Counseling gifted students

The child who is gifted has different sets of needs and challenges which are indeed complex ones. The bigger bulk of responsibility lies in the hands of the parents and then the school. A lot of studies have been conducted to establish what these needs are, how one gifted child differs from another, and the varying interventions that may be employed to enhance and meet the unique requirements of the gifted child. This paper attempts to explain in precis guidelines in counseling the gifted students according to how they conduct themselves within and outside the academe.

This will include a discussion of some issues that address the parents’ roles and those that may be acquainted with the students. Discussion Giftedness comes in diverse ways, and educators, parents alike follow some hard and fast rules in determining students who fall into specific categories of giftedness. This definitely spells problems as findings in studies show. ~Background Terman brought the Binet intelligence inventory to the United States in the early 1920s. This intelligence test became widely used for categorizations of giftedness as well.

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Eventually, other tools were developed to classify giftedness since the measurement of intelligence was no longer sufficient to put people or children into the categorizations. For instance, many who got average or below average scores in the tests possess creativity in other areas not just measured in the IQ tests. During Lewis Terman’s time, he succeeded to identify many with 130 and above IQs who faired and did well in professional work. Gone was the picture of a “puny, pasty-faced bookworm” (Papalia et al.

, 2001)which used to depict someone with high intelligence. What emerged were profiles of well-adjusted, vocationally superior students and adults. With this sample, there was not one who came out as a person as close to the intellectual capacity as that of Einstein. Einstein was thought to be described as possessing the insatiable drive and the “furious impulse to understand” (Papalia et al. , 2001 in Michelmore, 1962, p. 24). Today, many specialists look into the minds of a gifted student by defining and measuring creativity.

This entails that a person possesses the ability to provide a novel idea or solution to a problem, make solutions which others have not discovered before, or finding very unusual solutions. It takes into consideration that high creativity may not be found with the high academic intelligence criterion. Classic researches by Anastasi and Schaefer 1971, Getzels in 1964, 1984, Getzels and Jackson in 1962, 1963, all reveal the “modest correlations” linking IQ and creativity (Papalia et al. , 2001).

From this development, Guilford proposed the two kinds of thinking: the convergent and divergent. IQ tests measure convergent thinking which looks for accurate and single correct answer or solution. The tests for creativity seek divergent type of thinking (Papalia et al. , 2001 in Guilford, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1967, 1986 & Torrance, 1966, 1974). ~Interventions and Enrichment Programs are varied depending on the institution in which the student/s is enrolled; however, most schools are mandated and are trained to identify or recognize children with gifted or exceptional abilities.

The US Department of Education identifies the basic two approaches employed in meeting the complex needs of this oftentimes marginalized segment of students. Enrichment enlarges and intensifies skills and knowledge base by providing the student with additional classroom projects or activities; field trips can be very important to enhancing a student’s creativity and coaching by an expert in the child’s specific talent or interest. Another approach is acceleration which is oftentimes urged by experts and educators.

Children skip a grade or take a placement test to be classified in a specific or particular subject or advanced courses. The counseling course then often takes a route along these two approaches. Once the child is identified as possessing some remarkable qualities that are unusual to his age or group, the parents are advised to provide the enrichment the child needs. In whatever the case, teachers often are placed in positions to identify these creative streaks and expected to make the necessary interventions to help the student make use of his talents.

In most cases, children suffer some debilitating “handicaps” due to their unusual creativity; such as a combination of ADHD and the giftedness (they call it “twice exceptional) (Mahoney, 2007). This is where parents and especially teachers must be fully trained to spot complications that go with being gifted. ~What a teacher can do for gifted students One of the glaring realities of academics is that with normal schooling, majority of the school materials are based on developmental norms. This only means one important and relevant thing concerning the gifted student: they are highly inappropriate for him.

Hence, even if many of these teachers may be willing to find ways to help them, the teachers may have deficiencies in handling their cases or the experience to know what efforts to pursue that are more applicable to these students. For instance, the regular manner of teaching is the reductionistic method; the taking of large chunks of information and breaking these into “bite sized” portions for schoolchildren. However, in stark contrast, the minds of the highly exceptional have the capacity to “swallow” large portions of these materials in a single time.

They thrive on more complex and difficult subjects. Because of this scenario, students who receive “normal school” treatment may be forced to go at the slow pace and may appear incapable among their peers. Teachers must be made aware that alongside other difficulties, specific manifestations may be evident as symptoms of their difficulties; e. g. , having messy school work because their hands cannot cope with the speed of their minds, or may even be poor spellers and poor performers in rote memorization. In other words, these students with their contrasting difficulties just don’t seem to fit.

Students with exceptional abilities need the help of not only one or two people but if possible many individuals. It takes a concerted and coordinated effort from different entities for many students with giftedness to benefit from. There is first and foremost the contribution of the educational community as important and crucial partners to assure that the following outcomes be attained: 1) Every individual with exceptionalities be provided with individualized assistance and encouragement from a professionally competent as well as caring or empathic specialist.

This means that students with exceptionalities are recipients of the expertise of teachers with the right trainings; school counselors with sufficient skills and knowledge in guiding individual students with more than average capabilities; and an educational pool of experts within the community whose aims or goals are to keep on innovating the strategies to enhance the students’ abilities. 2) That the educator whose practice is geared towards giftedness be empowered and provided with the right opportunities for teaching and learning effective means of this specific profession.

This implies that not only in the national, regional level, every teacher or instructor in each local institution both in the private and public arena be given the chance for the basics in detecting giftedness and guiding problems and challenges that exceptional students face. 3) That validated and effective instructional practice and training be used in the specialty ensuring the students of updated methods and processes in the field of giftedness (Coleman, 2000). ~The School Counselor’s role

The rationale for laws that are put in place requiring every school employing the services of a school counselor is well supported by researches for the special and constant needs of students who come with different degrees and measures of difficulties. Because the viewpoint of highly gifted students is definitely beyond what ordinary students may envision their circumstances, academics and life in general may be, this heightened perception always entail disadvantageous results in their manner of conducting their lives. At the outset, with this picture, children must have caring adults who see their world and the way they perceive things.

What are the basic needs that children or students have with highly exceptional abilities? Two primary needs are important to examine: the need for these students to feel comfortable with their giftedness that create both immense possibilities as well as their corresponding difficulties, and the need to cultivate, expand, and utilize their potential. In addition, the powerful internal drive to highlight and build on these abilities may be frustrated or blunted by several means with dire consequences resulting to a student’s paralyzing emotional injury.

The goal then for the parents, teacher or school counselor is to magnify on the child becoming an asset rather than emphasizing on such possibilities as pursuing and achieving fame, high economic status or even a Nobel Prize. It is important that the goal for the educational community is for gifted students who will develop into an individual adult who will become comfortable with his innate capabilities and has used them productively. ~Issues of Confidentiality and the need to disclose Many problems are faced by students who are highly creative.

This includes the need to conform to the majority, seemingly lacking in motivation, lack of insights into their asynchronicity, the parental lack in terms of knowledge or understanding into their child’s dilemmas, underachievement and a host of others. These are further complicated by lack of experts in the local level. To be specific, school counselors will have to examine the eventualities when counselees are confronted with concerns such as confidentiality and the need to disclose. Psychotherapy or counseling with minors is quite a challenging work considering that its very nature poses many complications in many areas.

There are ethical and legal issues to consider aside from protecting confidentiality for the minor client. The therapist must have acquired a comprehensive knowledge (a priori knowledge, as expected from a professional psychotherapist) with regards to the complexities involved in an issue/s he or she will be dealing with to steer clear further unnecessary complications. Applying ethical standards, to breach the confidentiality of things of which the counselor has become a privy to because of the client’s trust might be necessary considering the overall scenario.

For one thing, the patient is still a minor. The parents must be involved in the whole process of counseling until emotional and mental healing is achieved (ASCA, A. 7. , A. 8. , and B. 1, 1998). In surveys conducted, there is a common sentiment by teens that eventually, when there is endangerment and/or threats that may be involved, they consent to having that confidentiality breached. They would still want their parents or caregivers to be finally involved and included in their dilemma (Isaacs & Stone, 1999).

Based on this study, the minors expect that though their privacy ought to be respected, they also recognized that there are still certain limitations to this confidentiality. At the bottom of this problem is the premise of collaboration of parents, the child, the school with the teachers and school counselor in active roles and the other aspects of the society. What is crucial here is the time and effort expended to thoroughly explain the limitations of confidentiality and other provisions existing within the helping relationship (Isaacs & Stone, 1999).

It is not foolproof and perfect but so far the best approach in every situation where minors are the primary clients. Reference: American School Counselor Association. 1998. Ethical Standards for school counselors. Alexandria. VA: Author. Retrieved February 18, 2008. <http://www. schoolcunselor. org/content. cfm? L1=12&L2=2> Bourg, Allison, 2007. Counseling the Gifted: Andy Mahoney puts talent, experience to good use. Retrieved February 28, 2008. <http://www. counselingthegifted. com/press_ctg. html> Coleman, M. R. 2000. Conditions for special education training: CEC Commission Technical Report.

Arlington, VA. Isaacs, M. L. , & C. Stone. 1999. School Counselors and confidentiality: Factors affecting professional choices. Professional School Counseling, 2(4). 258 -267. Accessed February 8, 2008. ProQuest Database. Isaacs, M. L. , & C. Stone. 2001. Confidentiality with minors: Mental Health Counselors’ attitudes toward breaching or preserving confidentiality. Journal of Mental Health Counseling. 23(4), 342-357; Accessed February 18, 2008. Papalia, Diane, Sally W. Olds &Ruth D. Feldman. 2001. Human development, 8th ed. McGraw Hill. U. S. A.

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