Comprehensive School Counseling Program Evaluation Essay

For this assignment I reached out to an instructor at Lakeland College who is also a professional school counselor named Wendy Falk. Wendy was happy to complete an interview with me and provided information about herself including what assessments she uses, her theoretical orientation, and why these assessments are used. Wendy also spoke about her school counseling position, a difficult case she was presented with, and her opinion on the use of assessments. Additional research was conducted to learn more about the assessments she discussed.

My pursuit of becoming a School Counselor led me to apply to the School Counseling Master’s Program at University of Maryland, College Park. I am a former student at University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After graduating and teaching for two years in Prince George’s County Public Schools, I discovered my true passion lies not only in the classroom and students’ academics, but playing a pivotal role in the growth of their career, social, and personal development. Although I am no longer teaching full-time at the moment, my interaction with students from diverse backgrounds left an indelible responsibility to continue making a difference in our students. The objectives and mission of the School Counseling Master’s Program at University of Maryland can best help my goal of becoming an effective counselor and leader who is an agent of change to students and service the mental and emotional well-being of the younger generation.

Now that the data has been analyzed it is now up to the school counselor to share the results with the stakeholders. School counselors can use microsoft word, powerpoint, excel, and any other program to share their results. Delivering the results to the stakeholders in a presentation using powerpoint and excel is a great way to keep the stakeholders attention. When sharing the results with the stakeholders you want to be sure to share the results of the needs assessment and prove whether or not your program has impacted the students. You also want to discuss how you can improve the school counseling program. A chart with the analyzed data is also helpful. Implementing a comprehensive school counseling program can be challenging. My needs assessment was based off of how well the

Caretaker Interview was completed by. As grading is completed and questions arise, they can be directed toward via e-mail at. Thank you!

In order to do a proper analysis on a school counselor one must know what he or she does on a daily basis. This is to conduct a job analysis for a school counselor and discuss how it will be used within the school system. Next to determine the reliability and validity of the school counselor analysis. Then the performance and appraisal methods that apply to being a counselor will be evaluated. Finally the benefits and vulnerabilities of each performance appraisal method will be explained. This will provide a full job analysis of a school counselor and what their job entails.

The goal of a school counseling program to help all students reach academic success by providing supportive services that addresses issues or concerns comprising of academic, career and social/personal development. School counselors are not only concerned with students who are succeeding and motivated to learn, they also aim at encouraging students who are at risk of failing or dropping out of school to continue striving for success and setting goals that encourage productive citizens in communities. In order to create a comprehensive school counseling program, one must first recognize their own assumptions, perceptions and stereotypes regarding students’ behaviors, values and beliefs. One should also have a willingness to accept and understand

School counseling recommendations. I would recommend that Marcus gets properly diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. Once he has been diagnosed the school counselor, teachers, and parents can come up with a plan to help Marcus. Marcus should be taught about anxiety and social anxiety this will better help Marcus understand what is going on. Marcus may have no idea why he acts the way he does during social activities or may not understand what anxiety is. Teaching Marcus these things can help him to identify when he is having a feeling of anxiety and how he can manage it. Teaching him how to stay clam, relax, breathing exercises, and muscle relaxation. Realistic thinking skills can also help Marcus. Instead of him thinking that he will be embarrassed or humiliated in front of the class he can start thinking more positive thoughts like “I will do well

This research project will take place over the course of a year and half, from the Spring of 2018 to the Fall of 2019. The first six months will be dedicated to performing the needs assessment, while the full year will be used to implement the three iterations of the intervention. The site of this research will be three urban middle schools in Stamford Connecticut. Each with a population of about 500 students from grades six through eight, 45 faculty members and three administrators. Within the schools the sessions will take place in the administration offices and in the training rooms where the teachers meet. The participants for this study will include the principals, since

There are many theoretical models of counseling. Often, a diverse approach or the use of several approaches is best for the resolution of problems. I utilize several different theories and strategies in my role as a counselor. However, it is the Individual personal theory and the Family theory model that anchors my orientation to counseling as a Christian counselor.

School counselors use data to, “identify school counseling program goals; monitor student progress to close the achievement gap; assess and evaluate programs; demonstrate school counseling program effectiveness (Young, 2013).” The purpose of assessments are to identify and plan school counseling programs that align with the mission of schools. School counselors assist students individually to help with academic, personal/social or career concerns. One helps student establish goals as well as develop plans. School counselors conduct informal assessments by interviewing students to obtain information about their current problem or situation.

It takes a special person to become a school counselor and in doing so it is important to take those life skills, knowledge, dispositions, and background experiences to help along the way. In the counseling field there are some guidelines and theories that will help, but nothing that prepares you for what may happen at any moment or any time during the day. It is clear that life definitely throws some unexpected curve balls and that is the same for situations in the field of school counseling. You never know what situation you will run into and in order to dodge those curve balls it is those life experiences that often time influence the direction in which we take both personally and professionally. It is important to compile all the knowledge and experiences that we have gained throughout life and apply them in a way that will help others to be successful. It is key to reflect on the past and those skills that I have that will lead me to become an effective professional school counselors.

A successful leaders use praise effectively. Identifying shortcomings and then telling soldiers what must be improved are a leader’s responsibility. Praising soldiers for their improvement and proper performance is even more important. To have a soldier to continue on the right step you need and will have to give them a positive counsel more often than what you probably want to. A sincere and honest praise lets soldiers know that their leader appreciates their efforts. Praising subordinates is a simple act that takes little time but will provide many benefits. With a few positive, encouraging words and a pat on the back, the leader can recognize and reinforce desired behavior and performance. A soldier who feels that their best efforts are

The three concepts I have chosen to identify for this book report assignment are, basic empathy, motivation, and reframing. I feel that those concepts are important for counsellors to have as skils.

As a future school counselor, I can reflect that these past eight weeks, I have a full understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a school counselor in a traditional high school. Practicum 2 has been learning experiences that I will remember as I start my new profession. I believe that being exposed and actively involved with a group of school counselors brought a wide range of knowledge that I plan to utilize in the future. As a continuum from my Practicum 1, the following CACREP standards are mentioned below.

Impacting the lives of children must be approached from a team perspective to address all aspects of the child’s environment and relationships including caregivers, peers, teachers and school. Behavioral Counselors must collaborate with school counselors to understand the impact that school and teachers have on the child’s life. To appreciate School Counseling a review of the specialization’s history is important. School Counselors have evolved from vocational guidance and job-orientated counseling following World War I to educational guidance following World War II due to the passing of the GI bill as veterans were given right to education counseling (Minkoff, 1985). Today School Counselors support a wide variety of needs from a wide variety of student populations including but not limited to depression, college guidance, anxiety, oppositional disorder and developmentally delayed due to change in access to mental health care being more privatized (Lockhart & Keys, 1998). Lockhart states that because of the restructuring in access to care school counselors have been pushed to handle a wider variety of needs within mental health (1998).