Running Head: SCHOOL COUNSELOR BELIEF STATEMENT

School Counselor Belief Statement Nicole L. Caron Seattle University 3/6/2012

SCHOOL COUNSELOR BELIEF STATEMENT Abstract This synthesis will examine my personal emerging philosophy and role as a school counselor. This document will begin with a brief introduction to my belief statement followed by my current theoretical orientation and how it is relevant in Kindergarten through twelfth grade setting. Next, the views of the practice of school counseling will be discussed, how the ASCA Ethical Standards will guide my practice, and any areas of special interest. This paper will end with how I am going to incorporate social justice into my philosophy, and finally, a brief conclusion. Keywords: ASCA (American School Counseling Association), theoretical orientation

SCHOOL COUNSELOR BELIEF STATEMENT School Counselor Belief Statement Introduction As a future school counselor, I am going to incorporate Carl Rogers person-centered approach while working with students. This paper will focus on the person-centered approach, and how it can be incorporated into the kindergarten through twelfth grade school setting. I will begin by explaining what my current theoretical orientation is and how it is relevant to a kindergarten through twelfth grade setting. I will then move into explaining my personal views on the practice of school counseling, how the ASCA Ethical Standards will guide my practice, and areas of personal special interest. Finally, I will end with how to incorporate social justice into the person-centered philosophy, and end with a brief conclusion. Theoretical Orientation As a school counselor I will use Rogers person-centered approach when working with students. According to Dahir and Stone (2012), The person-centered approach began in 1961 and focuses on the person being able to find their own personal meaning and self-awareness. Through the counseling process a student will learn how to deal with situations and figure out how to address them. I think this works well with students because it is giving them the tools they need to fix problems on their own. A student is not always going to have a counselor there to support them when they are in a time of need. If a counselor uses this approach, the student will know how to find their own answers to the problems and it will give them they encouragement they need to overcome their obstacles. Person-centered therapy also focuses on showing students unconditional positive regard, empathy, and genuineness. This works well with students in a kindergarten through twelfth grade setting because if the student is always being supported and never judged, they are going to open up more to the counselor. Many

SCHOOL COUNSELOR BELIEF STATEMENT

students do not have supportive, encouraging parents which results in low confidence and higher drop out rates. If a counselor is always encouraging the student to reach for their dreams, the student is more likely to have goals set after graduation and they will have the confidence they need to reach those goals. View of the Practice of School Counseling School Counseling is a process where the student and counselor need to create a trusting relationship for effective healing and goal making to occur. According to Dahir and Stone (2012), there are five essential stages in the counseling process. The stages include; establishing a relationship, setting the tone in a counseling session, exploring the issues, setting goals, and transitioning to independence. I think these stages are crucial when working with students in achieving their goals. With theses stages in place, the student is going to feel comfortable talking about sensitive issues they may have never talked about with anyone before. The counselor must show unconditional positive regard to the student and this will let the student see that he or she can talk to the counselor about anything and the counselor will not judge him. School counselors also much ensure that students are college and career ready by educating students on a full range of options and opportunities that they will have after graduation. Counselors need to motivate and support students to apply for college as well as make sure students are enrolled in the proper classes they need to make sure students can enter a higher education. ASCA Ethical Standards The ASCA ethical standards will help to guide my practice by providing me with standards I need to address the academic, personal/social, and career development needs of all students (American School Counselor Association [ASCA], 2005). The standards will ensure

SCHOOL COUNSELOR BELIEF STATEMENT

that I give each and every student access to the school counseling program, and that each student will be treated with dignity and respect. The ASCA Ethical Standards will give me the proper foundation to ensure that I am meeting the ethical responsibilities of the students, to the school and community, to my colleagues to the profession of counseling, and to myself. Following these standards will help to make sure that I am properly exhibiting ethical behavior at all times. Areas of Special Interest As a future school counselor, an area that I want to focus on is career counseling. It is important for students to know what kind of careers there are out there, and how they can go about preparing themselves for these careers. According to The National Office for School Counselors Advocacy (as cited by Dahir & Stone, 2012), Never before in the history of our nation have we had a greater need to prepare every student for the greatest range of opportunities after leaving high school (p.428). I want to prepare students for after graduation by giving them the opportunity to work hands on in the career of their choice. This can be by encouraging student to shadow working professionals, talk to professionals in the field of their choice, and set up workshops for students at the school where they can ask questions and get an idea on what a day in the life of whatever their idea for their career may be. Many students see what their parents or relatives do and choose that profession because it is what is known and what they have seen growing up. I want to encourage students to do find something they are passionate about and provide them with the tools they need to achieve their goals. . Incorporating Social Justice Incorporating social justice into my philosophy of school counseling is an important aspect of school counseling today. According to Lewis and Bradley (as cited in Vong, 2007, p. 90),

SCHOOL COUNSELOR BELIEF STATEMENT Advocacy is an important part of every counselors role. Regardless of the particular setting in which she or he works, each counselor is confronted again and again with issues that cannot be resolved simply through change within the individual. All too often, negative aspects of the environment impinge on a [students] well-being, intensifying personal problems or creating obstacles to growth. When such situations arise, effective school counselors speak up! (p. 90) I think this is the first step when incorporating social justice into an effective school-counseling program. This will enable the students see that the school counselors are going to support them and the students will have the confidence to stand up for themselves when it comes to social justice issues. As a school counselor, I am also going to incorporate social justice by tackling issues that I see around the school. I think it is important to educate students on race, gender, class, ethnicity, etc. as well as educating them on Rogers focuses such as empathy and genuineness so students can show these things to their fellow classmates. Showing

unconditional positive regard to students who are being verbally or physically harassed is a way I can show my students that I am there to support them. An effective school counselor can also incorporate social justice by starting support groups for students who are being marginalized, such as a gay-straight alliance group. But, speaking up when hearing a harassing remark, and continuing to encourage students to do the same thing, is the first step in effective change to happen throughout the school. Conclusion School counselors meet with a number of students, and have a number of different jobs to do each day. It is important for school counselors to be genuine and their authentic selves. Working from the person-centered approach will allow me to be authentic and show

SCHOOL COUNSELOR BELIEF STATEMENT

unconditional positive regard, while giving the students the tools they need to solve problems on their own.

SCHOOL COUNSELOR BELIEF STATEMENT References American School Counselor Association (2005). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Second Edition. Alexandria, VA: Author. Dahir, C. A., & Stone, C. B. (2012). The transformed school counselor: Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Ratts, M. J., DeKruyf L., & Chen-Hayes, S. F (2007). The ACA advocacy competencies: A Social Justice Advocacy Framework for Professional School Counselors. 90-97.