Skill building, leadership, advocating and referrals
“Johnny, I see that you brought a toy hammer with you to our reading and writing group today. Rather than put it away, how about you tell me about it? This was a gift from my father. I haven’t seen him in a long time. I don’t know where he is.”
This was a conversation I had while working as a reading and writing intervention teacher. Johnny’s response opened my eyes to the importance of how conversation and giving a child a voice has as much value as any program or intervention. This, along with a series of other important life lessons, led me to study and become a certified school counsellor and a member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA).
Students come with diverse backgrounds, each with their own set of unique needs. School counsellors work alongside students and their families to support positive health and safety, academics, and career development. They have the opportunity and skill set to engage in powerful conversations that provide rich, meaningful context in how a child may better support themselves and how the schools can better support them.
Planning and goal setting
School counsellors work with students, families, and education support services teams to develop student goals and provide interventions to help student achievement. These goals may range depending on grade level and encompass areas such as behaviour, social skills, academics, and career-readiness.
Collaboration
School education support services teams are generally comprised of school counsellors, school administrators, resource teachers, school-based interventions, and/or outside agencies. School counsellors work collaboratively with these members to plan for student success. They have a unique platform to speak to the social/emotional needs of the child. A team generally works together create short-term and/or long-term plans for student success.
Skill building
Counsellors often work with students on increasing skill sets that have been identified as areas for improvement. This may be done on an individual basis, as a small counselling group, or through classroom lessons.
These skill sets may be identified through individual consultation with a student, teacher, or guardian, or revision of recommendations by medical professionals and/or psychological-educational assessments. School counsellors provide support in the development of pro-social skills, relationship building, emotional regulation, and executive functioning skills such as planning, organization, focusing, and study skills.
Leadership
In the school community our counsellors often take leadership. Topics surrounding inclusivity, equity, social/emotional and physical well-being of students are supported by us. We may work alongside teachers to deliver lessons to classrooms or organize guest speakers who contribute to the overall well-being of the child, as well as, promoting, and providing enrichment activities surrounding awareness dates. Consultation is also available to staff, students, and families.
Social-emotional and mental health support
While requirements to be a school counsellor vary between provinces and territories, school counsellors are generally concerned with the mental and social-emotional well-being of students. They’re available to provide support in the form of a non-judgmental, listening ear and may also be trained in various risk assessments.
Some regions have identified the importance of having trained mental health professionals in schools and require school counsellors to have a Master’s degree in Counselling. These counsellors are trained in a variety of counselling theories and can provide counselling services using approaches such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). In regions, where school counsellors are not permitted or trained in therapeutic interventions, they may act as a conduit to outside agencies who can offer these services.
Requests and referrals
When services outside of the school are needed, a school counsellor may be able to request supports for the child. Outside services may include specialists from the district or board level, specialists from the health authority, or outside counselling services. We can also write referral letters recommending a student for a placement in a group, camp, or program.
Advocating
School counsellors can bring topics of concern to respective platforms related to the well-being of all students. They may bring to team meetings feedback from a student, parent, or teacher about how a particular plan is working. School counsellors may also identify services or supports and voice how they would benefit the child and/or the school.
Meissa Falconer is the Vice-President, School Counsellors Chapter Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.
School Counselling Week is in February each year
A time for the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy to promote everything that school counsellors have to offer to students and their families. As an important part of a student’s support network, school counsellors are available to offer support, intervention, and advocacy on behalf of students and their families. The school counsellors chapter of the CCPA was founded in 2000.
ccpa/accp.ca
