A school counselor provides academic, career, and personal/social support to K-12 students through developmental lessons, annual planning, and individual and group counseling. They address a wide range of issues including academic problems, career decisions, mental health concerns, and disputes. While they maintain student confidentiality, counselors may break this bond if a student poses clear and imminent danger. The role of the counselor is to work with students to create solutions, address issues proactively, and potentially save lives, not to solely solve problems or only deal with emotional concerns. Their job involves helping students in many facets of life.

1. SCHOOL
COUNSELLING
Nicole Campbell

2. What is the first thing that
comes to mind when you
hear the term “school
counselor” ?

3. SCHOOL COUNSELOR
AS DEFINED BY WIKIPEDIA..
 A school counselor is a counselor and an educator
who works in elementary, middle, and high schools
to provide academic, career, and college
access, and personal/social competencies to K-12
students. The interventions used include
developmental school counseling curriculum
lessons and annual planning for every student, as
well as group and individual counseling.

4. SCHOOL COUNSELORS DO FACE STUDENT’S SERIOUS
EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS BUT THEY ALSO DEAL WITH...
School related issues Common personal problems
 academic problems  disputes with teachers
 career decisions  problems at part time jobs
 course difficulties  family dynamic imbalances
 college applications  self esteem issues
 school-wide initiatives  problems with friends
 introducing new students  anxieties and stress

5. BREAKING THE BOND
School counselors are sometimes faced with potentially
harmful situations in which they must break their bond
of established confidentiality. These include situations in
which some clear and imminent danger is apparent to
the student.

6. TWEET TWEET
GOOD @GOOD
Want safer schools? L.A. school board member
@lausd_zimmer makes the case for hiring more
counselors instead of police: http://bit.ly/11WqDbV
"GOOD“ : a global community centered in Los Angeles CA which works
towards individual and collective progress.
This particular tweet references an article depicting the opinion of LA school
board member Steve Zimmer, regarding school safety in the wake of the
Newtown Connecticut shooting. Zimmer promotes the placement of more school
counselors, rather than an increase in police presence. The issue of safety in
schools has become a national dispute over what methods of prevention should
be taken. Rather than place more police officers in school classrooms, the focus
should be on SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) models. Social-Emotional
development is even more crucial than cognitive development, Zimmer
argues, and not only do strong social skills address the issue of violence, but
they also encourage students to reach their full potential.

7. In your opinion, do you agree
with Steve Zimmer’s claims?
Can violence be prevented
with the increased presence
of school counselors, rather
than police?

8. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

9. What personal experiences
with a school counselor have
influenced your mental model
of the role?
Do you think based on these
experiences that the role of the
school counselor is an
important one?

10. SO, WHAT ELSE DO THEY DO?

11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F38vcHf5Xfc

12. TO SUM IT ALL UP...
 school counselors do not “solve” every problem
 school counselors do not deal with emotional problems exclusively
 school counselors do not only address issues that have already occurred
 the job of a school counselor is not easy
Instead they...
 work with students to create their own solutions
 deal with an array of academic and personal issues
 work on preventative measures to avoid problems in the future
 have the potential to save someone’s life
Seeking the advice of a school counselor is never a sign of
weakness.

13. THANKS FOR LISTENING!!