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Advocating for the Counselor Role and Program

Learn about the challenges faced by school counselors and strategies to make positive changes in their role and counseling program. Topics covered include the ASCA Model, leadership style assessment, redefining the school counselor role, and building effective relationships with administrators.

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Advocating for the Counselor Role and Program

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  1. Advocating for the Counselor Role and Program Toni R. Tollerud, Ph.D. LCPC VALEES School Counselor Meeting Wednesday, December 4, 2013 9-10:30 AM

  2. The Role of the School Counselor What brought you here today? What problems do you experience in fulfilling your role as a school counselor? What would you like to make different in your current setting and counseling program?

  3. Efforts to Make Change • ASCA Model—How has it changed • POWER OF THE CORE OF YOUR PROFESSION IS ESSENTIAL • Assessment of your Leadership Style and Skills • YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR • WHAT WILL YOU BE WILLING TO DO DIFFERENTLY • Review of the Draft of the ISBE School Counselor Definition • HELP TONI AND YOUR PROFESSION IN THIS IMPORTANT REDEFINITION THAT LOOKS TO THE 21ST C COUNSELOR

  4. Changes in the New ASCA Model • ASCA has research that states school counselors, who implement the ASCA National Model, experience less burnout than their colleagues who do not utilize the model! • The model helps to focus on four areas: • Leadership • Advocacy • Collaboration • Systemic Change TONI’s 5th Focus----INFLUENCE

  5. AN ASCA SIDEBAR Let’s Review the changes in the ASCA Model from 2005-2012. Power point developed out of the University of Wisconsin to show the changes in the model.

  6. Group Discussion… Taking charge • Discuss how you use these four themes in your current setting to promote change…Where do you think you can be most influential? • Advocate with brochures for parents, administrators and teachers to help define your role • Data-driven assessments that will support how you are meeting the needs of students • School counselor Advisory meetings • Annual yearly presentation to the School Board

  7. Making Changes We can sit around and blame others and do little but maintain the status-quo; or We can take on the Role of a Leader and assess the situation. This will allow us to create a strategy and plan to do things that will help change the environment. It can give us momentum to move in the direction we want to go.

  8. Dr. Tollerud’s Mantra Show UP! PAY ATTENTION--Listen to what others say. Speak my truth Change what I can and LET GO of what I cannot change

  9. The Power of Change The secret lies in Changing the Mind Set of our Administrators and our Counselors. We must look within ourselves as to how WE must change if this is to be effective. Collaborate and Focus on what both Counselors and Administrators say is “good for kids”….how do we improve the school climate and statistics around hot issues…..

  10. The Power of the Counselor’s Influence WE are communication experts……how can we use this to our advantage?

  11. TIPS for Talking to Administrators about the School Counseling Program • What might help: • Know the ASCA Model, Introduce it to your administrators, use it with each other • Build positive relationships with the administrators • Find out what the goals of the administration are and how you can connect with these • Identify places you can collect data around these issues and about what you do. DO IT and present it to anyone you can… • Refer to your program and the model whenever you can • Become RAMP certified—Have an ASCA based SC program • Empower your administrators….in turn, you should feel empowered back • Start small and promote an initiative that will be successful • Finally, get on SIP, PBIS, RtI, etc. committees and speak your truth

  12. A National Study for School Counselors and Principals • National Office for School Counselor Advocacy led a study that included ASCA to explore and research the counselor/principal relationship. • Read about it at: http://nosca.collegeboard.org/research-policies/principal-counselor

  13. Findings • The 4 most identified elements necessary in the School Counselor/Principal relationship were: • 1. Communication** • 2. Trust and Respect** • 3. Leadership • 4. Collaborative Planning

  14. Resources to Build the Relationship Review the materials from NOSCA and see what you might be able to take away from this research to apply to your own school situation. Building communication and trust are the most important elements. Note the 10 Characteristics of an Effective Principal-Counselor Relationship

  15. CREATING A Plan-It’s up to You to get started! Brainstorm some simple ideas that you could try in your school that would address current problems or issues that frustrate you. Select at least two goals from what we have discussed today that you are willing to try to accomplish as a result of this meeting and that you will commit to doing at some time prior to May 1, 2014. Keep it simple. Write these on the card and turn into Roger, Cassie, or Toni.

  16. Questions to consider in your plan What do you need to know to make happen what you want to happen? What do others need to know? How will you get this information to others? How can you use data and your influencing skills to help make this happen? What is your timeline and how will you measure change?

  17. What Can VALEES DO? • Suggestions: • #1: Read the NOSCA material and consider strategies for how to improve relationships with school administrators. • #2. Form a group that wants to move toward RAMP certification and work together to accomplish this. • #3 Plan a counselor/administrator summit for spring or summer • Invite school counselors to attend a meeting jointly with administrators • At the meeting: • Dr. Tollerud would give an overview of the role of the school counselor based on the ISBE definition and the ASCA model • A small panel of school counselors would present on how they perceive their role when it is best addressing the needs of their students • Provide time for questions and dialogue between administrators and counselors. Use the NOSCA Research Study on School Counselors/Principals to begin to open this dialogue.

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