insight into how to support adolescent girls’ social and emotional development by providing school counsellors with an understanding of girls’ current experiences and developmental needs. The goal is to integrate the ASCA Student Standards to achieve career success, promote students' development, and foster gender equity and equality.

Challenges of Implementation

The demographic I would like to work with is high school. Implementing this lesson plan at a high school level could be challenging because some students may feel they do not

need to do these kinds of lessons because of their maturity level or think the worksheets are childish.

# data[].attributes.body
The framework of the American School of Counselors Association (ASCA) National model consists of four main components: define, manage, deliver, and assess. According to ASCA (2024), program assessment is the process of systematically collecting, analyzing, and using data to review the effectiveness and efficiency of the program. Program assessment helps determine the necessary improvements for your school counselling program. It also shows how your current students have improved. Besides just assessing the school program, you, as a school counselor, also want to take some time to self-reflect on the mindsets and behaviors to inform their practice and see what professional development they should participate in.

Annual Results Reports are designed to evaluate school counselling programs for effectiveness and to inform decisions directly tied to program improvement. There are two results reports: Classroom and Group Mindsets, Behavior Reports, and Closing the Gap Results Reports. According to ASCA (2024), the data mined from these reports usually leads to a more informed approach to assessing individual student needs through more focused

activities and interventions. These activities and interventions are often aligned with the action plans written at the beginning of the school year and developed as part of the administration component of the ASCA National Model.

ASCA expects school counselors to be assessed and appraised through a multifaceted process, including a self-assessment and a formal performance appraisal by a qualified administrator (American School Counselor Association, 2024). The ASCA School Counselor

Professional Standards and Competencies Assessment usually assesses school counselor effectiveness. This process allows the school counsellor to reflect upon knowledge, skills, and attitudes they have gained in practice, as well as the chance to self-report on the 3 acquisition of the mindsets and behaviors needed to meet the rigorous demands of the profession and the needs of students. The standards and competencies established by ASCA help ensure that all counselors are equipped to establish, maintain, and enhance a school program that is predicated upon the four domains of the ASCA National Model. School counselors use this assessment to assess their mindsets and behaviors and formulate an

appropriate professional development plan to maintain individual effectiveness.

# data[].attributes.body
High School Lesson Plan and Results Report

The counselor noticed increased indiscipline, conflicts, and outbursts at the high school level. The counselor also observed that the students had difficulty identifying and

sharing their emotions. The counselor developed disciplinary referrals, social-emotional learning skills, and a strategy for exploring feelings and behaviors to address the challenge and achieve SMART goals. Since the counselor encourages belief in the development of the whole self, sense of acceptance, positive attitude, self-confidence, and faith in career success, the counselor comes up with coping strategies to address different emotions experienced that

align with the ASCA student's Standards.

Another mindset and behavior I would have selected is teaching the students a positive attitude toward work and learning. The initiative will be an eye-opener toward

accountability, openness, and empathy. According to (Stone, 2020), learners should be accountable for their behaviors and disciplinary actions at their level of education because they will play a great role in their attitude toward learning and career success. The students should also be open and willing to express themselves and talk about the challenges or emotions they are experiencing since it may affect their performance hugely negatively.

The ASCA students' standards pre- and post assessment align with the mindset and behavior of the topic in that the counsellors are concerned with the student's emotions and

physical well-being. They identify the need, collect supplemental data, select students standards, and write objectives aligned with their standards to mitigate the students' challenges. According to Stone (2020), it is the responsibility of the school counselors to ensure confidence in the expansion of the whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social-emotional, and physical well-being, provide culturally sustaining instructions, appraisals, and advertisement, and counselling to help students mitigate through any challenge affecting their progress.

The lesson content and material matched the selected mindset and skill in that the students learned effective coping skills and coping strategies to address different emotional experiences in difficult situations. According to ASCA Students Standards (2024), counselors must adhere to mindset and behavioral standards. Through behavioral

standards, from the reported plan, the students are taught learning strategies, self- management skills, and social skills that help them focus on their goals in school as well as

help them cope with indiscipline cases.

Timing is crucial when delivering lessons and holding small group sessions. This is because the ASCA students standards go through some steps that may take time to finalize the results. Omitting one step or assuming the result may be inaccurate, hence inconsistency and misguidance in helping the victims. According to ASCA Students Standards (2024), School counselors collect supplemental data, soliciting opinions, beliefs, and insights from stakeholders directly involved with students experiencing the identified challenge. These stakeholders include but are not limited to parents, teachers, administrators, and students. In the reported plan, the counsellors concentrated on the students as the major victims of the ordeal. However, involving the teachers, parents, and fellow students was important to have a wider coverage of the cause of conflict and indiscipline among them.

Some of the ways I will modify the lesson plan to align with my creativity, knowledge of the ASCA National Model, and skills are identifying the standards and objectives first.

Identify the goals of the lesson and the target standards. Next, I identify my contact objective, background knowledge, and strategies for instructions through collaboration with experienced counselors. According to the ASCA model (2024), using various instructional strategies and engaging learners and close stakeholders helps develop a coping strategy. Based on the student's data, the stated mission and vision will drive the instructions toward

the objective. Then, collaborating with teams to discuss the student's data after identifying gaps and areas of improvement, we will together select specific ASCA mindsets and behaviors to address in the classrooms or small groups while paying attention to the vocabulary. Then, I will deploy a variety of visual, auditory, and tactile modalities to come up with accurate data to help us plan for the best coping strategy.

# data[].attributes.body
School Counselor Competency Assessment Results and Reflection

Competency Assessment

As I completed the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards and Competency Assessment, I was submerged in the expectations and requirements of the role of a school

counselor. I am open-minded and know I do not have to be proficient in every standard or competency. One of my areas of weakness would be applying legal and ethical principles of

the school counselling profession. The thought of being solely responsible for fulfilling legal and moral obligations to students and myself is daunting. As a guidance secretary, I can witness different cases and apprehend how important it is to fully understand a counselor's legality, ethics, and scope. One of my strengths would be applying school counseling professional standards and competencies. I will be able to maintain and stay up to date with the current knowledge needed as a school counsellor. Professional development will be very essential to me.

# data[].attributes.body
Personal Philosophy of School Counseling Statement

Core Beliefs

As a school counselor, my students' well-being and education come first. They deserve to feel like they are in a safe and sympathetic learning environment where they are

valued and respected. As the counselor, I must address their social, emotional, and academic needs where I see fit—encouraging them to take advantage of their freedom to explore their social and emotional skills free of judgment. I believe that with my resources, I advocate for my students as much as I can to help them succeed.

Vision Statement

I envision a future where I am successful as a school counselor. I will use my empathy and creativity to positively impact my students by offering them kindness and grace

while delivering creative ideas when helping them make plans. I will dedicate myself to building a continuous rapport with my students and the environment and community in which we are based. I hope my values will create a space for someone else to flourish.