The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) Mindsets describe seven mindsets, or core beliefs school counselors should have (ASCA, 2019).  These include a belief that every child can utilize a high quality education to graduate from high school prepared to succeed (ASCA, 2019).  They should be able to have an effective, collaborative school counseling program that prepares them for that post-graduation success (ASCA, 2019).  

This aligns with my core beliefs that every child deserves to succeed, and can, with help and through collaborative tools, learn to overcome obstacles.  Dr. Landreth also described some additional beliefs, that also align with my personal core beliefs about students.  He mentioned children are developmentally different than adults, deserved respect, and are incredibly resilient (Landreth, 2012).   

School Counselor Role as Advocate

            Mr Upton (2017), mentioned the importance of advocacy as a school counselor is not just in advocating for specific populations, or individual students, though it does encompass this as well.  The most important way school counselor’s advocate is in defining their positions to other stakeholders (Upton, 2017).  In the ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors, Standard B-PF 8 lists demonstrating data-driven advocacy as part of the school counseling program (ASCA, 2019).  

Ethical Standards

The ASCA Ethical Standards also mention advocacy sprinkled into almost every aspect of the document.  Within confidentiality, A.2.m mentions advocating for appropriate safeguards so information is not released; A.6. focuses specifically on advocating for individual students and with parents, school staff, and the community to help with prevention, protection, and furthering the success of students (ASCA, 2019).  

ASCA Ethical Standards also provides a warning.  In Standards A.6, A.10, and B.3, it states school counselors should be aware of personal values and beliefs as applied to a diverse population, and avoid imposing personal values on others (ASCA, 2019).  Therefore it is important, even though personal beliefs do influence goals and vision statements, to ensure they are aligned to the professional ASCA standards and goals, rather than just personal beliefs.

Vision Statement of School Counseling

My vision for school counseling is to advocate for individual students and the school counseling program, and focus on creating an effective, diverse, collaborative, comprehensive school counseling program, dedicated to fostering success post-high school.  Students will be able to think critically, and understand how to advocate effectively.  They will have skills and resources needed to succeed in the diverse world they will emerge into upon graduation from high school.

 

References:

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

Landreth, G. L. (2012). Play therapy: The art of relationship (3rd ed.). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

 

Upton, W. (2017, December).  The Importance of Advocacy.  Retrieved from:  https://www.schoolcounselor.org/newsletters/december-2017/the-importance-of-advocacy 

 

In a lot of the areas to improve on, I need a lot more knowledge and training.  Some of those areas include learning, counseling theories, the educational system, and different comprehensive counseling systems.  I also have no experience developing curriculum, or school counseling programs.  Additionally, I am looking forward to gaining skills in group counseling and individual counseling.  

 

There are some areas that I am somewhat confident about, yet still need more practice within the school system.  Based on my previous work within the criminal justice system, I am fairly competent that I can apply legal principles.  I am encouraged that my state’s ASCA branch has free ethical consultation, and have reached out to others in the past to consult.  I have had some leadership positions in the past, and though I prefer informal, or more collaborative leadership, I have had some areas that I’ve created a new program and have gotten buy-in and implemented the program successfully (not in school settings though).  I am also actively working to increase my multicultural knowledge by working collaboratively on a newsletter that highlights different multicultural months, events, and holidays.  As part of the newsletter, I’ve also done a fair amount of research into local community (food pantries, free clothing, free diapers, family education and volunteer activities, etc), and school resources that may be helpful, per B-SS4 (ASCA, 2019).  

In summary, there are a lot of areas I need additional work on, particularly as it relates to the school system and within the roles of school counselor.  However, as I’ve gone through some of the mental health counseling program, I have appreciated how it has increased my competence in certain areas.  By having the ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors, and utilizing these assessments, it can provide a good measuring stick of how focused and effective my work as a school counselor can be.

 

References:

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

 

Walden University (Producer). (2019d). Rachel Dilts: Manage [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

 

These tests are not all comfortable; however, and the next test I took was cisgender vs transgender.  The results showed I have a moderate automatic preference for people that are cisgender vs transgender.  This was not too surprising either, as I don’t have many friends that are not cisgender.  I need to start interacting with more people that are different from me.  One step I am taking is taking classes (through the local PTA, and zoom classes within the community) that focus on gender fluidity and diversity, creating inclusive cultures, and LGTBQ+ inclusivity training.  I have attended two classes thus far, and have two more coming up in the next month.  I plan to continue attending these classes- they help familiarize myself with terms, and understand how I can make changes to better help others feel accepted and included.

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html