Download SCN-501 Reflections on School Counselors Grand Canyon Un and more Lecture notes Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! SCN-501 Reflections on School Counselors Grand Canyon University SCN-501 The roles that school counselors have played in the lives of students has changed dramatically since their initial introduction in schools in the late 1800’s. Initially, school counselors were introduced during the Industrial Revolution, and their primary focus was on vocational counseling. The goal of these first school counselors was to prepare students for entering the workforce, so their job duties often included identifying students that were not doing well in school and providing encouragement for them to complete their education, helping students obtain their necessary work cards, and preparing them for their jobs. As time passed, the focus of school counselors began to shift towards the social and emotional needs of the students. School counselors were largely cut during times of the Great Depression, due to the lack of resources available for schools, but returned after World War II. The American School Counseling Association was introduced in 1953, which helped the profession gain respect and recognition. Many new counseling techniques developed during the 1960’s, such as Carl Rogers’ humanistic or person-centered therapy. This was followed by a decrease in school counseling in the 1970’s. A focus on child development in the 1980’s led the way for a focus on guidance, and for these new guidance counselors to become more involved with the creation of individualized education plans (School Counseling: History & Trends, 2016). More recent approaches to school counseling followed the publication of the ASCA standards in 1997. These standards helped to shape the roles of school counselors bring about a focus on outcome research for the methods that counselors employed (Whitson, S.C. & Sexton, T.L., 1998). During my educational experiences, there were several different ways that school counselors impacted my life. As an elementary school student, our school counselor often educated students about issues related to safety. She often visited the classrooms and spoke to students about physical and sexual abuse, drugs and alcohol, bullying, and other relevant safety concerns. Our school counselor informed students about how to let the adults in their lives know if there was a problem, and was a friendly listening ear that students could talk to if they were experiencing life stressors or problems at school or home. The individuals that I interviewed also shared similar experiences with elementary school counseling. One of my friends shared their experiences with the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (D.A.R.E.) and talked about how their school counselor worked with local police officers to educate students about saying no to drugs and alcohol. My other interviewee remembered being part of a group that met with their school counselor to talk about issues related to friendship. Due to the fact that they were very shy, they had difficulty making friends in elementary school. This group gave them the opportunity to practice social skills and helped them to become more confident with their peers. My school counselor also had a therapy dog, and students that were struggling with reading could read to him. This inspired me to pursue having a therapy dog, and I am currently training one that comes to school with me every day now. This was not an experience that was shared by the individuals that I interviewed, but something that I really thought was a special aspect of my elementary school experience. In middle and high school, my school counselors began taking over the role of scheduling classes and talking to students about career options. The counselors were still available to talk to students who needed extra support, but also began to shift towards an academic advising role as well. In high school, counselors began to work with students to prepare for graduation, making sure that students had the required classes and credits, and
