Background of the School Counseling Profession

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Background of the School Counseling Profession
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History

• Jesse B. Davis - introduced vocational and moral
  guidance as a curriculum into an English course
• This was the first systematic guidance program in
  public schools

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History

• Frank Parsons - the Father of Guidance
• His work had significant impact on the vocational
  guidance movement
• 1909 - Wrote the book, Choosing a Vocation, which
  offered a method to match a persons personal
  characteristics with an occupation (Trait and
  Factor Approach)

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History

• The work of Jesse Davis, Eli Weaver, and Frank
  Parsons and a host of other pioneers created
  momentum for the development of a school
  counseling profession.
• During the 1920s-1940s, many events occurred that
  gave clarity and direction to this emerging
  profession.

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History

• World War I - gave more reason for testing
  individuals
• The term counselor rarely heard prior to the
  depression, was now a part of the vocabulary
  (e.g. Freud). Prior to this time, the term
  guidance was used

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History

• World War II - and its aftermath created a
  greater emphasis on psychological testing that
  directly influenced school guidance
• World War II - government requested assistance
  from counselors for screening, selecting military
  and industrial specialist

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History

• 1930s - the first theory of guidance was
  introduced. E. G. Williamsons Trait and Factor
  theory.
• This was known as directive or counselor-centered

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History

• 1946 - George Barden Act - legislation that
  provided funds to develop and support guidance
  and counseling activities in schools and other
  settings
• This was the first time school counselors and
  state and local supervisors received resources,
  leadership and financial support from the
  government

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History

• 1957 - Sputnik - first earth satellite that was
  launched by the Soviet Union
• Sputnik was the lift-off and orbit for
  counseling guidance in the US
• 1958 - Natl Defense Ed. Act (NDEA)- provided
  funding to United States education institutions
  at all levels. The act authorized funding for
  four years, increasing funding per year

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History

• Part of the NDEA focused on
• 1. Providing funds to help states establish and
  maintain school counseling, testing, guidance
  activities
• 2. Authorized the establishment of counseling
  institutions and training programs in colleges
  and universities

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History

• 1962 - Wrenns book, The Counselor in a Changing
  World -solidified the goals of school counseling

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History

• 1965 - Elem Secondary Education Act - provided
  funding to improve educational opportunities of
  low-income families
• 1960-70s - Collaboration with teachers
• 1974 - PL 94-142 (Education of All Handicapped
  Children Act IDEA)

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History

• 1997 - National Standards for School Counseling
  Programs is published
• Late 1990s-00s - Transforming school counseling

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School Guidance

• (1900 - 1920) - Occupational Selection and
  Placement was emphasized
• (1930 -1960) - School Adjustment
• (1960- present) - Personal Development

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Defining School Counseling

• A profession that focuses on the relations and
  interactions between students and their school
  environment with the expressed purpose of
  reducing the effect of environmental and
  institutional barriers that impede student
  academic success.
• The Education
  Trust

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The Goal of School Counseling

• To remove barriers which impede academic and life
  success

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Focus of Barrier Removal

• Student-focused
• System-focused

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STUDENT-FOCUSED SCHOOL COUNSELING
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Student-Focused School Counseling

• GUIDANCE
• The help all students receive from parents,
  teachers, counselors, community members and
  others to assist with educational and career
  development.

• COUNSELING
• The help some students receive from credentialed
  professionals to overcome personal and social
  problems that interfere with learning.

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Guiding All Kids SYSTEMIC SCHOOL COUNSELING
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Guiding All Kids Systemic School
CounselingConnecting to the Mission of the School

• What are the knowledge and skills our students
  need, in the areas of academic, career,
  personal/social development, in order to reach
  our vision of student success (schools mission)?

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ASCA Standards Local Indicators

• ASCA National Standards and Local Indicators
• Academic Development
• All 4th graders will describe their personal
  learning style.
• All 8th graders will develop a 4-yr high school
  course plan.
• All 10th graders will describe postsecondary
  education options.
• Career Development
• All 5th graders will describe their career
  interest areas.
• All 8th graders will describe the career majors
  offered at the HS.
• All 9th graders will conduct an information
  interview.
• Personal-Social Development
• All 3th graders will demonstrate a conflict
  mediation skills.
• All 6th graders will demonstrate anger management
  techniques.
• All 11th graders will demonstrate consensus
  building skills.

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Guiding All Kids Systemic School
CounselingContinuum of School Counseling
Activities
Advocacy/Leadership Ask Hard Questions Gather
Present Data Task Group Facilitation
System Focused Activities
Standard/Issue
Classroom Guidance Small Group Interventions Indiv
idual Interventions Referral
Student Focused Activities
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Leadership
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LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES

• Create an environment supportive of high
  achievement for all students

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LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES

• Advocacy
• Promoting high achievement for all students
• Promoting positive relationships
• Identifying students who are left behind
• Using data to spur change
• Asking the hard questions
• Teaming and collaborating to create the
• programs, services, policies, etc.
• needed so no student is left behind

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LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES

• Leadership for School Improvement
• Serving on school improvement teams
• Facilitating school improvement teams
• Collaborating with teachers to help all students
  learn
• Providing in-service programs for teachers
• Learning styles
• Career interest inventories
• Labor market trends
• Conflict management

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ASCA Ethical Standards

• Responsibilities
• To students
• To parents
• To colleagues and professional associates
• To the school and community
• To self
• To the profession
• (Cobia Henderson)

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EXERCISES

• 1. Professional identity is an important issue
  for school counselors. If you were hired by a
  school tomorrow as its new counselor, what five
  actions would you take to begin establishing a
  professional identity? Discuss and compare your
  actions with a group of your classmates.

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• Discuss factors and events that influenced your
  decision to enter or consider the counseling
  profession
• Select and write down any historic leaders name.
  In 15 minutes, describe how the leader would
  have benefited from counseling at some particular
  point of his/her career.

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Exercises

• Review the ASCA role statement (see Appendix A in
  Cobia Henderson) and identify any aspects that
  are different from the previous perceptions of a
  school counselors role. Reflecting on these
  differences, speculate about how you came to hold
  these beliefs. How might your awareness of these
  preconceptions influence your training
  experiences?

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Exercises