Baldwin County Public School System Counseling and Guidance Program

Baldwin County Public School Baldwin County Public School SystemSystem

Counseling and Guidance Counseling and Guidance ProgramProgram

Counseling and Guidance Counseling and Guidance ServicesServices

• The Baldwin County Public School System’s The Baldwin County Public School System’s counseling and guidance program is counseling and guidance program is comprehensive in scope, preventive in comprehensive in scope, preventive in design, and developmental in nature. design, and developmental in nature.

• The The ASCAASCA (American School Counselor (American School Counselor Association) Association) National Model: A Framework National Model: A Framework forfor School CounselingSchool Counseling and the State of and the State of Alabama’s Counseling Plan form the Alabama’s Counseling Plan form the fundamentals of our district’s comprehensive fundamentals of our district’s comprehensive counseling plan. counseling plan.

Mission Statement Mission Statement

• To effectively provide a motivating, To effectively provide a motivating, safe, and trusting environment which safe, and trusting environment which empowers empowers allall students to become students to become life-long emotional, social, academic, life-long emotional, social, academic, and career-oriented citizens. and career-oriented citizens.

Mission Statement Mission Statement

• We strive to accomplish this mission by We strive to accomplish this mission by providing a variety of planned, purposeful, providing a variety of planned, purposeful, and sequential counseling and guidance and sequential counseling and guidance activities that promote growth in the activities that promote growth in the domains of personal/social, academic, and domains of personal/social, academic, and career development. career development.

• Each building-level program is data-driven Each building-level program is data-driven by students’ needs and provides outcome-by students’ needs and provides outcome-based accountability measures. based accountability measures.

What Services Do Counselors What Services Do Counselors Provide?Provide?

• Guidance CurriculumGuidance Curriculum

• Individual PlanningIndividual Planning

• Responsive ServicesResponsive Services

• System Support System Support

Guidance CurriculumGuidance Curriculum

• The guidance curriculum includes classroom The guidance curriculum includes classroom and large group activities from Pre K-12and large group activities from Pre K-12thth grade.grade.

• There is an emphasis on decision-making; There is an emphasis on decision-making; self-understanding; study skills; and career self-understanding; study skills; and career exploration, preparation, and planning.exploration, preparation, and planning.

• Counselors may choose to use the sample Counselors may choose to use the sample lesson plans in the School Guidance lesson plans in the School Guidance Curriculum Guide, or they may use lesson Curriculum Guide, or they may use lesson plans of their own. plans of their own.

Individual Planning Individual Planning

• Includes counseling activities that provide Includes counseling activities that provide every student with an opportunity to plan, every student with an opportunity to plan, monitor, and manage their academic, monitor, and manage their academic, career, and personal/social development. career, and personal/social development.

• Individual student planning emphasizes Individual student planning emphasizes test interpretation, i.e., AHSGE, ARMT, test interpretation, i.e., AHSGE, ARMT, SAT10, Alabama Science Assessment.SAT10, Alabama Science Assessment.

• Academic counseling includes Academic counseling includes postsecondary education, career/technical postsecondary education, career/technical education, and career planning. education, and career planning.

Responsive Services Responsive Services

• The majority of the school counselors’ The majority of the school counselors’ day is spent on Responsive Services. day is spent on Responsive Services.

• These services include counseling or These services include counseling or referral activities to meet the referral activities to meet the immediate needs and concerns of immediate needs and concerns of students. students.

• Responsive services include personal Responsive services include personal counseling, problem solving, agency counseling, problem solving, agency referral, and consultation. referral, and consultation.

System Support System Support

• System support includes indirect guidance System support includes indirect guidance management activities that maintain and management activities that maintain and enhance the counseling and guidance enhance the counseling and guidance program.program.

• Responsibilities in this component include: Responsibilities in this component include: staff relations, community relations, task staff relations, community relations, task forces, professional development, support forces, professional development, support teams, test interpretation, data analysis, teams, test interpretation, data analysis, and curriculum development. and curriculum development.

School Counselors Impact the School Counselors Impact the Entire Learning Community Entire Learning Community by…by…• Counseling individuals and small groups Counseling individuals and small groups

of students to meet identified needsof students to meet identified needs• Teaching the guidance curriculum to Teaching the guidance curriculum to

students and school personnelstudents and school personnel• Consulting with parents, teachers, and Consulting with parents, teachers, and

other staff to address students’ needsother staff to address students’ needs• Coordinating people and resources in Coordinating people and resources in

the community to benefit studentsthe community to benefit students

Confidentiality Confidentiality

• All personal information shared with a All personal information shared with a school counselor is confidential unless it school counselor is confidential unless it involves:involves:– Harming self or othersHarming self or others– Abuse or neglect Abuse or neglect

• In these situations, school counselors are In these situations, school counselors are required by law to report this information required by law to report this information to parents and/or the appropriate to parents and/or the appropriate agencies. agencies.

Baldwin County School Counselors Baldwin County School Counselors Help Our Children Find Success in Help Our Children Find Success in School by…School by…

• Helping develop positive attitudes among Helping develop positive attitudes among students towards self, family, and students towards self, family, and community.community.

• Counseling with students individually and Counseling with students individually and in groups to understand and appreciate in groups to understand and appreciate their unique qualities and to grow their unique qualities and to grow personally and socially.personally and socially.

• Supporting students by teaching skills for Supporting students by teaching skills for achieving success. achieving success.


• Developing and delivering classroom Developing and delivering classroom guidance lessons that teach skills such guidance lessons that teach skills such as making healthy decisions, resolving as making healthy decisions, resolving conflicts, and respecting others.conflicts, and respecting others.

• Assisting students to become invested Assisting students to become invested in their school success by showing in their school success by showing them how school performance relates them how school performance relates to future opportunities. to future opportunities.


• Working collaboratively with Working collaboratively with students, parents, and teachers to students, parents, and teachers to identify and remove barriers that identify and remove barriers that may impede student achievement. may impede student achievement.

School Counselors Help Our School Counselors Help Our Children Prepare for the Future Children Prepare for the Future by…by…• Assisting students to develop personal Assisting students to develop personal

awareness and explore personal goals.awareness and explore personal goals.

• Helping develop communication and Helping develop communication and interpersonal skills needed to relate well to interpersonal skills needed to relate well to others.others.

• Providing a comprehensive and Providing a comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling developmental guidance and counseling program that impacts all students Pre K-program that impacts all students Pre K-12. 12.

School Counselors Help Our School Counselors Help Our Children Prepare for the Future Children Prepare for the Future by…by…• Counseling students regarding career Counseling students regarding career

planning and preparation.planning and preparation.• Sharing scholarship and financial aid Sharing scholarship and financial aid

information for post-secondary information for post-secondary education. education.

• Assisting studentsAssisting students– To learn,To learn,– To work, and To work, and – To live in the 21To live in the 21stst century. century.

Elementary School Counselors Elementary School Counselors Help…Help…

• Children develop a better understanding Children develop a better understanding and acceptance of themselves.and acceptance of themselves.

• Children cope with family changes.Children cope with family changes.

• Children develop decision making and Children develop decision making and problem solving skills.problem solving skills.

• Children develop socially and Children develop socially and emotionally, to mature in their relations emotionally, to mature in their relations with others.with others.


• Children to understand themselves in relation Children to understand themselves in relation to their own development.to their own development.

• Parents understand their children’s emotions, Parents understand their children’s emotions, behaviors, and learning styles, and assist behaviors, and learning styles, and assist them in meeting their child’s needs.them in meeting their child’s needs.

• School staff, teachers, and administrators School staff, teachers, and administrators understand and meet the needs of all understand and meet the needs of all students in intellectual, personal, social, and students in intellectual, personal, social, and emotional areas. emotional areas.


• Parents and teachers create a Parents and teachers create a positive learning environment.positive learning environment.

Middle School Counselors Middle School Counselors Help…Help…• Young adolescents learn to understand Young adolescents learn to understand

more about themselves during this more about themselves during this transition period.transition period.

• Young adolescents learn to manage and Young adolescents learn to manage and organize information.organize information.

• Young adolescents make choices and deal Young adolescents make choices and deal with change.with change.

• Young adolescents create educational Young adolescents create educational plans and set educational goals. plans and set educational goals.

Middle School Counselors Middle School Counselors Help…Help…

• Young adolescents develop positive Young adolescents develop positive attitudes toward life long learning attitudes toward life long learning and the world of work.and the world of work.

• Young adolescents experience career Young adolescents experience career exploration activities.exploration activities.

• Parents and teachers create a Parents and teachers create a positive learning environment. positive learning environment.

High School Counselors High School Counselors Help…Help…• Provide direct counseling services to Provide direct counseling services to

students individually and in support students individually and in support groups.groups.

• Provide education and support Provide education and support services to parents.services to parents.

• Provide consultation services to Provide consultation services to teachers.teachers.

• Provide staff in-services.Provide staff in-services.

High School Counselors High School Counselors Help…Help…• Facilitate referrals to community Facilitate referrals to community

support services.support services.

• Advise students on academic planning.Advise students on academic planning.

• Provide career guidance to students.Provide career guidance to students.

• Provide career information to parents.Provide career information to parents.

• Maintain an up-to-date library of career Maintain an up-to-date library of career and post-secondary school and post-secondary school information. information.

High School Counselors High School Counselors Help…Help…

• Network with post-secondary Network with post-secondary schools.schools.

• Serve on school and community Serve on school and community committees addressing the needs of committees addressing the needs of young people. young people.

Counseling & Guidance Counseling & Guidance Advisory Council Advisory Council

• Comprised of a representative group of Comprised of a representative group of persons, including, but not limited to, the persons, including, but not limited to, the following: students, parents/guardians, following: students, parents/guardians, teachers, counselors, administrators, as teachers, counselors, administrators, as well as community stakeholders from local well as community stakeholders from local businesses and industries.businesses and industries.

• Their purpose is to provide advice and Their purpose is to provide advice and assistance for the school counseling and assistance for the school counseling and guidance program within the Baldwin guidance program within the Baldwin County School System.County School System.

Counseling and Guidance Counseling and Guidance Advisory Council Advisory Council

• A second purpose is to review program A second purpose is to review program goals, competencies, and results, and to goals, competencies, and results, and to participate in making recommendations to participate in making recommendations to the school counseling and guidance the school counseling and guidance department.department.

• Each school has its own building-level Each school has its own building-level counseling and guidance advisory council, counseling and guidance advisory council, and it functions much like the district’s and it functions much like the district’s advisory council. advisory council.

The professional school counselor is a certified teacher with a master’s degree or certification in school counseling, including coursework in career development, human growth and behavior, guidance and information services, and a supervised internship.

Documents

Baldwin County Public School System Counseling and Guidance Program