Core Beliefs:
1. Every Student Deserves Support: I firmly believe that each student has a unique background and deserves to have access to support, guidance, and resources to thrive in their educational journey. I am committed to ensuring that resources are provided to each student that I serve. 

2. Student-Centered Approach: My counseling program will prioritize the individual needs and well-being of my students. I am dedicated to understanding their challenges, strengths, and future aspirations to better provide personalized support. 

3. Inclusivity and Equity: I am committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment where all students feel respected, valued, and safe. I will actively work to eliminate barriers and address disparities to ensure equal opportunities are given to all. 

4. Collaborative Partnerships: It is important for me to build strong relationships with teachers, parents, administrators, and community partners. By working together, we can create a comprehensive network of support for students.

5. Data-Informed Decision-Making: My counseling services will be evidence-based, and will rely heavily on data and assessments to guide interventions. I will continuously evaluate the effectiveness of my programs based on data. By looking at the data, I will be able to make improvements and ensure accountability. 

6. Prevention and Resilience: While I will always address immediate concerns, I believe in fostering resilience and providing life skills, like emotional regulation and problem-solving, is equally important in their overall development. 

My Personal School Counseling Philosophy is driven by the belief that all students deserve support, personalized guidance, and equitable opportunities. My services are centered on inclusivity, collaboration, and data-informed decision-making, and the proactive approach of emotional well-being and life skills. My vision is to lead a school counseling program that transforms lives to shape students to be productive members of society. 

 

I was not all that surprised with the results of my areas of strengths. One of those areas was mindsets. I feel confident with these standards because they align with my core beliefs and values of a counselor. As a current high school counselor, I work a lot with my students to foster resilience and to instill a growth-oriented mindset. I truly believe these are the foundational pieces that will lead them to careers beyond the high school walls. M. 5. in one standard within the mindset domain that I really feel is a strength of mine because I am a huge advocate that each student's success requires all of us working together as a team, rather than alone. This also makes sense as to why I felt section B-PF 8. a-c was another strength of mine because those standards deal with advocacy. I currently love being able to be an extra voice for my students to make sure all their needs are being met. Additionally, during my undergrad years, my professors highlighted advocacy for students thoroughly. Another standard that I consider a strength is B-SS 5 a-c that deal with collaborating with others. I am a huge communicator to parents and teachers when needed. Some of my favorite times is when I can hear feedback from parents and teachers about the progress a student is making in at home or in class. Identifying these strengths makes me confident in my skills that I currently have. 

I quickly realized that there are far more areas for growth, rather than strengths. However, I am not surprised because I have little to no experience in school counseling. Two main standards I have no knowledge on are B-PF 2 a. and b. I definitely plan to strengthen this standard by keeping up with data and research. B. PF 2. c. talks about policy development at the building, district, state and national levels. Understanding these differences within different levels will open up a new level of understanding for this field. Standards B-PA 3 a-d, Develop annual student outcome goals based on student data, are standards that I have not yet mastered but are ones that I super excited to learn more about in the future! I really enjoy analyzing numbers and using results from students to create better programs fit for their needs. I for sure know I need to work on standards relevant to B-PA 6., Use time appropriately according to national recommendations and student/school data. As a current counselor, I feel I don't prioritize my time the best and often feel overwhelmed as a result. Setting boundaries will definitely help to improve this standard. In order to fulfill standards B-SS 4 a-c, Making Referrals, it will be important for me to keep a document with ongoing outside services that could be beneficial for the students. This document will be extremely helpful when needing to locate a community resource for a student. Overall, a high focus for me throughout this program is to understand policies from a larger scope, such as state level. While I have a lot to learn still, I am super eager to gain new knowledge throughout my journey. 

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