SCHOOL COUNSELING
High school counselors provide a variety of services aimed at addressing barriers to students' learning. These services include, but are not limited to:
In regards to post-secondary planning, school counselors recognize that each student possesses unique interests, strengths, abilities, and goals that will lead to many future opportunities. Professional school counselors understand the national, state, and local requirements and programs that may affect future opportunities for college and career readiness. The counselors' proactive collaboration with students, families, educational staff, and the community ensures that all students develop an academic and career plan reflecting their unique situation. They provide all students the opportunity to:
- Helping to create and implement programs that aid in the development of academic skills. High school counselors will often offer their expertise by extracting various methods of developing organizing, studying and test-taking skills from their extensive academic tool boxes.
- Preparing students for post-secondary life. High school counselors provide information and services to help students learn what kind of post-graduation careers may be available. Counselors may aid students in the application process for post-secondary education.
- Helping students develop effective social skills. High school students vary widely in their abilities to demonstrate maturity in this area. High school counselors often help those students with a lack of positive role models to learn social skills by incorporating social skills development in program curriculum.
- Promoting health and safety. High school counseling addresses issues impacting students through the development of programs, such as substance abuse education and multicultural awareness.
- Crisis intervention and management. High School Counselors provide counseling services and psychological assessments.
In regards to post-secondary planning, school counselors recognize that each student possesses unique interests, strengths, abilities, and goals that will lead to many future opportunities. Professional school counselors understand the national, state, and local requirements and programs that may affect future opportunities for college and career readiness. The counselors' proactive collaboration with students, families, educational staff, and the community ensures that all students develop an academic and career plan reflecting their unique situation. They provide all students the opportunity to:
- Demonstrate the skills needed for school success
- Demonstrate the connection between coursework and life experiences
- Make course selections that allow them the opportunity to choose from a wide range of post-secondary options
- Explore interests and abilities in relation to knowledge of self and the career world
- Identify and apply strategies to achieve future academic and career success
- Demonstrate the skills for successful goal setting and attainment
- Develop an electronic portfolio to highlight strengths and interests
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL COUNSELING
Schools are often one of the first places where the mental health crises and needs of students are recognized and initially addressed (Froeschle & Meyers, 2004). Research indicates that 20% of students are in need of mental health services, yet only one of out five of these students receives the necessary services (Kaffenberger & Seligman, 2007). Students' unmet mental health needs can be a significant barrier to academic, personal-social, and career development. They can also compromise school safety, meaning that while school counselors do not provide long-term therapy in schools, they are trained to recognize and respond to student mental health crises. School counselors address the barriers to student development by offering education, prevention, crisis intervention, and short-term intervention until the student can be connected with available community resources. In regards to social/emotional counseling, the department seeks to provide:
More information about social/emotional counseling & resources can be found at:
- Responsive services including internal and external referral procedures
- Short-term counseling or crisis intervention focused on mental health or situational concerns (e.g. grief, difficult transitions) with the intent of helping the student return to the classroom and remove barriers to learning
- Delivery of curriculum which enhances awareness of mental health; promotes positive, healthy behaviors; and seeks to remove the stigma associated with mental health issues
- Individual planning with students that addresses their personal-social and mental health needs
- Education about mental health concerns for teachers, administrators, parents/guardians, and the community
- Recognition of the role environmental factors have in causing or exacerbating mental health issues
- Advocacy and collaboration with the school and community stakeholders to ensure that students and their families have access to mental health services
- Professional development to increase the counselors' ability to recognize and respond to student mental health crises and concerns
- Adherence to the ASCA's ethical standards for school counselors, as well as state and national legislation
More information about social/emotional counseling & resources can be found at:
- The 'Social & Emotional Counseling' tab on this website's sidebar
- The Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center - www.marccenter.org/
