My approach to school counseling is a developmental approach. A developmental philosophy is a “wholeness approach” to counseling. This approach is a process by which students (through a dynamic relationship and interaction with a school counselor) achieves the goals of self-understanding, self-acceptance, awareness of one’s potential, and methods of using one’s potential for growth. It is counseling that is both preventative (planning for students learning at all developmental levels) and remediative (tackling and dealing with immediate problems) in nature and designed in such a way that children learn to master developmental tasks.

Developmental Tasks: Those that arise at or about a certain period in the life of an individual. Successful achievement leads to feelings of accomplishments and probable success with later tasks, while failure leads to low self-esteem in the individual, disapproval by society, and difficulty with later tasks.

The goal of GGM’s guidance curriculum is to promote and enhance the learning process and enable all students to achieve success in school and to develop into contributing members of our society. School success requires that students make successful transitions and acquire the attitudes, skills, and knowledge that are essential to the competitive workplace of the 21st century. Listed below are standards for my guidance program.

1. Academic Development

• Acquiring skills, attitudes, and knowledge that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span
• Employing strategies to achieve success in school.
• Understanding the relationship of academics to the world of work, and to life at home and in the community.

2. Personal/Social Development

• Acquiring of skills, attitudes, knowledge, and interpersonal skills to help students understand and respect self and others.
• Make decisions, set goals, and take necessary action to achieve goals.
• The employment of safety and survival skills.
• Understanding the obligation to be contributing members of our society.
• The ability to negotiate successfully and safely in the increasingly complex and diverse world of the 21st century.

3. Career Development

• Acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decision.
• Strategies to achieve future career success and job satisfaction.
• Fostering an understanding of the relationship between personal qualities, education and training, and the world of work.
• The development of career goals by all students as a result of career awareness and experiential activities.

The Role of a Guidance Counselor

A professional school counselor is a certified educator who addresses the needs of students comprehensively through the implementation of a developmental counseling approach. Also, a school counselor is focused on helping students resolve academic, social, personal, or emotional concerns that interrupt the educational process, i.e., helping children learn and develop to their highest potential. Listed below are the 3 main functions a counselor performs everyday:

Counseling: A confidential relationship in which the counselor meets with students individually, as well as in small and large group settings, to help them resolve or cope constructively with their problems and developmental concerns, for example:

• Helps identify students with special needs.
• Identifies students with problems and special talents.
• Orients new students to the school and its procedures.
• Accepts referrals for counseling and personal assistance.

Consultant: A collaborative partnership in which the counselor works with parents, teachers, administrators, school psychologists, social workers, and community members in order to plan and implement strategies to help students be successful in the educational system, for example:

• Assists teachers in the areas of appraisal and testing techniques.
• Provides specialized guidance materials.
• Provides school and community information.
• Interprets student information to parents, pupils, teachers, administrators and other professionals.
• Assists parents and teachers to understand the developmental progress of children.
• Interprets the guidance and counseling services of the school to parents, staff, and community.

Coordinator: A leadership process in which the counselor helps organize, manage, and evaluate the school counseling program. The counselor assists parents in obtaining needed services for their children through a referral and follow-up process and serves as liaison between the school and community agencies so that they may collaborate in efforts to help students, for example:

• Maintains a close working relationship with referrals and referral resources.
• Maintains liaison with community resources.
• Provides leadership in the development of all phases of the guidance program.
• Coordinates the accumulation of information concerning students.