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Supports

School counseling programs use data to understand student needs, provide school counseling classroom, group and closing the-gap interventions and remove systemic barriers to ensure all students as early as preschool and kindergarten have opportunity to develop academic goals at all grade levels reflecting their abilities and academic interests and can access appropriate rigorous, relevant coursework and experiences. Because of their unique position within a school and their unique training, school counselors can work with students facing mental health issues, family and social problems as well as career exploration and course planning to make school relevant (Howe, 2009).

 

School counselors play a critical role in ensuring schools provide a safe, caring environment and that students have the necessary mindsets and behaviors to advance academic achievement outcomes. School counselors work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure equity, access and academic success of all students (ASCA, 2019).

Academic Supports
School counselors play a critical role in students' academic development by: 

• Leading development of a safe and caring school culture

• Delivering a school counseling program based on data identifying student needs

• Delivering information to students and teachers within the school counseling curriculum on best practices in mindsets and behaviors (i.e., learning strategies, self-management skills, social skills) and metacognition skills (McGuire, 2015) critical in academic success

• Providing relevance to academic effort and educational pursuits by assisting in students’ career planning and future career-related goals

• Working with administration, teachers and other school staff to create a school environment encouraging academic success and striving to one’s potential (Stone & Clark, 2001)

• Working to remove barriers to access and provide students with the opportunity for academic challenge in the most rigorous coursework possible

• Establishing data analysis methods to identify and target systemic barriers deterring equitable access • Providing opportunities for students to:

• Enhance their self-efficacy beliefs and competence

• Develop attributional beliefs

• See value in tasks related to achievement

• Develop mastery/learning goals

• Develop autonomy

• Relate to others (Rowell & Hong, 2013)

Career/College Supports
School counselors play a critical role in students' career development by: 
  • Introducing careers and the world of work beginning in lower elementary grades
  • Providing opportunities to engage students in “life roles including learner and worker”
  • Providing learning and experiential opportunities for students to acquire behaviors and skills for career readiness
  • Working with students to identify their interests, abilities, specific career clusters and postsecondary plans
  • Helping students understand the connection between school and the world of work
  • Helping students plan the transition from school to postsecondary education and/or the world of work
  • Advising students on multiple postsecondary pathways (e.g., college, career-specific credentials and certifications, apprenticeships, military, service-year programs, full-time employment with a family-supporting wage)
  • Connecting students to early college programs (e.g., dual credit/dual enrollment).
Social-Emotional Support
School counselors play a critical role in supporting social/emotional development as they:
  • Collaborate with classroom teachers to provide the school counseling curriculum to all students through direct instruction, team-teaching or providing lesson plans for learning activities or units in classrooms aimed at social/ emotional development
  • Understand the nature and range of human characteristics specific to child and adolescent development
  • Identify and employ appropriate appraisal methods for individual and group interventions that support K–12 students’ social/emotional development
  • Know and utilize counseling theories to inform both direct and indirect services providing support to K–12 students’ social/emotional development
  • Use assessment in the context of appropriate statistics and research methodology, follow-up assessment and measurement methods to implement appropriate program planning for social/emotional development
  • Select and implement technology in a school counseling program to facilitate K–12 students’social/emotional development
  • Serve as a referral source for students when social/emotional issues become too great to be dealt with solely by the school counselor, including crisis interventions
Resources

Adair County Neighborhood Center

  • 354 Public Square

    Greenfield, IA 50849

    (641) 743-2424

Crossroads Behavioral Health

  • 1003 Cottonwood Rd, Creston, Iowa 50801

  • (641) 782-8457

Greater Regional Psychiatry

  • Second Floor, 1700 Townline Street, Creston, Iowa 50801

  • (641) 782-2131

Crisis Intervention & Advocacy Center​​

  • 911 Court Street, Adel, Iowa 50003

  • (800) 400-4884

EveryStep Grief & Loss Support Services​​

  • 1821 Grand Avenue West Des Moines, IA 50265

  • (515) 822-1065

Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services​​

  • 304 Public Square, Greenfield, Iowa 50849

  • (641) 743-2439

Infinity Health Access Center​​

  • 219 W Washington Street, Osceola, Iowa 50213

  • (641) 342-1742

4R Kids Early Childhood Iowa Area Board​​​

  • (641) 344-2250

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