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References

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

Blodgett, C., & Lanigan, J. (2018). The association between adverse childhood experience (ACE) and school success in elementary school children. School Psychology Quarterly, 33(1), 137-146. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000256

Kamrath, B., & Brooker, T. (2017). Improved Attitude and Achievement: A Case Study of an Elementary School Academic Advisement Intervention. Professional School Counseling, 21(1), 1096-2409-21.1. https://doi.org/10.5330/1096-2409-21.1.60

Overcoming adverse childhood experiences. Mayo Clinic Health System. (2018). Retrieved 30 January 2021, from https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/overcoming-adverse-childhood-experiences#:~:text=There%20are%20multiple%20ways%20to,Children's%20social%20and%20emotional%20health.

Public Schools First NC | ACEs and Resilience: What Can We Do?. Publicschoolsfirstnc.org. (2020). Retrieved 30 January 2021, from https://www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org/resources/fact-sheets/aces-and-resilience-what-can-we-do/#:~:text=The%20adverse%20childhood%20experiences%20result,and%20mental%20and%20physical%20health.

Login | Teachers Pay Teachers. Teacherspayteachers.com. (2021). Retrieved 1 February 2021, from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/FreeDownload/Intro-to-the-Counselor-Lesson-Plan-2120931.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, National Center on Response to Intervention. (2010). Essential components of RTI: A closer look at response to intervention. Retrieved from http://www.rti4success. org/sites/default/files/ rtiessentialcomponents_042710.pdf

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Blue and Yellow Educate Kids Charity Infographic (4)

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Results and Reflection of Implicit Bias Tests
I took two Harvard Implicit Bias tests, religious and racial preference tests. The test-taking experience was a bit challenging because I had to pair a letter on the keyboard to a word or symbol,  then the words and symbols would be swapped and paired together. At a certain point I don't believe it's about being biased, but it's about remembering which words are associated with the key that you are selecting or pressing. I'm not sure how effective and valid this test is and was slightly surprised by my results.
For the racial bias test I scored a strong preference for European Americans versus African Americans. As a student with a white and Arabic background with a white complexion, I do believe I may have a preference or comfortability with European Americans compared to African Americans. This is something that I will have to be aware of as a school counselor to have no preference to either racial appearance or background.
For my religious bias test I scored a strong preference for Christianity over Judaism. My religious background is very complex. As an individual I grew up with divorced parents and my mother was Christian and practiced in the Episcopal church, and my father was Muslim and practiced in a mosque. I do believe that I am very open with religion because at a certain age I had to choose which religion I would like to practice. But when I was younger I had to practice my father's religion, which was forced upon me. I even took a world religions course in college to become more knowledgeable about the different religious backgrounds to solidify my own personal spirituality as well as understanding the similarities and differences of all religions. I do not believe that there is a superior religion because many religions correlate with one another.  I also personally value the choice to choose your own or the lack thereof in one’s spirituality because of my personal experience with religion.  I am now a practicing Catholic, and I do believe that my beliefs have an impact in the way that I portray myself and act with others, especially in my morals. As a counselor it is my duty to respect and not push my own beliefs and culture onto students.  It is also my responsibility to be knowledgeable and educated about each student's cultural background as well as their beliefs.
Advocacy Efforts

As the school counselor it is my responsibility to advocate for my students. I have noticed a concern across schools of students with ACEs or adverse childhood experiences(Blodgett & Lanigan, 2018). As the counselor I can help to provide a safe space where these students can express their concerns and gain healthy coping skills to deal with stressors. I will be creating an awareness for this issue and promote inclusivity for this population of students. These students will have a sense of community within the school and this builds their social skills and engaging in healthy relationships. By decreasing stress and increasing coping skills (building resilience) I hope to allocate these coping skills to their academics and will see improvements in their confidence and achievement in coursework.

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Results of School Counselor Competency Assessment
For the School Counselor Competency Assessment I scored 3’s in most categories, but I found that I was still unfamiliar with certain theories and techniques, etc or concepts seemed abstract in my mind. After discussing concepts with a school counselor in person, the assessment concepts appeared more concrete. I am sure that I will gain more solidity to these concepts when I can practice them in schools. For instance, the idea of finding stakeholders and practicing time-management mentioned in the assessment is still abstract because I am not yet in the field.
I have a better understanding of the structure of the school system and how it operates. Also, after discussing the relationship of the principal and the school counselor with my interviewee or local school counselor, I was better able to understand the relationship and roles between the two parties. Although some policies and procedures are still confusing, I am much more comfortable with designing plans. Also, with my current job I already make educational materials and presentations to inform the public about health so creating presentations for stakeholders is not a daunting task.
When it comes to cultural and religious components of the assessment, I feel that I am truly aware of myself and any personal biases that I may have. After taking the bias tests I found that I am more biased than I thought I was initially. However, I am always respectful and educated on others’ cultural and religious beliefs. As a school counselor I am the advocate for the student, and it is my belief that all students have the ability to achieve no matter what background they have.
Reflection
There are some areas that I would like to continue to work on such as keeping up with trends in the school counseling field. Also, I would love to practice theories and techniques in person. If not practice them but at least see theories and techniques being administered. After reviewing my comments written on the assessment I found that I am a hands-on learned. This being said, I believe I would feel more confident with all concepts if I was practicing them in person.

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Core Beliefs of Students

It is my goal as a school counselor to foster children’s innate abilities to move from grades K-6 to middle school with the proper psychological and emotional maturity to handle their next life-oriented tasks. I believe all children have the potential to reach this level of maturity if given the properly nurturing environment. I believe this is the case because I believe that children are inherently good and willing to learn and even adapt, if necessary.

School Counselor’s Role

It is my duty as the school counselor to advocate for the students. I will do this by working directly and indirectly with the administration, teachers, parents and students to achieve what I believe to be a goal that everyone shares. This goal is to make sure our students are prepared for middle school in terms of their levels of academic achievements, mental stability and sociability (American School Counselor Association, 2019).

Ethical Standards for School Counselors

There are many ethical standards to be upheld as a school counselor. All of them require a level of responsibility to the parents/ guardians, students and school. My decision making will be guided by these ethical standards to ensure that I maintain within the school setting certain levels of integrity, leadership and professionalism (ASCA, 2016).

School Counseling Program to Establish

In the future, a school counseling program that I would like to start would be a support group similar to the one that I was a part of in my middle school years. This would be a support group for students who are struggling in school due to the stressors of home life situations or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).  In the school counseling program I will be focused on teaching the students healthy coping skills, engaging in positive social interactions, educating on healthy and unhealthy relationships and behaviors. In this group confidentiality, support, trust, and respect are vital components to building a strong support group for all members. In order to make this a measurable school counseling program I will be collecting data via surveys given prior to each session and after each session. In order to find the participants of this support group the teachers can recommend a few students, and/or parents can recommend their children for the support group. Prior to any recommendations of participants entering the support group, all students will receive a questionnaire that they can complete with or without their parents and/or guidance counselor. This questionnaire will determine if the students qualify to enter the support group for stressful and negative home life situations. To ensure that the academics of each student is improving with the help of coping skills from the support group. As the  school counselor I will provide weekly assessments for the teachers and parents to fill out determining their academic and psychological well-being at school and at home. Students will receive another survey purely for the academic portion to determine if they notice any improvements in their coursework. This group will consist of twelve to fifteen sixth graders who identify as female and will meet for eight weeks with two sessions per week.

Personal Philosophy of School Counseling

As a school counselor I will have to be fluid in my role and also firm in my ethical beliefs. I will need to be a person that the students can trust, confide in and open up to. I hope to create students that will make a significant positive impact on their communities by giving them the tools to succeed in their next level of education, middle school, and the tools to keep bettering themselves to one day create lasting change.

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Article and Reflection
The article “Improved Attitude and Achievement: A Case Study of an Elementary School Academic Advisement Intervention” discusses the successes of implementing school counseling programs with an RTI or Response to Intervention framework. I selected this article because it demonstrates the effectiveness of school counseling plans for elementary school students, my ideal population of students. The article is a case study that works with one urban school that was rated the lowest performing in achievement and used a screener to help students in need of Tier 2 academic-focused interventions. A Tier 2 intervention is best described by the U.S. Department of Education as “small-group instruction that relies on evidence-based interventions that specify the instructional procedures, duration, and frequency of instruction” (U.S. Department of Education, 2010, p. 1). The following students needed these interventions due to the following factors: low attendance and recurrent tardiness, problems staying focused and paying attention, as well as recurrent behavioral problems (Kamrath & Brooker, 2017). The skills desired for these students are social skills, ability to resolve conflicts, self-regulation, self-management, decision making, and goal setting (Kamrath & Brooker, 2017). The ASCA is used to help the counselor with appraisal and advisement.
One goal of this study is to discover whether the attitude and outlook toward the school through academic advisement could be influenced. A research worker helped to keep data, determine effectiveness, and manage the research behind this counseling program. The purpose of the study is to discover whether counselor-led academic advisement interventions have an impact on student achievement, how academic advisement impacts students’ perceptions of their coursework, and if academic advisement impacts attitudes towards school and the potential for success for the students. The study uses quantitative data, online surveys for students and parents, and action research to monitor effectiveness. The study included two groups of eight students from the 4th and 5th grade. They were found by using a universal screener. The two groups each consisted of four 4th grade students and four 5th grade students identified as needing Tier 2 interventions. The students who were selected for this intervention have grades of D’s or lower in math or literacy, who are absent for at least 10% of school, explain behaviors lacking in functional skills, and students who are unaware of their potential. The teachers provided a list of names of students who were applicable for the study. The parents completed an online survey as well.  The study lasted six weeks, with 45 minutes group sessions every week and two individual sessions. At the end of the last session parents submitted an online survey which included 11 statements using a 5-point rating scale. Prior to the study and after the study was completed, the following data was collected: grades and achievement scores, attendance rates, and discipline data. The study was proven to be effective in academic advisement, more positive attitudes from students and parents, increased proficiency scores, boosted attendance, less need for discipline referrals, and improved behavior among students.
My overall impression of this study is that through counseling programs students can have better rates of achievement, social skills, behavior, and outlooks on education. This study gives me hope that as school counselors we can make a difference, instill motivation, and increase achievement rates.
My experience with school counselors in comparison to this study is very limited. The experience that I have had with school counselors is purely based on being the student and receiving guidance from school counselors. I was a part of a support group in middle school and the purpose of the group was solely to learn how to cope with negative home life situations. I found the support group to be very therapeutic, and I enjoyed the school counseling process more than I enjoyed my own individual counseling outside of the school. The most important aspect of the support group for me in my adolescent age was knowing that other people that I see everyday during school are going through the same things that I was going through at home.

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