Transitions occur throughout life and there are numerous transitions students face within the school setting. Since school counselors support students in academic, career and college, and social and personal development, school counselors are in key positions to provide students with opportunities, equity, and access to programs that support smooth transitions and college and career readiness (Erford, 2015). Career development and transition programs are important because they support they can provide students with access and information to programs or careers that they may otherwise not have known about. In addition, transition programs can reduce student stress and anxiety, and can help to improve retention, achievement, and attendance rates (Cauley & Jovanovich, 2006). However, there are challenges that can occur, such as students not having access to rigorous courses or having no personal academic plan (Erford, 2015). Some ways to overcome this is to advocate for students to have rigorous courses that meet the students’ needs for their specific goals. Thus, school counselors can help students create personal academic plans that include college and career goals, and then schedule students in classes that will meet their future goals. In addition, the school counselor can provide valuable information to parents and help students that may not have college and career information provided to them at home.
Summarize your answers to the questions in the Transitions in
We make decisions early in our lives that have a massive impact on our future. It has always been a passion of mine to touch the lives of the youth in a great and positive manner. What better way to live out this passion than being an advocate for the generation to come. It is my goal, to inspire and aide a generation of students in achieving their goals. I believe that School Counseling will give me the opportunity to do so. My personal and work experiences influenced my motivation to become a School Counselor. Through my years of experience I have overcame many challenging obstacles but they all worked together in the end for the better. In example, the first university that I attended after high school was Valdosta State University. When I attended VSU, my approach of learning was extremely nonchalant. After some life struggles I decided to relocate to Atlanta. Upon moving, I made a promise to myself that I had to finish what I stated back in Valdosta. My outlook on learning had become more meaningful. I enrolled in Atlanta Technical College and this is where my hungry for an over average GPA began. Once I began this journey, deciding to focus in Early Childhood and Education, like any other college student, I faced difficulties adjusting myself to university’s requirements. Eventually I became more confident and showed much more interest in the change. I worked harder, and received high grades, which boosted my ambition to perform better. In my last quarter at Atlanta
School Counselors strive to make each student feel that there is someone in the school who knows and cares about them. Above all else school counselors are advocates for students, by acting as a resource for all students, course selection, and administration of guidance program for the student. Their goal is to help students overcome problems that impede learning and to assist them in making educational, occupational and life plans that hold promise for their personal fulfillment as mature, responsible men and women. Academic success is essential to the educational process, but it is not the only area students can excel in. A counselor’s work closely with both students and their families
The choices we make early in life have an enormous impact on our future. I have always known that I wanted to directly impact people’s lives and my personal experiences have set me on the school-counseling path. In the future, I would love to influence another generation of students to soar for their dreams.
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.
In schools all over the world today, School Counselors are crucial to assisting students, parents, school administrations, and the community. I believe that creating an effective counseling program that supports the counselors’ role in education will foster a close interaction between students and counselor to achieve success in their personal/social lives, academic achievements, and college readiness careers.
Choosing a technique to use throughout the therapeutic process is essential to the client as well as the therapist. By choosing a particular therapeutic approach the therapist is simply implementing a tool to help navigate through the counseling phase. Therefore, without the necessary tools needed for therapy counseling would be extremely difficult for both the client and the clinician. The ability to use different techniques is also useful for those who choose a career in school counseling. Those who choose to go into the school counseling field are disposed to using techniques that help to quickly resolve a solution or one that has the ability to change a child’s thought process or behavior. Hence, many of the practices used in conventional therapy would not be practical to use as a school counselor because they may be deemed as inappropriate or ineffective to use when counseling children. Take for instance; Psychoanalysis many of the techniques used throughout Freudian therapy would not be useful for school counselors.
"The mission of school counseling is to provide a developmental and systematic comprehensive program that ensures academic, personal, social, and career development and achievement for all students," as such contemporary counselors have a lot on their plates (Rogers et al. 2011 p 8). Whereas counseling services were once thought of as necessary outside of vocational counseling, today's educational environments posit that counseling services are crucial to the academic, personal, and career success of today's students. Thus, the Miami-Dade and Hillsborough County School Districts have placed great importance on the role of the counselor, but there is still room for improvement in order to get to that ideal atmosphere where counselors can best help direct the lives of their students.
School counselors should provide organized services, including goal setting, career exploration, college admissions requirements, and financial aid, that will help students and their families make informed decisions. The counselor should guide students in making decisions about their post-secondary goals to be sure students are aware of and consider all of their options.
The faculty developed a system of support to advocate the academic and personal success for each student by utilizing the academy theme. The incoming freshman has a personal transition plan, which sets the foundation for their high school career. The personal transition plan also enable students to develop passion and deepen their purpose for life. To increase college and career readiness for economically disadvantaged and underrepresented students, the Early College program is an example of tweaking the personalized learning pathway to change the trajectory of the
School counselors provide individual and group counseling for issues that impact academic achievement (Erford, 2015). Counselors in schools typically provide prevention, education, crisis response, and short term intervention services (ASCA, 2008). School counselors create groups from data, and usually develop psychoeducational groups to address identified skills needed (ASCA, 2008). While school counselors are taught how to respond to mental health issues, they concentrate on problems that are impeding personal, social, career, or educational development (Erford, 2015). Professional school counselors often choose strengths based and brief approaches to counseling to support student success (Erford, 2015). Individual counseling in schools provides students with resilience, encouragement, empowerment, acceptance, and a secure relationship (Erford, 2015). School counselors provide either counseling or psychoeducational groups. The counseling groups are crisis, problem, or growth centered. School counselors are able to provide many
A school counselor’s role is vital in many schools across America. Many students see their counselor, to work on any emotional stressors, academic changes and challenges. This may include, interventions, group therapy and changes in class schedule, but sometimes with all the implementations given, students do not succeed in school. Perhaps one needs to take a closer look at the programs being implemented and its success rate. In addition, a counselor should guide itself using the ASCA (American School Counselor Association) to provide evidence based practices in schools.
The transition from life in high school can be problematic for the majority of students.
In all, these circumstances have led me to where I stand today. Becoming a high school guidance counselor is not only a career but one of my biggest dreams. The realities I have faced have given me the experience and knowledge of what it means to aspire for something I could not easily have. My goal as a counselor is to serve all students equally despite their circumstances. However, as any careers, there are problems I will have to
There’s no existing list or register of federal government eligible rehired annuitants. Consequently, Program offices may often receive inquiries from interested annuitants for employment opportunities with CBP. In the event program offices receive such inquiries from reemployed annuitants, program offices are advised (if they desired) to obtain the annuitants resume, transcripts (if applicable) and prepare a memo to request to hire under the NDAA. Although, there is no requirement for retirees to actually apply to a JOA since he/she may be considered noncompetitively; however, clearance of the DHS Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) and ICTAP is required under regulatory provisions through our Hiring Centers.
In schools all over the world today, School Counselors are crucial to assisting students, parents, school administrations, and the community. I believe that creating an effective counseling program that supports the counselors’ role in education will foster a close interaction between students and counselor to achieve success in their personal/social lives, academic achievements, and college readiness careers.