From School Counselor To A Comprehensive School Counseling

From School Counselor To A Comprehensive School Counseling Program: Collaborating To Support Student Success Norman C. Gysbers, Ph. D. Curators’ Professor Emeritus University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri West Virginia Department of Education School Counselor Conference June 21 -23, 2016 Charleston, West Virginia

The First Organizational Structure for School Counseling – One Hundred Years Ago �School Counseling (Vocational Guidance) Began As A Position With A List Of Duties �Teachers And Administrators Occupied The Position

The Second Organizational Structure For School Counseling Appeared In The 1930 s �A Group Of Services- Information, Assessment, Counseling, Placement, & Follow-up �Pupil Personnel Services �List Of Duties

The Third Organizational Structure For School Counseling Appeared In The 1970 s �A Program �List Of Duties Organized Around The Program Structure- School Counseling Curriculum, Individual Student Planning, Responsive Services, & System Support (Indirect Services)

List Of Duties Still Being Used Today To Describe The Role Of School Counselors �Many Job Descriptions For School Counselors Used By Many School Districts Still Use The List Of Duties Approach

What Are The Problems With The List Of Duties? �Overtime Lists Of Duties For School Counselors Often End Up Containing A Mixture Of School Counseling, Administrative, And Clerical Duties �The Duties On The Lists Are Often Unequal In Size And Time Requirements

�Duties Can Vary Substantially Among Elementary, Middle, And High School Counselors �Lists Of Duties Makes It Difficult To Explain Who We Are- Our Professional Identity And Scope Of Practice �Lists Of Duties Can Cause Role Confusion

�Some Lists Of Duties Makes It Appear That School Counselors Are More Administrative Assistants Than School Counselors �With Lists of Duties School Counselors Are Often Seen As Office People Not Program People

Why Is A Program A Better Organizational Structure For School Counseling? �The Program Provides A Unifying Language For School Counselors K-12 - Common Language �The Program Provides K-12 School Counselors With The Same Mission And Vision

�The Program Provides K-12 School Counselors With A Way To Calendar Their Work Across The Direct and Indirect Services Of The Delivery System �School Counselors Can Show Administrators That Full Program Implementation Requires 100 Percent Of School Counselor Time

�The Program Highlights The Developmental And Preventive Work Of School Counselors �The Program Provides A Systematic Way To Collect And Analyze Data To Evaluate The Degree To Which The Program Is In Place And Impacting Student Behavior

�The Program Provides The Common Language To Describe Who School Counselors Are And The Important Work They Do In The School To Support Student Success

�What Once Was A Position In The Schools, With Wide-Ranging Duties, Often Clerical And Administrative In Nature, Has Moved To Become A Program, Allowing School Counselors To Better Meet Students’ Academic, Career, And Social/Emotional Needs