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Diversity Tree!

Oyster River Middle School.

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School Counseling Core Curriculum is presented in two ways:

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School Counseling Core Curriculum is presented in two ways:

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Instruction: team teaching or assisting with guiding students through a series of activities that are meant to build self-concept, confidence and self-efficacy.

Group Activities: Creating programs, and other opportunities for students to engage with outside events to expand their experiences and build community competence.

ASCA National Model 2012

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A system for asking the counselor for a chat!

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Like all good curriculum resources, a scope and sequence outlines the fundamentals of all learning objectives within the curriculum.  Pages 66 - 70 of this document express, in detail, the elements covered in this school district's school counseling program for middle levels.  From working to find accurate self-concepts, to appreciating their uniqueness, to finding their motivation, this document is a road map to facilitating lessons for its students at the most developmentally opportune times in their lives.

Texas Education Association.

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As stated in the ASCA (American School Counselor Association) national model, 80% of a counselor's time should be allocated to both direct and indirect servicing of students needs.  Delivery of services can be defined many ways.  Direct services include responsive elements like counseling and crisis response. (pg 84)

school counselors are prepared to offer education, prevention and short term crisis intervention. If additional services are required, referrals to outside agencies may be necessary.

ASCA National Model 2012

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School Counselors work with other educators, parents, and the community for equity and access for all students through collaboration.  School counselors may collaborate in a variety of ways including:

Teaming and Partnering - Teaming and Partnering can occur through simple resource sharing, joint presentations, and advisory councils or formalized partnerships with specific focus or agenda.

School/district - By serving on committees or advisory boards, school counselors advocate for student programs and resources and assist in generating school-wide and district support for the school counseling program. - (ASCA, 2012)

Reference
American School Counselor Association. (2012). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

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Individual student planning consist of ongoing systemic activities designed to help students establish personal goals and develop future plans, such as individual learning plans and graduation plans.  Individual student planning is implemented through such strategies as:

Appraisal - School counselors work with students to analyze and evaluate their abilities, interests, skills and achievement.

Advisement - School counselors help students make decisions for future plans based on academic, career, and person/social data. (ASCA, 2012)

Reference
American School Counselor Association. (2012). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

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Middle school counselors collaborate with University leaders on academic intervention study.

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Middle school counselors collaborate with University leaders on academic intervention study.

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Occupational and Career Assessment - Middle School Counselors

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Occupational and Career Assessment - Middle School Counselors

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Translation and Use of a Career-Decision Making Self-Efficacy Assessment for Hispanic Middle School Students

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Translation and Use of a Career-Decision Making Self-Efficacy Assessment for Hispanic Middle School Students

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Biological and cultural factors have some influence on student academic achievement and cognitive development. The study represents the need for inventories to be useful for all ethnic groups so that inventory data provides accurate results. There should not be any barriers in understanding the inventory such as language, etc. where the information that is being asked is not understood by the person responding to the inventory.
Reference:
Fouad, N. A., & Spreda, S. L. (1996). Translation and use of a career-decision making self-efficacy assessment for Hispanic middle school students. Journal of Vocational Education Research, 21(4), 67–85. Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=508582833&site=eds-live&scope=site

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From Freud, Erikson, Piaget to Skinner.  Counselors need to understand human development and use that information to use best practices for working with a specific age group and development level.

Cherry, 2017

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Child development theories focus on explaining how children change and grow over the course of childhood. These developmental theories center on various aspects of growth, including social, emotional, and cognitive development.

The study of human development is a rich and varied subject. We all have personal experience with development, but it is sometimes difficult to understand how and why people grow, learn, and act as they do.

Why do children behave in certain ways? Is their behavior related to their age, family relationships, or individual temperaments? Developmental psychologists strive to answer such questions as well as to understand, explain, and predict behaviors that occur throughout the lifespan.

In order to understand human development, a number of different theories of child development have arisen to explain various aspects of human growth.

History of Developmental Theories

Child development that occurs from birth to adulthood was largely ignored throughout much of human history. Children were often viewed simply as small versions of adults and little attention was paid to the many advances in cognitive abilities, language usage, and physical growth that occur during childhood and adolescence.

Interest in the field of child development finally began to emerge early in the 20th century, but it tended to focus on abnormal behavior. Eventually, researchers became increasingly interested in other topics including typical child development as well as the influences on development.

More recent theories outline the developmental stages of children and identify the typical ages at which these growth milestones occur.

Why Developmental Theories are Important

Developmental theories provide a framework for thinking about human growth and learning. But why do we study development? What can we learn from psychological theories of development? If you have ever wondered about what motivates human thought and behavior, understanding these theories can provide useful insight into individuals and society.

An understanding of child development is essential because it allows us to fully appreciate the cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and educational growth that children go through from birth and into early adulthood.

Why is it important to study how children grow, learn, and change? An understanding of child development is essential because it allows us to fully appreciate the cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and educational growth that children go through from birth and into early adulthood.

7 Best-Known Developmental Theories

There are many child development theories that have been proposed by theorists and researchers. Some of the major theories of child development are known as grand theories; they attempt to describe every aspect of development, often using a stage approach. Others are known as mini-theories; they instead focus only on a fairly limited aspect of development such as cognitive or social growth.

Freud's Psychosexual Developmental Theory

Psychoanalytic theory originated with the work of Sigmund Freud. Through his clinical work with patients suffering from mental illness, Freud came to believe that childhood experiences and unconscious desires influenced behavior.

According to Freud, conflicts that occur during each of these stages can have a lifelong influence on personality and behavior. Freud proposed one of the best-known grand theories of child development.

According to Freud's psychosexual theory, child development occurs in a series of stages focused on different pleasure areas of the body. During each stage, the child encounters conflicts that play a significant role in the course of development.

His theory suggested that the energy of the libido was focused on different erogenous zones at specific stages. Failure to progress through a stage can result in fixation at that point in development, which Freud believed could have an influence on adult behavior.

So what happens as children complete each stage? And what might result if a child does poorly during a particular point in development? Successfully completing each stage leads to the development of a healthy adult personality.

Failing to resolve the conflicts of a particular stage can result in fixations that can then have an influence on adult behavior.

While some other child development theories suggest that personality continues to change and grow over the entire lifetime, Freud believed that it was early experiences that played the greatest role in shaping development. According to Freud, personality is largely set in stone by the age of five.

Erikson's Psychosocial Developmental Theory

Psychoanalytic theory was an enormously influential force during the first half of the twentieth century. Those inspired and influenced by Freud went on to expand upon Freud's ideas and develop theories of their own. Of these neo-Freudians, Erik Erikson's ideas have become perhaps the best known.

Erikson's eight-stage theory of psychosocial development describes growth and change throughout life, focusing on social interaction and conflicts that arise during different stages of development.

While Erikson's theory of psychosocial development shared some similarities with Freud's, it is dramatically different in many ways. Rather than focusing on sexual interest as a driving force in development, Erikson believed that social interaction and experience played decisive roles.

His eight-stage theory of human development described this process from infancy through death. During each stage, people are faced with a developmental conflict that impacts later functioning and further growth.

Unlike many other developmental theories, Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory focuses on development across the entire lifespan. At each stage, children and adults face a developmental crisis that serves as a major turning point.

Successfully managing the challenges of each stage leads to the emergence of a lifelong psychological virtue.

Behavioral Child Development Theories

During the first half of the twentieth century, a new school of thought known as behaviorism rose to become a dominant force within psychology. Behaviorists believed that psychology needed to focus only on observable and quantifiable behaviors in order to become a more scientific discipline.

According to the behavioral perspective, all human behavior can be described in terms of environmental influences. Some behaviorists, such as John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner, insisted that learning occurs purely through processes of association and reinforcement.

Behavioral theories of child development focus on how environmental interaction influences behavior and is based on the theories of theorists such as John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and B. F. Skinner. These theories deal only with observable behaviors. Development is considered a reaction to rewards, punishments, stimuli, and reinforcement.

This theory differs considerably from other child development theories because it gives no consideration to internal thoughts or feelings. Instead, it focuses purely on how experience shapes who we are.

Two important types of learning that emerged from this approach to development are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning involves learning by pairing a naturally occurring stimulus with a previously neutral stimulus. Operant conditioning utilizes reinforcement and punishment to modify behaviors.

Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Theory

Cognitive theory is concerned with the development of a person's thought processes. It also looks at how these thought processes influence how we understand and interact with the world.

Theorist Jean Piaget proposed one of the most influential theories of cognitive development.

Piaget proposed an idea that seems obvious now, but helped revolutionize how we think about child development: Children think differently than adults.﻿﻿

His cognitive theory seeks to describe and explain the development of thought processes and mental states. It also looks at how these thought processes influence the way we understand and interact with the world.

Piaget then proposed a theory of cognitive development to account for the steps and sequence of children's intellectual development.

Sensorimotor Stage: A period of time between birth and age two during which an infant's knowledge of the world is limited to his or her sensory perceptions and motor activities. Behaviors are limited to simple motor responses caused by sensory stimuli.

Pre-Operational Stage: A period between ages 2 and 6 during which a child learns to use language. During this stage, children do not yet understand concrete logic, cannot mentally manipulate information, and are unable to take the point of view of other people.

Concrete Operational Stage: A period between ages 7 and 11 during which children gain a better understanding of mental operations. Children begin thinking logically about concrete events but have difficulty understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts.

Formal Operational Stage: A period between age 12 to adulthood when people develop the ability to think about abstract concepts. Skills such as logical thought, deductive reasoning, and systematic planning also emerge during this stage.

Bowlby's Attachment Theory

There is a great deal of research on the social development of children. John Bowbly proposed one of the earliest theories of social development. Bowlby believed that early relationships with caregivers play a major role in child development and continue to influence social relationships throughout life.

Bowlby's attachment theory suggested that children are born with an innate need to form attachments. Such attachments aid in survival by ensuring that the child receives care and protection. Not only that but these attachments are characterized by clear behavioral and motivational patterns.

In other words, both children and caregivers engage in behaviors designed to ensure proximity. Children strive to stay close and connected to their caregivers who in turn provide a safe haven and a secure base for exploration.

Researchers have also expanded upon Bowlby's original work and have suggested that a number of different attachment styles exist. Children who receive consistent support and care are more likely to develop a secure attachment style, while those who receive less reliable care may develop an ambivalent, avoidant, or disorganized style.

Bandura's Social Learning Theory

Social learning theory is based on the work of psychologist Albert Bandura. Bandura believed that the conditioning and reinforcement process could not sufficiently explain all of human learning.

For example, how can the conditioning process account for learned behaviors that have not been reinforced through classical conditioning or operant conditioning According to social learning theory, behaviors can also be learned through observation and modeling.

By observing the actions of others, including parents and peers, children develop new skills and acquire new information.

Bandura's child development theory suggests that observation plays a critical role in learning, but this observation does not necessarily need to take the form of watching a live model.﻿﻿

Instead, people can also learn by listening to verbal instructions about how to perform a behavior as well as through observing either real or fictional characters displaying behaviors in books or films.

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory

Another psychologist named Lev Vygotsky proposed a seminal learning theory that has gone on to become very influential, especially in the field of education. Like Piaget, Vygotsky believed that children learn actively and through hands-on experiences.

His sociocultural theory also suggested that parents, caregivers, peers, and the culture at large were responsible for developing higher-order functions. In Vygotsky's view, learning is an inherently social process. Through interacting with others, learning becomes integrated into an individual's understanding of the world.

This child development theory also introduced the concept of the zone of proximal development, which is the gap between what a person can do with help and what they can do on their own. It is with the help of more knowledgeable others that people are able to progressively learn and increase their skills and scope of understanding.

A Word From Verywell

As you can see, some of psychology's best-known thinkers have developed theories to help explore and explain different aspects of child development. While not all of these theories are fully accepted today, they all had an important influence on our understanding of child development.

Today, contemporary psychologists often draw on a variety of theories and perspectives in order to understand how kids grow, behave, and think. These theories represent just a few of the different ways of thinking about child development.

In reality, fully understanding how children change and grow over the course of childhood requires looking at many different factors that influence physical and psychological growth. Genes, the environment, and the interactions between these two forces determine how kids grow physically as well as mentally.

Additional Reading

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Influential Theories About How Children Grow and Develop

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There are many development theories. Learn some of the best-known child development theories as offered by Freud, Erickson, Piaget, and other famous psychologists.

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Once a relationship has been established, it is critical to establish some SMART goals with the student. These goals encourage accountability and also allow for growth to be acknowledged. While assessing the program of individual counseling, recognizing individual growth gives clear understanding as to whether or not direct student services is working. This data can be tracked by counselor, but it is far more effective if the data is kept and maintained by the student, especially at the middle school level. Meta cognitively, the student will make more connections if they understand the tools being used that are assisting them achieve mastery of particular situations.

Schultz, 2012

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Many school counselors are charged with creating SMART goals each school year. This can be a challenging task, especially if you have never written a SMART goal. Below is the process for creating a SMART goal and some examples of SMART goals for school counselors.

Wikipedia has a great description of SMART goals, including the history of the concept and how to develop them, but basically, SMART goals are:

Specific: They precisely spell out what you want to accomplish and usually answer the 5 Ws (Who? What? Where? When? Why?)

Measurable: They provide a specific indicator of success.

Attainable: They are realistic.

Relevant: They are important and practical.

Time-bound: They specify a deadline for when the goal will be met.

In many districts, school counselors and educators create a district-aligned SMART goal and an individual SMART goal each year. Here are some thoughts on preparing each:

District-Aligned SMART Goals
For a district-aligned goal, check what your district's goals are for the upcoming school year and create a goal that will support one of the district's goals.

Example District Goal: To support the XYZ school district's mission of all students being college- and career-ready, all XYZ students will receive explicit instruction and exposure to careers and higher education opportunities.

Example of School Counselor SMART Goal aligned to District Goal: During the 2015-16 school year, I will provide two classroom lessons at each grade level (K-5) related to career exposure and higher education opportunities. These lessons will be aligned to the state career education and work standards.

This goal is:

Individual SMART Goals for School Counselors
Districts may also ask you to complete a personal SMART goal that does not necessarily need to be aligned to a district goal. However, this goal should support the mission of the school counseling program and/or the mission of the school you serve.

Here are examples of SMART goals for different school levels:

Elementary School-Attendance
Poorly defined Goal: Increase attendance.

SMART Goal: I will reduce absenteeism of at-risk students (students who missed 7+ days of school the previous year) by 25 percent during the 2015-16 school year through providing targeted group interventions.

This goal is:

Take it a step further: Check out resources such as Attendance Works to help you in planning your group sessions and other attendance initiatives that support your goal.

Middle School-Providing More Direct Services to Students
Most middle school counselors would probably agree that they would like to spend more time providing direct student services, which include delivering school counseling lessons, facilitating counseling groups, facilitating individual counseling sessions, and doing student planning. The American School Counselor Association recommends that school counselors spend at least 80 percent of their time on program delivery, which includes direct and indirect services to students.

Poorly defined Goal: Spend more time providing direct student services.

SMART Goal: I will increase the amount of time I spend providing direct student services from 40 percent to 50 percent for the 2015-16 school year.

This goal is:

Take it further: I like to come up with ways that I will meet the goal for my own planning. For this goal, some of the focus areas might include reaching out to teachers to provide more classroom lessons, hosting minute meetings with students on your caseload, and brainstorming schoolwide programming you would like to provide students.

High School-FASFA Completion
Poorly defined Goal: Students will complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

SMART Goal: All high school seniors (100 percent) will complete the FAFSA by the end of the first semester of the 2015-16 school year.

This goal is:

Take it a step further: Brainstorm other initiatives you may do to support this goal. Planning a parent session about the FAFSA can increase buy-in from families and help them understand the importance of completing the FAFSA. You could also provide an incentive for students to complete the FAFSA, such as being entered in a raffle or drawing.

Bonus! Download a free printable SMART goals worksheet.
What SMART goals are you setting for the upcoming school year? Share your SMART goals in the comment section below.
Stay tuned for my next post about back-to-school SMART goals for students.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Share your comments, stories, and ideas below, or contact us. All comments will be approved before posting, and are subject to our comment and privacy policies.

© 2012 by Free Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved.

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Back-to-School SMART Goals for School Counselors

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Part of our Counselor's Corner series. Click to read other posts in the Counselor's Corner. Many school counselors are charged with creating SMART goals each school year. This can be a challenging task, especially if you have never written a SMART goal. Below is the process for creating a SMART goal and some examples of...

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In order to truly reach an adolescent, a counselor must be able to relate to the student.  Therefore understanding development as well as current trends and social norms, play a huge role in whether or not a pre-adolescent student will engage fully in a session.  Using a combination of "talk and play" a middle school counselor may be able to interact with a student on a more meaningful level.

Bennett, n.d.

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4 key components: Courage, Gratitude, Forgiveness and Compassion.  Each unit is written  with instructions and activities that are age appropriate, and allow for 6-7 lessons per unit.  The lessons take approximately 30 minutes to facilitate, and are compatible with other supplements for empowering behaviors, like Kelso's Choices, which begin at the younger levels and can be built upon in the middle levels.  This scaffolding effect allows for neurological connections to be made.

Jesse Lewis 2018.

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What began as an empowerment tool for elementary students to build their courage to handle some of their "small" problems themselves, instead of relying on adults to solve their problems.  Making distinctions between "tattling" and "reporting" is a critical piece to this curriculum.

Cerebellum Corp.  2018

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Inventories can help students decide their future routes

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Inventories can help students decide their future routes

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School Counselors' Perceptions of Their Involvement in School-Family-Community Partnerships (Peer-reviewed)

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School Counselors' Perceptions of Their Involvement in School-Family-Community Partnerships (Peer-reviewed)

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As counselors establish partnership with stakeholders there may be varying degrees of success and failure.  However, once established it can be well worth the results.
Reference
Bryan, J., & Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2004). School Counselors’ Perceptions of Their Involvement in School-Family-Community Partnerships. Professional School Counseling, 7(3), 162–171. Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=507888749&site=eds-live&scope=site

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Every year brings about it's own set of students' challenges and needs.  Conducting an anonymous survey allows me to collect data, analyze data and create a plan that fits into the needs of the current student population.

Hazzard-Reed, 2018

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Evaluation of an Innovative Approach to Improving Middle School Students' Academic Achievement. (Peer-reviewed)

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Evaluation of an Innovative Approach to Improving Middle School Students' Academic Achievement. (Peer-reviewed)

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Two middle school counselors collaborate with university researchers to access the outcome of a classroom intervention on student achievement. The intervention was aimed to strengthen children’s problem solving skills with core academics; however, the results were problem solving was significant with the interventions group but no significant difference with academic achievement.
Reference
Poynton, T. A., Carlson, M. W., Hopper, J. A., & Carey, J. C. (2006). Evaluation of an innovative approach to improving middle school students’ academic achievement. Professional School Counseling, (3), 190. Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgea&AN=edsgcl.142682710&site=eds-live&scope=site

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Working with the administration and staff, it was deemed crucial and necessary for the school counselor to have time to work with students individually.  Many hours of sweat poured into creating a schedule that would allow me to see individuals throughout the week.

Hazzard-Reed, 2018

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Though I can be of assistance to many students, there are students whose needs outweigh my offering of time and/or services.  When this happens we refer out to different agencies.  Making sure a strong relationship with the family is in place, these referrals can be done with sensitivity and dignity.

DeJong, 2017

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Keeping information up to date, is a pivotal responsibility in working with families in offering up resources to assist their child in meeting independent needs that require external agency input.  Also, respecting HIPAA  (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) regulations, in ensuring a "release of information" document has been authorized if the intent to collaborate with said agency is going to be considered.

Berrien RESA, 2017

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As a middle school teacher, I was able to assess this program first hand.  School counselors come into the classrooms, once a week, for 30 minutes, in conjunction with the classroom teacher.  Together they would facilitate a classroom lesson that built on previous lessons.  The lessons were age and developmentally appropriate, engaging with current techniques, videos, and activities that were engaging to the audience intended. There exists a home connection that encourages students to expand their learning at home, and also extension pieces that connect their classroom instruction to the lessons of the week.

Committee for Children 2018.

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The new Second Step Middle School Program is a first-of-its-kind SEL curriculum that's modern, web-based, and responsive to the needs of today's students.

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For many years, our middle school partnered with our local United Way and Boy Scouts of America to offer our students a program called Learning for Life.  These weekly lessons guided students through a series of self-efficacy activities to build a sense of self-concept and confidence.

United Way, n.d.

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Home Get Involved About us Our Blog Community Game-Changers Meet the Team Meet the Board Employment Opportunities Contact us Workplace Campaign GIVE ADVOCATE VOLUNTEER Nominate a Volunteer Tocqueville Society and Leadership Circle Planned Giving

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It's a curriculum within a culture! The 7 Habits for Happy Kids is a lifestyle curriculum that works on the whole child, the whole family, the whole culture.  Character development, or roots, are the first three habits. From there the lessons encourage and teach how to communicate, collaborate and synergize with others to benefit fully from the environment in which we live.

Covey, S.R. 2018

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Developing leaders with 21st century skills. The Leader in Me is an innovative, school-wide model that enables educators to unleash each child's full potential.

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As stated in the ASCA National Model (2012), group counseling is a responsive service that provides counseling sessions to "small groups to help students overcome issues impeding achievement or success. The counseling process helps students identify problems, causes, alternatives and possible consequences so they can make decisions and take appropriate actions" (p. 86).
Reference:
American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2012). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

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As stated in the ASCA National Model (2012), consultation is an indirect student service where "school counselors share strategies that support student achievement with others in the school community. School counselors also serve as student advocates to promote academic, career,  and personal/social development through this strategy. Finally, school counselors use this service to receive information on student needs and to identify strategies that promote student achievement" (p. 87).
Reference:
American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2012). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

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The strength of the principal and counselor relationship reflect positives collaboration efforts and increased satisfaction with school climate according to recent findings.
Reference
Rock, W. D., Remley, T. P., & Range, L. M. (2017). Principal-Counselor Collaboration and School Climate. NASSP Bulletin, (1), 23. Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgea&AN=edsgcl.519229054&site=eds-live&scope=site

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"Groups provide a social environment in which members can learn and practice new behaviors, exchange feedback, and experience support. Group settings are ideal placed to conduct both preventive pschoeducational work and remedial counseling" (Erford, 2015, p. 292).
Reference:
Erford, B. T. (2015). Counseling individuals and groups in schools. In Erford, B.T. (Eds.). In Transforming the school counseling profession (4th ed., pp. 279-302). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Voyager Academy Middle School. (n.d.). VMS school counseling program. Retrieved from https://hbonawitz.weebly.com/

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Enhancing the School Counsel/Principal Relationship with an Annual Agreement

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Enhancing the School Counsel/Principal Relationship with an Annual Agreement

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The 2011 toolkit encourages counselor and principles to collaborate in the following areas: communication, trust/respect, leadership, and collaborative planning (ASCA, 2012).
Reference:
American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2012). ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.

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Counselors can collaborate with parents in regards to their student needs. 

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Counselors can collaborate with parents in regards to their student needs. 

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Middle School can be a difficult time for students and parents.

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Orlando Counselor on Middle School Transitions Tips Video | Parents Go from Idol to Idiot

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Orlando Counselor on Middle School Transitions Tips Video | Parents Go from Idol to Idiot

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Reference:
Total Life Counseling Center. (2010, August 10). Orlando Counselor on Middle School Transitions Tips Video | Parents Go from Idol to Idiot [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4l8RBeYyec

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Orlando Counselor on Middle School Transitions Tips Video | Parents Go from Idol to Idiot

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Enhancing Resiliency Through Group Counseling

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Enhancing Resiliency Through Group Counseling

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Because group counseling is considered to be an effective way to evoke change in students, Rose and Steen (2015), authors created an experiment utilizing the intervention- The Achieving Success Everyday (ASE) group counseling model with middle school students. The idea was to implement the group counseling ASE model “which focused on resiliency characteristics” and see if there would be an impact on students’ academic and personal-social success. (p. 28). Through the use of qualitative and quantitative information it was concluded that some middle schools involved in the study achieved academic and personal-social success. In terms of academic improvement, “the groups GPA as a whole showed an increase of .34 points” and when “looking at resiliency, some students who participated seemed to acquire greater knowledge of and skills for being resilient in school and at home” (Rose and Steen, 2015, p.33). Through this experiment it is suggested that utilizing group counseling and more specifically models such as ASE can have an impact on students.
Reference:
Rose, J., & Steen, S. (2015). The achieving success everyday group counseling model: fostering resiliency in middle school students. Professional School Counseling, 18(1), pp.28-37.

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Formatting and Typical Commonalities of group counseling in schools

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Formatting and Typical Commonalities of group counseling in schools

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Below are suggested formatting considerations and commonalities guides for small group counseling session structures.
Reference:
Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015). Professional school counselor small group counseling guide: A professional school counselor’s guide to planning, implementing & evaluating school-based counseling groups. Retrieved from http://www.missouricareereducation.org/doc/smallgroup/SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

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Format Considerations and Commonalities of School Based Group Counseling

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Community Members Joining the Discussion

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Community Members Joining the Discussion

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Utilizing community stakeholders such as police departments in group counseling is a great way to further the conversation regarding schools and safety. Students are able to ask questions and learn ways to facilitate safety in their own community from professionals.
Reference:
USML Daily. (2018, March 5). Police and Normandy Middle School students come together for day of dialogue at UMSL [Picture file]. Retrieved from https://blogs.umsl.edu/news/2018/03/05/day-of-dialogue/

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In her small group counseling session, middle school counselor, Michelle, presented the following video to her students regarding the masks we were and being okay to be ourselves. She showed the video and prompted discussions and activities based off of the topic. She, along with others who presented the lesson to their middle school students found that the conversation that came from it was eye-opening.

Reference:
Miller, C. (2014, October 2). Borrowed lessons: Identity-A lesson of self-esteem [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.themiddleschoolcounselor.com/2014/10/borrowed-lessons-identitya-lesson-on.html

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Identity SHORT FILM (Award Winning Inspirational Short)

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Middle School Using an Interests Inventory to Find the Right Careers

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Middle School Using an Interests Inventory to Find the Right Careers

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Reference:

1.  CollegeforTN THEC. (2017, September 20). Middle School Using an Interests Inventory to Find the Right Careers [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb04FzFlpz8

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Middle School Using an Interests Inventory to Find the Right Careers

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In this video, middle school counselor, Sean Paris, discusses one of his group lessons that utilizes his concept of the "wingman." He creates a role in the group where an individual who does not engage in lessons, the "invisible student." This role in the group counseling session is the one who takes note of the conversations and reports what is being discussed within the group. Mr. Paris finds that using this technique initiates involvement and makes these individuals feel safe and a part of the group.
Reference:
Paris, S. (n.d.). The teaching channel [Video file]. https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/strategies-for-engaging-students

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Planning begins in middle school - School counselors help students plan for their future.

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Planning begins in middle school - School counselors help students plan for their future.

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Reference:
Spokane Public Schools. (2016, April 1). SPS middle school counselors talk T-2-4 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=313Ku99yyIE

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HIPAA, n.d.

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Below is an example from the Missouri Professional School Counselors  (2015) of group counseling units based off grade level.
Reference:
Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators. (2015). Professional school counselor small group counseling guide: A professional school counselor’s guide to planning, implementing & evaluating school-based counseling groups. Retrieved from http://www.missouricareereducation.org/doc/smallgroup/SmallGroupCounseling.pdf

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Small Group Counseling Units and Sessions

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The Achieving Success Everyday Group Counseling Model: Implications for Professional School Counselors.

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The Achieving Success Everyday Group Counseling Model: Implications for Professional School Counselors.

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School counselors must constantly think outside the box.  The articles explained how school counselors can unite both academics and person-social development into group work through the (ASE) Achieving Success Everyday.  Ultimately, this concept offers a chance for counselors to multitask as advisors and mental health counselors fostering both the academic and social needs of many students simultaneously.
Reference:
Steen, S., Henfield, M. S., & Booker, B. (2014). The Achieving Success Everyday Group Counseling Model: Implications for Professional School Counselors. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 39(1), 29–46. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1080/01933922.2013.861886

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Without the roots, there are no fruits!  Focusing on the first three habits is the focus of school counseling middle school  tier I and II direct student services.

Covey, S. R. 2018

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Utilizing group counseling to iniate and discuss feelings and emotions is one way school counselors can work to keep schools safe. By learning to identify their feelings and discuss them, students will learn better ways to manage them. Creating this chain reaction can work to keep the schools safe because students learn to use their words instead of act on them.
Reference:
Teachers Pay Teachers. (n.d.). Managing your anger group counseling [Cartoon]. Retrieved from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Managing-Your-Anger-Group-Counseling-Program-2518878

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It is the mission of the school counseling program, in correlation with the mission of CSP Middle School, to identify the needs of all students within the school to enable all students to reach their academic, career, and personal/social development, ensuring long-term success. Through this counseling program safety of all will be of the upmost priority through the collaboration and consultation of school and community stakeholders. During their time at CSP Middle School students will receive equitable opportunities through the school counseling program that will provide them with the tools and resources necessary to reach their fullest potentials in life.

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Though not absolutely necessary, having families sign a consent form ensures the relationship between school and home stays positive and transparent.

Brownsboro ISD, 2015

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School counseling information for parents and informed consent

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Middle School Counselors can collaborate with parents to help meet their student needs.

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Middle School Counselors can collaborate with parents to help meet their student needs.

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Working with teachers by menas of consultation is a great way to assist teachers in working to promote students' academic success. In this video, the teacher is working with the school counselor to come up with ideas and resources to help her in working with a particular student.
Reference:
Robinson, B. (2016, July 21). School consultation skills [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS5MIoRhKKo

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School Consultation Skills (Lydia - Counselor Betty - Counselee

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"Models of consultation can be distinguished by the type of interaction that occurs between the consultant and the person or persons seeking the consultant's help. Three types of interaction are triadic-dependent, collaborative-dependent, and collaborative-interdependent" (Erford, 2015, p. 304). The triadic-dependent model the consultant is viewed as the expert from whole the consultee seeks assitance to remediate a problem with the client. Many consultations that school counselors conduct with teachers and family members fall under this relationship category" (304-305). The collaborative-dependent model the "helping process departs from a view of the consultant as a solitary expert. The consultee continues to depend on the consultant's problem-solving expertise, knowledge of normal and abnormal development, and skills for effecting client and systemic change (Erford, 2015, p. 305). In the collaborative-interdependent model "emphasizes an interdependent problem-solving process in which family members, educators, counselors, youth, and members of the broader community contribute as equal participants" (Erford, 2015, p. 309).
Reference:
Erford, B. T. (2015). Consultation, collaboration, and encouraging parent involvement. In Erford, B.T. (Eds.). In Transforming the school counseling profession (4th ed., pp. 303- 324). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Slideplayer. (n.d.) Consultation, collaboration, and encouraging parent involvement [picture]. Retrieved from https://slideplayer.com/slide/5270634/

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Free and Appropriate Public Education. (FAPE)

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Free and Appropriate Public Education. (FAPE)

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The criteria within this act ensures that all children, regardless of cognition, ethnicity, socio-economic background, etc. receive the same opportunities as every other student within the district.

Latham, 2014

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Child Study Teams are an internal collaborative and consult regarding effort of general education, special education, specialists, school counselors and administrators. The objective is to synergize ideas to develop a response to intervention plan to meet the needs of students who may be struggling academically, emotionally and/or socially. Teachers make recommendations to the administrator and/or counselor about meeting for a CST.  The CST takes place within 1 week of the recommendation.

Reference
D. Galloway. (2018). Child Study Team. Lakeshore Public Schools.

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Working Together to Create a Positive School Community

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Working Together to Create a Positive School Community

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In the article by Thorton (2017), it discusses the consultation and collaboration of school counselors and special educators in rural areas working together as a team to create positive change. The community implemented a School Wide Positive Behavior support program and by working as a team found that programs such as PBIS "have become highly effective in reducing problem behaviors" (Thorton, 2017, p. 388).

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By consulting with stakeholders, school counselors can advocate for and work to establish policies that promote school safety procedures in the school community. Creating an environment where students feel safe will allow them to focus on their academics and be successful in all three domains.
Reference:
Z-Prep. (n.d.). Business school ahead [Picture file]. Retrieved from http://www.ztestprep.com/business-school-entrance-exam-prep