...Today's school counselors deal routinely with complicated situations in which students have acute counseling needs, including cases of severe depression and suicidal ideation, pregnancy, substance abuse, school violence, and child abuse (Page, Pietrzak, & Sutton, 2001). To respond adequately to these needs, counselors must have both strong clinical skills and a keen awareness of the legal and ethical ramifications of any actions they may take or fail to take. These mandates are particularly challenging when school counselors are isolated in their settings or are so burdened with clerical and administrative tasks that they are unable to adequately address the counseling needs of the students they serve. School counselors in these situations may feel stressed and overworked and may be experiencing professional burnout. As a consequence, they can become unsure of their abilities and effectiveness and may experience erosion in their skills and competence (Crutchfield & Borders, 1997). This process runs counter to their ethical responsibility to maintain and increase their competence (American Counseling Association [ACA] 1995, Section C.2.) When school counselors fail to practice competently, this can become a legal problem as well as an ethical issue, because a malpractice lawsuit could result. Supervision can be an effective means of assisting school counselors to maintain and enhance their competence. Supervision can provide opportunities for continuing clinical-skill development...
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...head: GROUP COUNSELING IN SCHOOL-AGE YOUTH Ethical Concerns in Group Counseling School-Age Youth Liberty University Abstract Youth spend most of their time at school, and receive most social services on campus. This includes counseling. Counseling in schools, historically, consisted of career or college entry counseling. With the growing mental health needs of the populous, schools have been expanding the roles of schools counselors to include facilitating mental health/support counseling and moving towards a counseling psychology framework. Because of the number of students that have to get serviced, using group counseling sessions is a useful and practical option for counselors. Group counseling can be a helpful technique for people with similar habits or people who have possibly experienced a traumatic event. With the good that comes with group counseling, like camaraderie among students, there are always causes for concern, like confidentiality issues. This review examines the ethical dilemmas and differences between individualized counseling and group counseling in schools. Research has shown that using counseling groups and group therapies can make a difference in the outcomes of a lot of cases, but experts in the field have also had concerns about what could happen in a group setting, and how that could negatively affect a client, or the group of clients. Those concerns become even greater when dealing with groups of youth at school. Studies show that more...
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...comprehensive school counseling program based upon the academic, career, and social/emotional needs of the students within the school. The foundation has three main components: program focus, student competencies, and professional competencies. The program focus begins with gathering beliefs that are important to the success of the school counseling program. Next, a vision statement, mission statement, and program goals are created. Student competencies include the ASCA Student Standards, which help to develop a standard for student development. Professional Competencies includes the ASCA School Counselor Competencies and ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, which help to determine if school counselors are being successful in their job performance. The mission statement of our school counseling office is to deliver a school counseling program that nurtures each student's academic, career, and social/emotional needs. School counselors, teachers, and parents will work together to help students become well rounded, successful young adults. 2.Management: The purpose of the management component is to provide organizational assessments and tools to establish a successful school counseling program. These assessments and tools help school counselors to develop, implement, and evaluate their school counseling program. Assessments such as the School Counselor Competencies, the School Counseling Program Assessment, and the Use-of-Time Assessment help school counselors evaluate...
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...Abstract: This paper evaluates an ethical school counseling dilemma where a counselor is ultimately faced with a student’s disclosure of suicidal intentions. The setting takes place in a public high school where Lakia, a counselor decides to begin a “relationship skills” group. Lakia post advertisements drawing interest from current students through the schools counseling office. She advertised with little information regarding the mission or purpose of the group. Lakia did not request information from students interested in the group such as their interest to participate, the nature of their past and current problems or previous experiences with other groups. The first meeting began with a total of nine students heavily skewed in the female gender with only two male participants. During the opening of the first meeting, one of the male participants named Robert self discloses his violent past and that he often experiences anger issues predominantly toward women. During a break, five of the female participants decide to exclude themselves from the group. Robert then proceeds to become emotional and unveils his intentions to commit suicide when he arrives home afterschool. This paper will evaluate this ethical dilemma using the American Counseling Association’s (ACA) Decision Model. Evaluation will include discussions identifying the problem, applying the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) Ethical Code, determining the nature and dimensions of the dilemma...
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...Running head: Confidentiality SHB5315 - Ethics and Leadership in Studies in Human Behavior U10al Analysis of Work Environment and Ethical Dilemma Due: June 15, 2012 By: Katrina Hines The purpose of this paper is to analyze a hypothetical ethical dilemma within a hypothetical work environment, describing professional role within the environment, structure within the professional role who does one supervise and who supervises one, identifying the population that will be served in the professional role and the diversity of the population, addressing social and cultural diversity. Selection; of the appropriate code of professional ethics and ethical decision model; evaluating the function of the work environment in relation to the legal and accepted standard of practice for setting. Selection of the environment Helping Hands is North Carolina’s leading provider of children’s behavioral healthcare. The Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) accepts children from throughout the state. The organization is accredited by the joint Commission, which is recognized nationwide as a symbol of healthcare quality reflecting the highest level of performance and certified by the North Carolina Department of Human Services as a Critical Assess behavioral Health Agency (CABHA). The agency offers a comprehensive array of treatment options for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Helping Hands mission is to provide quality professional treatment to children...
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...power. Spirituality as it is seen in Christianity is to believe in God. As a Christian, we believe that God loves us. We believe that Jesus died for us. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead with all power in his hand. Spirituality as it relates to Christianity says believe on a merciful God that loves and offers us redemption in spite of, and because of, our sins. In regards to counseling and my personal value of spirituality, I understand my need to be multiculturally aware and vigilante towards ethically serving the needs of my clients. According to Elliott (2008), while conflicts regarding sexual orientation and gender identity often receive attention, other value conflicts may emerge in the counseling process both for practicing counselors and...
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...young children who are of school age. Most students today need someone who is unbiased and will just listen to them vent and let out all their fears and anger. Most schools staff counselors who can attend to these children in a time of need through death of a family member or even a traumatic experience in the school. Counselors deal with students who can handle students with behavioral problems or who will just sit and listen to a student going through a tough divorce in the family. Students with emotional and behavioral problems tend to not do so well academically. According to Speck (2012), the position analysis questionnaire is an instrument that can be used to analyze any job. Position Analysis Questionnaire Method Professional school counselors are educators with a master’s degree along with a state school counseling certificate. With apprehending to the 10 principles of the “Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium”(n.d) website are content pedagogy, student development, diverse learners, multiple instructional strategies, motivation/management, communication/technology, planning, assessments, reflective practice/professional growth, and school/community involvement. Elementary school teachers have a classroom full of students with minimal discipline resources. It is imperative for facilitators to maintain their authority to keep order in the classroom. Students have to face different obstacles in regards to enjoying school and learning as well as...
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...Working with students in an academic setting regardless of if they are in elementary, middle, or high school is going to come with a slew of ethical and legal standards to consider. As school counselors we are working with minors, so in some circumstances it is important to tread lightly, and in others it’s necessary to know proper protocols and courses of action. The amount of ethical and legal knowledge within a school setting to maintain can be intimidating, and some aspect of these standards will be applied on a regular basis. Continuing to seek and maintain knowledge on appropriate criterions when working with students will help counselors protect both students and themselves. In high school students are at a higher cognitive level at this point, but disabilities still need to be taken into consideration when considering higher education and career choices. Ethical standards are in...
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...Professional Identity The school counseling profession has evolved over time into a collaborative model. This collaborative model involves teachers, school administrators, parents, counselors, other school personal, and community stakeholders. The first guidance program was developed in 1895. In 1926 New York became the first state to require guidance workers to be certified; in 1929 New York became the first state to have full time guidance workers. In 1952 the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) was established, now known as American Counseling Association (ACA). In 1952 The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) was established. In 1958 the National Defense Education Act was passed, which increased training and hiring of school counselors. In 1964 NDEA Title A was passed, providing counseling to elementary schools. In 1997 ASCA published their National Standards, providing benchmarks for student’s competency in academic, career, and personal/social domains. In 2003 the ASCA National Model was published as a framework for school counseling programs it was revised in 2005 and 2012 (Erford, 2015). The collaborative model of school counseling is a cooperative process where the school counselor “helps others in the school community to think through problems and to develop skills that make them more effective in working with student” (Erford, 2015, p.35). Through this model the school counselor partners with parents, educators, and community resources and organizations...
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...Capetown High School [pic] Taking a Bite out of Education!!! Cougar ISD Capetown High School 1979 Shoreside Drive Capetown, Texas 73911 Principal- Scott Thomison Assistant Principal- Guillermo Altamirano Academic Counselor- Travis Cole Athletic Director- Mike Nelson Health & Fitness- Matt Tarbutton Counselor- Emilio Luna IT- John Kenna Mascot- Sharks School Colors- Navy Blue and White Motto- Taking a Bite out of Education! Mission Statement: To provide all learners with the leadership and knowledge of today. To prepare learners for the rigors of life, today, tomorrow, and the future. Principal- Scott Thomison Curriculum • There will be one core curriculum with equal access for all students regardless of the program/s. • To assure that students leaving the District's school possess the skills and knowledge to have a successful experience in higher education and in the workplace. • All teachers must turn in a bi weekly lesson plan to their department chair and approved before final approval from Principal. Faculty and Staff • All Faculty and Staff must sign in at the beginning and end of their day. Name badges must be visible above the waist and photo facing out. • You must park your car in your assigned space with tag hanging from rear view mirror facing out. • Teachers must be available to students at all times during the school day unless other arrangements have been prior. This falls under our open door...
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...Current Events Impact on School Counseling Profession Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred December 14, 2012 in Newton, Connecticut. This was one of the deadliest mass shooting at a grade school in the history of the United States. A 20 year old male, Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and 6 adult staffers. Lanza also shot his mother. Lanza committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Lanza had significant mental health issues which psychologist say did affect his ability to live a normal life. (www.CNN.com). Today there are has been more than 100 school shootings since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary. (www.schoolsecurity). Traumatic stress and psychological distress play a major role in counseling children. School counseling has become even more valuable in the U.S. due to traumatic events such as school shootings. School shootings have had a major impact on students, families and communities. There is a more security and law enforcement present at schools across the US and metal detectors in schools also. School children are being taught how to prepare if there is a shooter or shooters in schools. Due to the increased acts of violence in schools and the need for intensive intervention in student issues, school personnel, school boards, and communities are recognizing the need to provide effective prevention and intervention programs to address social, emotional, and academic needs of students. (Davis, T., 2015, Exploring School Counseling). In the next...
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...watch for any changes so that things are kept up to date. However, the job analyst should be familiar with the job a well as the position. “The job analysis will lead directly to development of numerous other significant workers (tools): job requirements, job assessment as well as job performance criteria” (Spector, 2008). Today families are shattered, language barriers are high, violence is a standard, and their education does not get to high priority. Counselors typically deal with these types of students who have tangible needs, emotional troubles, and behavioral issues. Furthermore, counselors have an ear for listening; shoulders to cry on and a firm facilitator for regulations are what a school counselor should use. Before becoming a school counselor a person needs to become part of the educational system as a teacher. There are 10 principles that significant, according to the Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium when reviewing candidates for the position of school counselor. These principle consist of “learning styles and diversity, motivation and behavior, interpersonal relationships,...
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...are a school counselor in a Title One middle school located in the heart of Newark, NJ. Recently, there was a shooting at your school that involved many students. Classrooms were locked down for three hours. A few days ago, a teacher at your school said she saw in the crisis handbook that following a crisis, teachers should look for student behavior that is out of the ordinary as a way of identifying students who may need to see the school counselor. The student she is concerned about is a seventh grade (13 year old) Asian male named Tai. She said that he seems to be more withdrawn since the shootings and believes one of the students who were shot was a friend of his. Tai is new to the school this year and participates in the free lunch plan. Case Conceptualization and Needs Assessment Having a comprehensive crisis management plan in place allows members of the school staff and community to be aware of policy and procedures related to identifying students who may be in crisis. A crisis management plan should detail student behavior which may be signs of mental illness or crisis. In doing so school staff have criteria in place that helps identify those who may need assistance. According to Allen et al., the role of the school counselor is defined by the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA, 2000) by the statement, "the professional school counselor's primary role is to provide direct counseling service during and after the incident" (ASCA), school counselors are expected...
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...My inclination towards psychology led me to opt for school counseling. I want to accomplish many things, but the number one goal is to help my students to reach their potential. I want to serve them by providing guidance and resources for them to be successful. School counselors wear many hats nowadays. I’m aware that it is not only about guidance, but social services, testing, bullying, drugs, whole group and the list goes on and on. A counselor should be honest, open minded, flexible, have moral principles and follow ethical guidelines to best practice the job. Also, we cannot be judgmental nor bias. Be kind and positive is a must a well. Who wants to go see a grumpy counselor? No one will be opening up to you. The use of technology facilitates...
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...20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling: The New Consensus Definition of Counseling David M. Kaplan American Counseling Association Vilia M. Tarvydas The University of Iowa Samuel T. Gladding Wake Forest University Author Note David M. Kaplan, Professional Affairs, American Counseling Association; Vilia M. Tarvydas, Department of Rehabilitation and Counselor Education, The University of Iowa; Samuel T. Gladding, Department of Counseling, Wake Forest University. The authors wish to thank Jason Wilke for his assistance. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to David Kaplan, American Counseling Association, 5999 Stevenson Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304. E-mail: dkaplan@counseling.org Abstract With the promulgation of the 20/20 consensus definition of counseling, there is finally profession-wide clarity as to what it means to engage in professional counseling. This article describes the development and discusses the implications of the definition: Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals. The 20/20 consensus definition of counseling has been endorsed by 29 major counseling organizations. Keywords: counseling, definition, 20/20, consensus, professional identity 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling: The New Consensus Definition of Counseling For well over half a decade, the counseling profession has been...
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