I chose this article because it highlights positive outcomes stemming from school counseling programs in schools. It shows proof of affective cohesion from separated requirements in a school system. It shows that a unified system works better when each profession is afforded the opportunity to do their required role and when they work together to integrate their work. 

 

This article was written in Slovenia based on Head Teachers (Principals) and School Counselor relationships and how they affect students learning abilities on campus. Their atmosphere has developed over time from “leading people” to “leading together with people” (Mrvar, 2019). In that mindset, their study has also included the ideals that the most important ingredient to success in students' progression is that the head teacher and school counselors have inclusive and cooperative collaborations. This article describes the different requirements of each profession and then highlights the importance of them both collaborating and working together for the overall success of their students and institutions. Along with cooperation between school counselors and head teachers, they pinpointed the different interactions that intermingle between each position and how those important connections also affect students (i.e. teachers, parents, and the community). 

 

I was ecstatic to find this article because it highlights the positive outcomes of understanding not only the different requirements of each position within a school but also how important each of these parts are to a successful institution.  They recognize the roles of head teachers (principals) and counselors as separate but equally important.  I am very interested in seeing this system be fully integrated in the States as well to achieve this success across the board. In order to do a truly impressive job at raising successful scholars and developing a happy and safe school environment, we need to adapt this process as a whole in all of our schools. This will eliminate the divide between counselors and teachers. It can bring everyone together for the betterment of not only all the students but also the faculty. 

 

References:

 

Mrvar, P. G., Resman, M., Kalin, J., & Mažgon, J. (2019). Cooperation between Head Teachers and Professional School Counsellors in Slovenian Schools. Management: Journal of Contemporary Management Issues, 89–106. https://doi.org/10.30924/mjcmi.24.si.6

I chose a School Counseling Lesson written for the development of the school counselor profession across the country so that we can expand our scope past purely academics to include emotions and the arts in counseling (Thompson & Melchior, 2020). The lesson plan to incorporate this change is with interactive read-aloud. It is called bibliotherapy and the premise that “bibliotherapy helps people gain control over their lives and situations by identifying with others and finding unique and universal solutions” (Thompson & Melchior, 2020).  This lesson plan is adaptable in any setting, you simply just change out the reading material depending on the intended purpose. In this way, you can share intended knowledge with students to help with their growth and it is easily understandable. McCulliss & Chamberlain (2013) wrote “This intervention not only promotes academic development, but also social and emotional development, specifically empathetic development” (Thompson & Melchior, 2020). There are a few considerations highlighted in the text to include: Collaboration between school psychologists, librarians and teachers to strengthen the lesson, developing questions and talking points to deepen the discussion and finally to read the text fully before the counseling session to ensure mastery of the material before imparting that on the students (Thompson & Melchior, 2020). 

By engaging in this counseling style we can assist students in the development of empathy and reading development and comprehension. We can assess the effectiveness of these lessons by using KEDS (Kids’ Empathetic Development Scale) and their reading development can be tested through ease and comfort of their reading as well as words per minute calculations and through their responses to see that they are accurately comprehending. I chose this lesson because it is easily adapted to any grade level from 7^th and above. In a high school setting, you can adapt the directives to a bit more complex concepts so that it requires more inclusion from the students. I love the versatility and that it can be used throughout the country and adapted to fit your needs. 

The directions for the lesson follow: 

1.       This application can be used with small groups or whole classes.

2.       Day one: show the selected text to the group. Share the title and author and then explain that the group will learn about emotions together. 

3.       Complete a picture walk: students make predictions of the story based on illustrations.

4.       Day one conclusion: review of vocabulary words that are challenging or important and discuss student predictions.

5.       Day two: review the title and author and important vocabulary words.

6.       Reading: Counselor will read portions of the book and ask predetermined questions. 

7.       Group discussion: after the pages are read students discuss predictions and how the character felt during the challenges in each section. 

8.       Activity: the selection for this day is empathy building scenario card game. They will either pair up or form small groups. Students will get situation cards, discuss following questions, and share with the group.

Ex: ● What emotions do you think this person might be feeling? 

      ● Why do you think they are feeling those emotions? 

      ● If you were there, what would you say to them? 

      ● If you were in their situation, what would you want your friends to say to you?

 

9.  Day three: Counselor reads the remainder of the book. Predetermined stops will occur, at which point the counselor provides students with specific questions. 

10.   Once the book is complete, students describe the main points of the story. (Counselors should guide the discussion to assess how the students relate to the character’s situation and emotion. 

11.   Final activity: students draw a picture of what their imaginary friend might look like. They will also write out characteristics of that friend. They will share these creations with the group and connect their feelings, emotions, and similarities to the book and how they may handle the same situations the character went through. 

12.   Counselors can either use the activities and discussions as their data or provide pre- and posttests. 

 

References

 

Thompson, E., & Melchior, S. (2020). Improving Empathy in Children: Interactive Read-Aloud as a Counseling Intervention. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 15(2), 199–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2019.1676857