Guidance Services

Guidance services in elementary, secondary & tertiary level

The school is expected to provide more than just teaching and instruction. A school program includes all those activities other than instructional which are carried out to render assistance to pupils in their educational, vocational, personal development, and adjustment.

Guidance services in elementary

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The elementary school counselor serves the needs of all elementary students, to help them develop, academically, socially and emotionally. The school counselor’s role is constantly changing, reflecting the needs of the many people in our school community; children, parents, teachers, and administrators. A variety of services are provided: Guidance Lessons

The elementary guidance curriculum is child-centered and developmental - considers the characteristics and needs of each age and grade level. The curriculum encourages students to:

1. develop a positive self-image
2. become more aware of the relationships between themselves and others - recognize their own needs and goals

Individual Counselling Services

Elementary school counselors meet individually with students to provide support for school-related issues. The counseling strategies vary with each student’s needs and are provided on a short-term basis as determined by the school counselor. Students can refer themselves to a counselor or can be referred by parents, teachers, or other school staff. Group Counselling Services

Elementary school counselors meet with small groups of students on various topics. Topics are determined by the children’s needs and interests.

Consultation

School counsellors, parents, and teachers work together to support children. Elementary school counselors work with parents:

1. to exchange and gather information
2. to provide recommendations
3. to discuss parenting concerns

Elementary school counselors work with teachers, administrators, and other staff:

1. to provide information, materials, and referral assistance
2. to address student needs, especially within the Instructional Support Team (IST)
3. to promote a positive learning environment.

Is it time to speak with the counselor?

Parents should feel free to call the counselor when they notice certain signs of a potential problem in their child:

1. You see a dramatic change in your child’s behavior. A happy child becomes withdrawn. A friendly child wants to be alone.
2. There’s been a change in your family. A new marriage, a severe illness, a divorce, or a new baby can all affect school work.
3. Your child begins acting out and fails to respond to your usual methods of discipline. The behavior that you see at home may also be occurring at school.

Guidance services in secondary

The Guidance Department is committed to helping students successfully navigate through high school academically, socially, and personally. This begins with the guidance counselors visiting the middle schools to help 8th-grade students make informed decisions about course selection and getting involved in school activities at the high school. This is done in conjunction with an eighth-grade parent night to introduce parents to the high school.

Once students have transitioned in as freshmen, meet the ninth graders in groups to stress the importance of being an active participant in their high school education. It is important for students to understand early on that the decisions they make as freshmen can impact their future plans.

In the sophomore year, administer the plan assessment to all 10th graders and then schedule individual meetings with the students and parents to begin the discussion and planning for what comes after high school. We often refer to this meeting as “the kick-off” to the college planning process. By junior year, students should be in full gear with their post-secondary planning, and help jump-start this by providing students with the tools to get started in group sessions.

The comprehensive guidance plan culminates in the senior year, with individual meetings with seniors and their parents to help guide them through the post-secondary and college application process.

The goals of the school counseling program are:

• To help students in developing the ability to make decisions regarding personal, social, and educational matters.
• To assist parent/guardian(s) in developing skills needed to support the student’s post-secondary enrolment and career exploration processes.
• To support personalized assessment of the educational and career options available to each student.
• To make appropriate referrals concerning community and school resources.
• To assist students, parents, and others involved in addressing concerns and issues associated with the classroom and school environment.
• To assist in the implementation of program accommodations granted as part of approved special education. Individual Education Plans (IEP) or regular education 504 plans.

Test Preparation

The Guidance Services Department at most schools offers students test preparation materials to help the students prepare for the various standardized tests they are exposed to during their middle school and high school careers.

Program Planning

Program planning is another key service offered by guidance departments. Program planning involves helping the student decide what classes he wants to take during his middle school and high school career. Program planning not only helps the student decide what electives to take and what classes are best for his academic abilities, but it also ensures that the classes the student is taking fulfill the high school graduation requirements.

Individual/Group Counselling

Individual counseling and group counseling comprise counseling sessions held between a guidance counselor and a student or group of students. These sessions seek to address psychological, social, and academic issues that can range from problems with school work to bullying to health concerns like depression. During these types of sessions, the parents of the student may be contacted and the student may be referred to an outside agency if the problem warrants such action.

College/Career Planning

This service seeks to help students decide what they want to do after they are finished with their high school careers. If the student wants to attend college after high school, the school selection and application process can be overseen or aided by the guidance counselor. If the student wishes to enter the workforce immediately after high school, the guidance counselor can aid the student in finding work, resume building, interview etiquette, and many other employment-seeking skills.

Guidance and Counselling have been defined as a profession involving an “integrated approach to the development of a well-functioning individual primarily by helping him /her to utilize his/her potential to the fullest and plan his/her present and future in accordance with his/her abilities, interests, and needs.” The PSHS-CARC Guidance Program is based on the needs of the starting campus and its budgetary limitations.

Guidance services in tertiary

Information

This refers to the intentional and purposive delivery of information to students; the primary purpose is to enable students to use said information to guide their choices and actions inside and outside of the University. Information varies and may be categorized as institutional, educational, occupational, and personal. Modes of delivery include dissemination through the bulletin boards, postings, flyers, brochures, orientations, meetings, and consultations.

Individual Inventory

This refers to the process of accumulating and analyzing information about students on an individual basis through the use of an inventory form and through routine interviews. Data solicited may include demographic information, academic records, psychological assessment data, and personal needs and problems. Data may be used to check for students who may need counseling or specialized guidance services, and to inform the development and enhancement of student services.

Testing

Consistent with the objective of being able to assess relevant educational and psychological data from students, a testing program is designed and implemented. The testing program aims to help the students gain an understanding of their needs and personality, realize their potential, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and know the implications of these. The main task of this service is the administration, scoring, and interpretation of standardized psychological tests of personality, interest, needs, aptitude, and intelligence, as well as the development and use of effective scales that can be used to come up with a more complete picture of a student's traits or characteristics.

Counseling

This refers to the purposive interaction between student and counselor, individually or in groups where the needs, problems, or difficulties of the student are shared, examined, and processed with the end goal of empowering the student to effectively manage his concerns. Areas of concern can be academic, personal, or social in nature and may focus on one's personality, emotion, attitude, values, or actual behavior, Students can avail of counseling voluntarily (walk-in) or by referral from faculty, counselors, parents, and other students.

Personality Education Program

This is a curriculum-based psycho-educational program designed to facilitate the total personality development, psychological wellness, and life adjustment of students.

Career Development

This refers to the set of services specifically designed to assist students in their career planning and choices. These services can be categorized as career education (i.e. seminar on writing an effective resume); career information (i.e. job postings); and career placement (i.e. job fair).

Special Guidance Services

Developmental Learning Sessions

This refers to seminars or workshops facilitated by counselors or invited
resource persons on topics not covered by the information service and personality education classes. The aim of such a program is to facilitate the learning experience of students on a wide variety of topics that could help them in their adjustment in school and life in general.

Psychotherapeutic Intervention Program

This refers to programs specifically planned, designed, and implemented to meet the need of a particular group of students (i.e. athletes, single mothers). The aim of such a program is to promote psychological wellness and prevent future incidents of maladjustments or to remedy an already existing case of maladjustments among students belonging to special target groups.

Research and Evaluation

Research is a guidance function where the counselors develop and implement research plans that would generate empirical data about students and student’s life that could be used to inform policy and decision-making in the University, especially on matters relevant to student welfare and development, and to inform the direction and suitability of the various guidance services.

Evaluation is a guidance function where the counselors develop and implement assessment and evaluation plans that would provide soft and hard data on the quality, results, and impact of the various student services and programs. Evaluation data can be used as the basis for the enhancement of existing programs and the development of new programs.

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