I selected this article because I wanted to see the impact school counselors have been seen to have in elementary and middle grades because I’m aware of the positive impact it has on high school students.  I don’t recall having a school counselor when I attended elementary and middle grades. Honestly, our teachers filled the role of school counselor when I attended elementary and middle school. I can recall issues that my peers were dealing with in middle school and our teachers were the ones who called and spoke with our parents to try and help get issues resolved.

This article discusses the positive impact that school counselors have on elementary and middle school. “Elementary and middle school counselors are tasked primarily with helping students develop mindsets and behaviors consistent with their academic, career, and social/emotional goals (American School Counselor Association [ASCA],2019. The article reflects on how the presence of school counselors helps improve attendance, academics social/emotional behaviors. Elementary and middle schools didn’t always have school counselors. The analyses from this article focused on students enrolled in fourth through eighth grades in public schools in North Carolina between 2009-2010 and 2014-2015.

When it comes to my own experience with a school counselor in elementary and middle school I don’t have any experience because we didn’t have one, but from this article and the life experiences I have gained by being a mother and grandmother, it has been a different experience. When my children were in elementary and middle school, I liked that they had a school counselor to help the parents with things that the kids might encounter like academic issues and social/emotional behavior. The rapport that the school counselor established with the kids made it easy for the kids to speak with them and they felt a sense of confidentiality which made the bond stronger. As time has gone by and school counselors have had more input in the schools the impact is getting more and more positive and it’s helping the students to exceed.

Domina, T., Akos, P., Bastian, K. C., & Godwin, J. (2022). The Impact of School Counselor Resources in Elementary and Middle Grades. Professional School Counseling, 26(1a). https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X221086746

Personal School Counseling Philosophy

Vision Statement:  As a school counselor my vision is to help each student become the best version of themselves.

Core Beliefs: My core belief is that all students can succeed with the proper support and tools. As a new school counselor my focus will be to work somewhere I can gain experience as a school counselor and learn to implement the ASCA model. I would like to be in a school where I can help with the school counseling program. This would allow me to see what the school counseling program needs to be successful and have a better impact on the students.

After completing the competency assessment, I realized that the duties required by a School Counselor entail a lot of responsibilities.  Your role as a school counselor requires you to be involved with many aspects of the school environment and community. During the assessment, I found myself being knowledgeable and ready regarding the needs and requirements to deal with the students but as I continued the assessment, I realized that I would also need to work with the principal, administrators, and local community leaders to have an effective successful program.

The areas I feel I did well or was knowledgeable in were Mindsets and Professional Foundation. I feel I did well in those areas because it dealt with the students, their needs, and how I could accomplish that for the students. The main reason I want to become a school counselor is so that I can advocate for the students and help them to become successful in any way possible. The areas that I need to improve would be Planning and Assessments. I know I will need improvement in that area because I would need to learn how to collect and calculate the data that will need to be obtained from the students to identify what areas they are doing well in and the areas that need improvement. I also will need to learn how to present the data to other parties that need the information to make sure that the school has a good school counseling program. One of the things I plan to do in my possible as a school counselor is to become familiar with the local school council and PTA.  I feel this would be a good way to make sure that the counseling program aligns with what the community feels the students in their area need.

Stress Management 6 th – 8 th These hour-long sessions serve as a comprehensive guide, personalized to accommodate a variety of schedules and learning preferences, ensuring that each participant can discover the approach that suits them best, whether they lean towards independent study or prefer small group engagement. Within this program, we will focus on six fundamental stress management concepts, each representing a critical facet of the stress management process: 1. Cultivating Emotional Well-being through Stress Management 2. Fostering Resilience in the Face of Adversity 3. Enhancing Effective Communication Skills 4. Practicing Mindfulness for Stress Reduction 5. Mastering Conflict Resolution Techniques 6. Elevating Organizational Proficiency and Time Management Skills Join us on this six-week journey towards stress-free living, as we systematically explore and master these vital stress management concepts, progressively enhancing students’ abilities to tackle stress both within the classroom and the home environment. Lesson Example: Each lesson will be comprised of longer and shorter activities designed to engage students and help reduce stress. All handouts are provided with each lesson.

The goal of this lesson plan is to help students manage stress and provide them with instructions on how to accomplish that. The challenge that I might have with this program is getting students to sign up because it’s after school and be willing to be open and honest about the problems that they are facing.  Many students don’t like to talk about their problems because it’s things they are facing at home and think the school counselor can’t assist with the problems they are facing but they can because they have access to many resources.

 School Flyer:

https://new.express.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:5c6fd5ad-37c0-5365-a525-eba9d509b965?invite=true&promoid=Z2G1FQKR&mv=other

Stress Management Plan for School Counselors: Quick Start Guide | TPT (teacherspayteachers.com)