Scenarios in School Counseling

Leadership in School Counseling

Scenario 1

As highlighted by Mary, ASCA competencies are important given that they have contributed to her strengths through identification of life experiences. According to American School Counselors Association (2019), ASCA competencies define behaviors and mindsets that students and professional counselors must meet in the school counseling program. The said competencies also ensure that school counselors have relevant skills that come in handy in emotional development and academic performance. In the present post, I would describe some of my Mary Hopkin’s strengths as being able to collaborate. Collaboration with other staff, teachers, administrators, and families is important in counseling programs given that it helps in student success and achievement (ASCA, 2019). Another strength that Mary has is the ability to use evidence-based practices in education. Utilizing evidence-based counseling techniques and theories in school setting enhances emotional development and promotes academic development (ASACA, 2019). Further, my colleague has the ability to locate gaps and fill such gaps through creative thinking. According to ASCA (2019), identifying gaps in schools helps in implementation of interventions as appropriate - thus developing student outcome goals. Mary is also equipped with relevant skills to manage crisis situations and trauma among teenagers. The said skills are important in school counseling settings as they could be instrumental in addressing some of the most significant problems teenagers grapple with. Moreover, Mary has good leadership skills in the community which makes her a change agent in the said community. According to ASCA (2019), leadership happens to be an effective skill in a school program given that utilization of leadership is likely to ease the process of positive change.

Scenario 2

In the scenario presented by Christine, the ethical responsibility that a school counselor would need to address in this case would be responsibility to students. According to American School Counselor Association (2016), the school counselor should first acknowledge that teachers have social and personal skills that can support student’s success. Therefore, it would be necessary for the school counselor to collaborate with the teacher by informing the said teacher of expected behaviors, values, and ethical practices (ASCA, 2016). Further, the counselor could engage students so as to identify signs of student distress. Identification of signs of a student’s distress in counselling is important given that it helps the counselor in efforts to find interventions or refer such students to the appropriate interventions. One ethical dilemma that a school counselor would face in this scenario would be the issue of confidentiality. Christine highlights the fact that the school counselor would want to observe the class without necessarily letting the individual student know. However, I feel that counselors have the obligation of ensuring that students are aware of the techniques, goals, and purposes of counseling procedures.

Scenario 3

In this scenario, Lakeisha highlights that 4th grade student’s behavior has changed owing to depression caused by homelessness. It would be prudent to note that a school counselor’s main responsibility would be on the school, community, and families (ASCA, 2006). Lakeisha highlights the fact that the said student would not only need social services, but they would also need emotional support. Therefore, there would be need for the school counselor to collaborate with the community and families to ensure that the learner benefits from available interventions. The teacher could also use his leadership skills to advocate for school counseling programs that are more responsive to the need for collaboration. All these efforts would advance student wellbeing, and thus ensure that they are given a chance to pursue their goals. In present scenario, Lakeisha indicates that social wellbeing and academic performance of a student is not linked to homelessness. The ethical dilemma that the counselor would face would be on safety of the said student. According to ASCA (2010), a school counselor should make appropriate referrals that are likely to be of relevance or beneficial to the student.