I

'

Part III

Implementing

Chapter 7 .lOS)
I

'

Malting the Transition to a Comprehensive

Guidance and Counseling Program
Implementing-Making the Tramition

..
.
Develop the personnel, financial, and political resources needed for full program implementation.
Focus on special projects.
Facilitate building..level changes.
Implement public relations activities.
CfA

Having organized for change, adopted a comprehensive guidance and

counseling program model, assessed the current program, established the
de sign for the desired program, and planned the transition, you, as the
guid ance and counseling program leadert are now ready to make the
transition to an improved program. You also are ready to develop
mechanisms to main tain the program once it is in operation. This is one
of the most critical phases of the entire program improvement proces. .
The questions to be an swered include, How is the transition to a
comprehensive guidance and counseling program to be made? What
new resources are needed to cn hartce the effectiveness and efficiency of
the program? Are there special projects that will provide impetus to the
needed changes in direction? How
can we assist each building to improve its program?

This chapter first discusses the tasks involved in implementing the master plan for
change and presents recommendations concerning the staffing patterns nnd the finnndal
and po litical resources required to operate a comprehensive guidance and cmmsding
program. The change strategy of focusing on special projects is then introduced.
Attaching the guidrtnce and counseling program improvement process to federal, state,.
and local priorities can provide the energy, motivation, and support to carry the overall
improvement process to completion. Next, the chapter describes how to facilitate the.
building-level changes required to implement the district comprehensive guidance and
counseling program fully in each building, as wetl as how to institute a districtwide
system for monitoring progrnm changes and overall program implementation at the
building level to ensure th:u the program docs not revert to its original, traditional
operation. We also present ideas about planning and implementing, with district
leadership, public relations activities to make sure that stu dents, teachers, parents,
administrators, and the public at large arc aware of the remodeled

Developing & Ivbnaging Your School Guid:lllce and Counseling Program

and revitalized comprehensive guidance and counseling program. Next, we focus on meth
ods tor attending to the diversity in the district and buildings. Finally, the chapter delin
eates the roles and responsibilities of guidance and counseling program leader$ in the
transition process.
I

'

Develop the Personnel, Finaneial, and Politieal Resources

Needed for Full Program Implementation
In developing the master plan for system-level resource development, the guidance and
counseling program leader with the help of the guidance steering committee identified
the major tasks that needed to be done, developed an order for doing them, and
identified peo pie who would be involved in accomplishing them. Plans of action to
accomplish the major tasks also might need to be developed to facilitate the efficiency
of those responsible. A plan of action includes several parts: identification of the tasks
to be done, the order in which they m\1St be done, the person(s) doing them, the time for
accomplishing them, and a state ment of how you will know they have been done, that
is, identification of the end prod uct or result. Table 7.1 presents a sample plan of action
from the Northside Independent School District master plan.
The ta ks that need to be done, their degree of feasibility, and the specific time frame
for each building district may be different. For example, if the school syster.1 is currently
into curriculum writing, then resource/curriculum guide development fits right into already
established district priorities. Or-if the system's thrust is staff development, then the rec
ommcndations tbr in-service training, job description development or supervision, and
performance evaluation improvement might be the most feasible to accomplish. Of course,
any systemic improvement of resources requires the support and collaboration of the dis
trict administration. The guidaoce and counseling program leader must continue to work
closely with the superintendent .and other senior-level administrators to effect needed
chang :s.
.
There arc, however, some recurrent recommendations that need attention for the
pro gram actually to change. ld that the guidance and cowlScling program leader
might want to consider tbr the improved use pf personnel, financial, and political
guidance and coun
seling program resqurcc;s as the mast r plan for change is implemented are included in the
follo\ving list and explained in detail jn this section.

or

PlmiJmu:J ltcsiJurc,:s

l. Implementing recommended counselor-student ratios

2. Developing school counselors' j9b descriptions
3. Establishing roles and responsibilities for .building-level guidance and counseling
program leaders

.
.

4. Developing job descriptions for other staff members working in the guidance and
counseling program
5. Clarif)ing o1ga1iizational relationships widun the guidimce and counseling program

Fiwm cia/ B..i;sources

6. Establishing budgets for guidance departments at the .district and building
levels
7. Exploring use of otherthatllocal funding sources
8. Developing guidance and counseling program component resource guides
9. Establishing g\lid nce facititie$ standards d making recommendations for
their application
204

Table7.1
Plan of Action

Make
recommcncbtions
regarding ed

..

contractS

1. Develop

1. Diaor of gtiidancc

questionnain:
2 ..Train,. steering

2. Director of guidance

1. Marchi
2. MarchS

committee counsc:lozs
- and principalS to
conduct suney with

courudorsfprincip.tls

. using qucsdonnaire

a: Place on meeting
agendas

4. Make.
presentation; conduct
_surVeys

"

3. Stccringcommi
.

principals. :and

3. MarchS

c:owUcJors

4. Steering committee.

. principal$. and coun

4. March 613

. sclo(s

S, Tally .-esults by school : S. Director of guidaQcc

lel-el'(demenwy. mid-

S. March20

6:. Prqnl-c repon

6.

dte school, high school)

:and m:tke
.
recommendations

6. Director of guidance

March2S

None additional.

Developing & M:ln:lging Ym1r School GlJidnnce and Counseling Program

Pulitict l Rt:.IWtrw
10. Uptbrins policies and pocedures
11. Engendering support th)m building staff
12. Wurk:ing with resistant statl'mcmbcrs
13. Wurking with cl'itical constituents: concerned
I
parents

'

Personnel Resoutces
As the preceding list indicates, to improve use of personnel resources, you need to consider
implementing recommended counselor-student ratios, developing counselors' job de
scripdons, establishing roles and responsibilities for building guidance and counseling pro
gram leaders, developing job descriptions for other staff members working in the guidance
and counseling program, :ind clarifYing organizational relationships within the guidance and
counseling pr >gram.

Impletn tJ.titlJJ Recommended Counselor-St tdetlt Ratios

Based on the rationale of the design for the desired program; recommendations have
been established for appropriate counselor-student ratios. Ratio improvement, however,
is one of the more ditlicult resource improvements to make for two reasons: It is ex
tremcly costly, an9 there must be some evidence that the counselors already in the
system are willing m extend their services to all students. Once that intent has been
established and som;.: effort has been applied in that direction, justification for
improved ratios is more credible:
As districts with which we have worked have implemented the comprehensive guidance
and counseling program more fully, lower ratios have been put in place. Elementary coun
selors have been added in rather dramatic numbers in these program development projects.
Further, many elementary guidance and counseling programs are developmentally based
and thus are already closer to the desired program as defined by these districts than are sec
ondary programs, which are traditionally entrenched in reactive services and system sup
port or quasi-administrative/clerical tasks {Peer, 1985). No district with which we have
worked has stated that coun'.ielors as supporters of the system should have top priority in
the program; all of the districtS have assigned high priority for all school levels to the guid
ance curriculum and to individual stJ,ldent planning assistance for all students at the mid.
dle and high school levels.
It should be dear that the effectiveness of the program is tied direcdy to the ratio. The
number of <:ounselors needed to staff the program depends on rl1e students' and school
community's needs and the program goals and design. Thus the ratio must be sufficient
to implement the designed program; or conversely, the program has to be designed within
the parameters of the ratio. ,The larger d1e counselor's caseload, the less individual atten
tion students receive; the smaller d1e load, the more individual attention is allowed for. The
larger the nun1ber of students in a caseload who hwe highpriority needs for responsive ser
vices, the lower the ratios must be. A mechanism for ensuring a match between d1e design
and rl1c ratio and for. communicating the impact of the ratio on the realities of service de
livery is discussed in more detail in chapter 8.
In school districts, salary costs ot1:en make up more. than 80% ofd1e budget. The
salary cos.ts associated wid1 dramatic ratio improvement are high, tying dlis resource
improvement to the district's overall financial situation andbudget development
procedures; The guid
.ance a11d counseling prograin leader must present not only the rationale for the improve
ment but also thedata that substatltiate or project its value to students;

206

Making the Ttansttion to a COmprehensive Guidtmce and Counseling Program

You also need to be prepared to implement the improvement incrementally. Stages of

implementation might include extended counselor contracts so .that thereis more non
student time tor them to accomplish some of the indirect servicesvital to success, such as
planning and developing the program. benefiting from staff development activities, or ac
complishing some of their system support responsibilities. Some districts have found it
li)Ore feasible economically to raise existing counselors' salaries, because ofincree\sed recog
nition oftheir professionalism, than to lower their casel,oads. Interim ratio improvements
might occur. For example, instead of moving direcdy from a ratio of one elementary
coun selor per building to a ratio of 1:350, al:450 ratio might be affordable first.
A lowered c:aseload is one of the primary goals of program improvement, but itis one
oCthe most"difficult to attain. Thus we advise you to continue to implement other, more
feasible changes while you are working toward that goal rather than waiting until ratios
are improved to begin.

Developing School Counselors' Job Descriptions

Identifying the various personnel resources available to the guidance and counseling pro
gram brings with it the need to define the roles and functions- of the various personnel to
ensure appropriate use otthetr education and talents.. The position guide format was dis
cussed in chapter 5 as a means for outlining the school counselors' primary job responsi
bilities. In chapter 8 we suggest a process for specifying each counselor's job description
each year by detailing the specific ways each applies their competencies within the yearly<
program plan (Henderson 8c Gysbers, 1998).The professional school counselor is trained'"'
to fulfill the roles required to deliver the comprehensive guidance and counseling pro
gram. (For a summary of their application within the program components, see chapter 4.)
Most school counselors fulfill comprehensive roles withtheir students; that is, they
r; provide or are the links to the services needed by the students in their caseloads.Some school counselors may be assigned to carry out special program assignments or
toserve spe .
cial student groups. These special assignmentS often require additional training and may
be tied to special funding sources, as described later in this chapter. Examples of special
pro gram assignments include guidance department leadership and crisis team
membership. Examples of special student groups thatmay benefit from additional
ptogrnm services in elude students in compensatory education, special education,
violence and substance abuse prevention programst or career and technology education.
It iseSsential to efficient im plementation of the comprehensive guidance and
counseling program that the services provided by such specialist counselors be
integrated into the program delivery design. We recommend that position guides for these
and other full-time, professional members of the guidance staff be developed and that
they delineate clearly the organitational relationships among counseling professionals.
Oftert these counseling positions ttre fitrtded or partially funded by the other-thartguidance programs; so there are -specific expccte\tions agreed to in appropriating the
money. Thus, specially funded counselors have some prescribed re sponsibilitics. to the
program that fhnds them.-Thcir responsibilities to both programs and their placement in
the organizational structttre need to, be clear: They are, first and fore mostt school
counselors and a part of the comprehensive guidancc.and counseling program.
Their special assignments may also link them with other proGrams.and departments, in
which they must also continue to develop their sp cl:tlty in the-specific area; forexample,
counselors funded from special education funds provide guidance, and. counseling to stu
dents in special educati.on; they need to continue to develop their compctc;ncc :in working
with special needs students.Additionally, they need to understand the spcdal.cducation pro
gram rules and priorities and be able to interpret those rules to their colleague counselors.
207-

Developing & Managing Your Scho )l Guidance :md Counseling Program

EstalJlbIJhi(J Rllles atJ.d. RcspotJsihil#iesfor

. . . .. . . .
Buildiu,..tJ t:&Jitl G sidtm t:.tmd CoJmsefil-19 l>rograni.Leaders

Key to implcmcnring qu lity con1pi'chcnsive guidance nd counseling 'programs in the

buildings is appropriate delegation of responsibility and authority to leaders of guidance
dipartmcnts throughout a district. Their authority can be delegated from both the build
ing principal and dle district guidance and counseling program leader. Such delegation
must be clearly spelled out and be such that their responsibilities are dearly supported.
On a day to-day basis, thcylcad and manage the details of program planning and
implementation as well as the quality of school counselors' use of theirtime and
applications of their talent.
The roll;s that guidance and counseling program leaders fulfill are those ofadministra
tion, management, supervision, and prQfessionalleadership (Henderson & Gysbers,
1998). In their administration role, they apply their '4Uthority and responsibility over the
guidance and counseling program and its =ttaff. They are ultimately accountable for the
quality of pro gram delivery and staff performan<:e. ln their management role, guidance
and counseling
program kad :rs QCqllirc; the p :rsonne.l; ma rial, and political resources needed to
imple
mcnt the progr.)m. In dteir su rvi$ion role, they strive for efficient and em:ctive use
ofthese
resources. In mek pn:>f sionalle-adenbip role, they assist school counselors to enhan
their protessionnlism through adherence to the standards and the advancement of the
school counseling protession.
The rcsp<msibilities of guidance an c()unseling program leaders include carrying out
the tasksrC<.)uired in program planning, designing, implementation, and evaluation.
Progr \m planning indud s projecting ald managing such things as d1e department
budget, acquiring and using appropriate program materials; and using the schooes
facilities. Designing th builcUnt.J g\lidance and counseling program includes developing
d1e program calendar and ;lssisting the schu<.'l coun clors in developing and adhering to
regular sched ules; Prosr;lJll implemcntntiO!l entail$ monitoring and participating in
program delivery. Evalu.ltion of the program, its res4lts, and the performance of d1e
school counselors and other program statl'membcrs req,..ire their leade hip. Building
guidance and counseling program leaders also advocate fbr the guidan and counseling
program, its clients, and staff
with such groups as the building and di tric.t administrators,- local site-based decision
making groups, tcachc:rs, parents; and o er mmunity representatives.

By tar d1c largest resotJr e provideQ to gu.i(iance ;md counseling programs in schools is
that of the school cQunselor staff :Helping dlCIJl to carry out theirro:es and responsibili
ties with highest levels of professionaliSm, is imperative to excellent program implementa
tion (Gysbcrs Henderson, 1997), Leadership of school -counselors as staff members
entails establishing and n1aintaining heald1y a,nd productive work climates. Leaders carry
out the tasks .required in implc:mentation of tbe district's system for enhancing school
counselors' performance, They help a, h school counselor define his or her job for .d1e year,
assess his or her levels of professionalism, and set goals and implement plans for
enhanc ing his or her professional maturity. B"Uding guidance and counseling program
leaders pro vide professionally appropriate:supervision to school counselors and
evaluate their performance (Henderson&. Gysbers, 1998).

Devel pinp job .Dcsfrip#ons for Other taff_Members

WorluttQ' m the G J.Jdan&e and Co1mselmg Program

_
More ;;oncise guida 1ce and .counseling progr:am-related role stat ments and job
,descrip tions need to be. in place for others working in.the guidance and, couns.eling
program. Some of these. staff members might be full .time, such as licensed
professional .coW1$elors, soc al workers, parel'it hwolvement/educa:tion specialists,
guic!ance department clencal help, or paraprofessionals. In mimy of the districts with
which we have worked, insufficient
208

Making the Transldon tot Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program

use has been made of support staff, be<:ausc of'either understaffing or tlt'ldcrusc of exist
ing staff. Underusc is often the result of incomplete.stattme:nts ;of-job responsibilities.
(Sample job descriptions/position. guidesfor career center technicians and high school
registrars are included in Appendix F.) Clear job descriptions allow others to recognize the
i portance or.complexity of guidance d_epartment,parilprofessiona.tst responsibilities, par
ticuJarly as they a$sume the nonguidance tasks previously done by counselors. Such de
scriptions have led to upgraded pay classifications and extended contracts.
Some staf'fmembers only augment the.guidance and counseling program as part of their
responsibilities, such as teachers, administrators, and related specialists, including school
psy
chologists.or diagnosticians community volunteers, and peer counselors. Although these
job descriptions will not be as extensive aS those for full-time Staff members, they are
just as important because they re the vehicle for ensuring that _program delivery is
coordi nated and carried out by a cohesive staff team.
Not only do the rolC'.s and responsibilities of others need to be spelled out, but they a.lso
need to be appropriate to their training and competence. Personnel without school coun
selor certification should be trained to carry out their roles in the comprehensive guidance
and counseling program. For example, teachers should be trained to be advisers, commu
nity representatives to be mentors, and parent volunteers to be parent liaisons.
Individuals without school COJ.tnsclor certification should not be used in place of
cer tified professional school counselors but rather should augment the services provided
by school counselors (American School Counselor Association {ASCA], 2000). All
stnffmem bers assisti g in the delivery of the guidance and counseling program should
adhere to the, ethical and legal standards of the counseling profession Key standards arc
those regard: ing studen_ts' and pare ts' rights and confidentiality.
Remember that job definition is_prerequisite to any staff expansion, particularly if
staff
members with qew job titles are to be added. It is through job task analysis .a 1dthe de
velopment o(related job descriptions that the functions of proposed new staff members can"'
be delineated from those of existing staff. $uch delineation supports the rationale for
the new positions.

Cl rij;ini Ora.atiizational R.etatitJ?IshipJ.

W1thm the GU1danee and Counteltna.Program.
After clarifYing the roles and expectations of each category of staff members in the deliv
ery of the comprehensive guidance and counseling program, yotlfnext step is daril)ring the
organizational relationships between the counselors and the 6ther profc:Ssionals who atig
ment the program or \\'hO$C servic s doyetail with the program, and among the guidance
department staff in a building.
'

Caseload Assignment : Team Approaeh. In implementing the guidance and

counsel ing program, it is important to recognize that counselors are members of four
teams. They are an integral part of the instructional team, along With teachers;
administrators, and other education specialistS, in implementing the developmental
components ofthe'program.
Counselors are an integral part of the school and disrtie spdal services teani, along
with school psychologists, social worker$, nurses, and administrators, iri responding to
the spe cial needs of some students and parentS. Counselors also form teams with
community rep resentatives who collaborate with the schools, specifically the busin.ess
arid the mental health communities, to augment the program. Perhaps most important,
cotinsclors frotn each school level and each-building are part of the guidance team,
workirig t6setherto
ar- ticulate andimprove programs systemwide:
''
I:

Clarifyingwho the te:tm members are and respecting tl're_ roles that c;ach n1cm ber plays
and the systemnhnt each' operates within are prerequisites' to effective tcnni\vrirk. Mutual
1

t .

. ;

..

209

.E

Devdoping & Man;1ging Your School Guidnncc and Counseling Program

design of the way teams operate contriputes t()efficient 'operation: For example, there is
renewed interest in using the s.chqols to integrate publicheald1 arid humari services pro
\'ided to children; youths, and famiUes. Coalitions of related professionals must meet and
have open dialogue to determine how sud\ integration will work. At d1e national level,
the Alilerican Counseling Association (ACA) represents counselors in the National
Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations (NAPSO, 1993). This coalition endorses a
collaborative ap proach among its members. In addition to ACA, members ofNAPSO
include organiza
tions representing school nurses, teachers, occupational therapistS, physical therapists,
school psychologists, school social workers, special educators, speech-language pathologists,
audi9logists, and therapeutic recreation specialists as well as art, musk, and dance thera
pists, and administrators of pupil services programs. Although defining how collaboration
occurs is a local challenge, a commitment to work together is a major step.
lmplememation of the comprehensive guidance and counseling program as it is defined
and.designed is the guidance departnlent's responsibiliq. It is our opinion that
persoilnel
without cbool CO!lnselor certification who arc active participants in program delivery
shoul ido so under the supervision of professional school counselors.
Cnseload Assionment: Stnffino PntUrm. Within a guidance department staff, the or
ganizational patterns for operation need to be clearly established. Across the United States
there is wide variation in size ofglJidance department staffs. On the one hand, a large, urban
high school might have 1() to 15 coun elors, including comprehensive school counselors
and specialist counselors, and 6.or more support staff, such as registrar, career center tech
nician, counselors' secretary, data-processing clerk, and a scheauling assistant; On the other
hand, it -is nc:>t unus1,1al for one counselor to serve.the elementary, middle/junior high,
and high schools in a small, rural community. In this case, the definition of guidance staff
mus include tht; administrators, teachers; and support staff at each of the schools.
Regardlcssofthe:size of the staff involved, some organizational keys apply universally to
en ancing healthy interprofessional and interpersonal relationships, which, in turn, affect
program quality.
Cascload assignn,1ents for staff members need to be supported by rationale relevant to
the program design that is appropriate to each person's program responsibilities, training,
and specialization. The question stillarises, What is the "best" way for' comprehensive
school counselors to A{vvy up students,into their caseloads? Some of the options in use are
.. dividing students by grade levels, alphabetically by surnames, by their teachers, or, for spe
cialists, by their participation in special programs. Not much research has been done to help
school counselors answer this question. As. discussed in chapter 4; d1e decision about how
to divide students aniong the-comprehensive counselors should match d1c philosophy be
hind the guidance and counseling program.

1. Casel04d asslgt me11ts bJ orad /eyet. Caseload assignments by grade levels is consis
tent with a developmental philosophy, widl dunking of the program in terms of how to best
prepare to hl!lp the studentS of different ages. Tlus assignment pattern supports a coun
selor's guidance curriculum or individual student planning services and is often found at
the elementary. and middle schooHevels. lt also effectively divides regular consultation
with teaching and instructional staff among the cow1selors This medlod alsO entails coun
selors' consulting widl each oilier aboutchUclren from the same homes and f.anilies who
are in different grade levels. Consistency of services for students suggests that a student
ben efits most th>m having the same counselor during his r her tenur . in d1e school,
making it clear that 'counselors should mQve up a school's grade levels a$ his or her
students move. Quality an<J. amount. of time available for services also suggest that each
comprehensive coun!icl<.>r .serve.a similar numb :.r -.of studentS as other comprehensive
counselors. One problem widl this method of a.ssignmcnt is if the grade levels in a school
vary widely in size;
$>.

2i0

Making the Transition to a Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program

for example, in many high schools there are many more 9th graders than 12th grttders.
Another issue is that if a district or school adds one additional counselor t how, then,,do
the grade levets of.children become evenly.divided; for example, if a middle school
serves three grades of similar size (e.g 6th, 7th, and 8tlf grade) and has four
counselorS, what is a log ical caseload assignment for the fourth counselor? TyPically
more than one ofthc grade lcv els)s split up among.the counselors. It then can be
awkward for students, parents, nnd others to decipher who the counselor is for.a
particular student.
2. Caseload assignment by surname. Assigning students to counselors on the bnsis of
the students' last name often reflects an emphasis on responding to students' needs and
issues
within knowledge ofth ir family context. This often enhances the quality of a counselor's rc
sponsive services. While not all children from the same home bear the same last names,
many do. Working with siblings and parents over time provides counselors_ wi!:h
increased infor ma on about the issues and as.'lets of the child's home environment. It also
supports the team approach to guidance and counseling program delivery, as developmentalactivities provided for each grade lev l are a shared responsibility among all counselors. It
also dictates that all counselors consult consistently with all of the teachers and other
instructional staff.
3. Caseload assignment by teaehm. Caseload assignment tor counselors according
to groups of teachers focuses on the system support component. It emphasizes the
coun selors' role ofhc1ping teachers improve their work with individu:d and groups of
students, and within their classrooms. It may facilitate implementation of counselors'
classroom based, developmental guidance .activities. A large disadvantage is that
students change counselors each year as their teachers change, minimizing consistency
of counselors' scr
vices and demanding even more time in counselor-to-counselor consultation. It is also dif
ficult for parents-and students, for that matter-to know who their children's counselors
are each year.
4. Special responsibilities. Any special responsibilities need to be clearly--statt"ti and un
derstood by other staff members. The department leader should be designated with the -au
thority to manage the program and staff (Henderson &: Gysbers, 1998), including the
capability to mediate between staff members when necessary. Intradepartmental rules need
to be established to u ilitate coordination and cooperation. For example, if two or
more counselors provide services to the same student, the responsibilities, methods, and
.standards
need to be spelled out to ensure that such services arc (Onductcd with the best interests
of the student in mind. If teachers have the responsibility for contacting parents regard
ing their child's school-related problems and reconunended solutions, the responsibilities
and methods for ensuring that all staff membersworking \vith a student hns the informa
tion they need must to be spelled out. Staff meetings need to be held regularly to ensure
open communication among staff members, coordinate program planning, and do the
necessary problem solving (Henderson&: Gysbers, 1998).

. Financial Resources
-to

;,

To improve use of financinl resources, consider establishing budgets fhr guidance dcpa t
ments at the .district and bt!ilding 1cvcls, exploring useofother-th<'lnlocal fimding sources,
developing guidance and counseling program component resource guides, and establish
ing guidance 1cilities standards and making recommendations for their application:

Establishing J3t-tdgets for Gt4idan.ce Depart1J'lents

. at the Distr ct an.dBuilding: l.e'l?elt ..
. _ . . . , ::_
In the assessment of the current program, one -of the t:tsks was to review r 1c tinni1d:'1l re
sources available. In the review, you may have found that the fin:'lndal rcsouw:s were
211--

Dcvc:loping & M:ln:lgin Your School Guidance and Counseling l'rogram

dcs ribcd in tcm s qf a wcll dcthwci b gc .Jn which aU of the money spent on guidance,
induding sal wics, W>ls p;ur qf hcbudgct. you n1ay have found that only money for such
items a tcstin materials. and a tcw oth r gujdailCe r ourccs was included. Or perhaps
there was no budget ar a)J. Withitl he budget policy guidcliiles tor the school/district,
the task
i to establish a budge . To do that, consider such major categories as those displayed
in Table 7.2.
Prcn:q\tisite to. any resource exgamion is, ascertaining the cost of implementing the
recommendations. The gl!i4ance and.counseling program leader needs to develop a
cost analysis tor each of the items tor inclu iOI\,in the district department budget or in
other budget atcgories if that i where an item fits. The total amount, presented all at
once, could be ovcrwhchning, so our advice is to prepare.t.Qese cost analyses on an item
by.,item basis. Thus as ach recommendation, is bt91.lsht fo.rwa,rd for consideration,
the guidance and counseling program leader cap pr cnt $e dollar figures associated
with it. For example, if implementing. the iJnproved tio r commended entails addipg
counselors. to the staff, it is tile guidance .nd c:o ns ling prosraiJlle er'$ responsibility
to know how much those adciitional smffpo Jitions .'YQ1CO$t, aving. pe fic cost
h)fonnatiou available allows the guid an'e and counsding program leader to amicipate
others' concerns about the increased cxpcn .li urcs .ind to be pr parcd to defend .the
allocation of adc.Utional dollars.

f. l'l'l'iomul stilnriei nllill ellt lfl .'

A. Coutlsekm
.
n. Sl,lc:o:til!'ial/c:l!lfl

c. <:Mdat\4"11 admlniJtr.ltQn
ll l'riJ.(Ji'iJIU il r,:lflflll llt

A..Cllrriculum dJMlopment
B. Localg\a erials dcveloptllent ,

c:

Pilot proj ts
III. Mntuils
A. Studcpt material$

. .

iJ&I[JibiriP

1..TcxtJ an4 wor boo .

. . Au ovlslild, materials .

3: Tcstin &rmatcrials

4. Reference materials . '

S. Qarecr/JUidance center mateqal$

B.

6. A$$e$Smcnt material$

Profcssiori l re5Qurcc materials

1. Profcssiouillibnry books .
2. Jom:nal s1,1bicriptions
3. Training at!=r\als .

c. Suppli

l. Office supplics
2. Computer-assisted guidance cquip!ncnt supplies
.. 3. Insuu.ctional supplies
.
IV. Cnpirnl outbly

A .Furniture

. B. 2Qllipmcnt and maintcnanc:c

V. Prufessitmnl dev#ID/IIWil _

A.

1'.-lc\."tinp' iuld confcrenc

. 1. IM:gistr.\tion.

, . B.xpensc.s .

B..COnsul .nts

VI. O,hi ctip#iil&i

. . Telephone

.B .P o sraac .

. c : fa x

Vll. ltett4reb.lln..J WnluMion

212

...

Making the Transidon to a Comprehensive Guidartce and Counseling Program

Exploring Use bfOther..ThanLDcal Fund.ina So erceJ

A majority Citthc funds for the program probably comes from local and state regular edu
cation sources. There are; however, fUnds from other sources: Federallegislation'is one
soutte. Federal funds available to augment the comprehensive guidanceand counseling pro
gram includethose that suppo t career and techn"Ology education:, special education, com
pensatory education, bilingual and migrant education, and special topics of national priority
such as drug abuse prevention education and safety in schools. Federal employment and
training legislation also may have gU.idance funds available for schools.
Most federal fi!nds are distributed by the state department of education. If the guid
ancc and counseling program leader is not already familiar with these sources; a visit with
the state's guidance consultants should be a rewarding experience. They "1ll be able to tell
you abO\lt federal and state moneys that may be available for guidance and counseling
programs. Although many states stilt have not sotved the problem of adequate school
financing, man}' states have established suidancerelevant priorities. For example, renewed
interest in support for elementary guidance is being expressed by state legislatures.
Keep in mind that most federal or state sources do not usually fhnd an entire
program. lUther, they provide supplemental oradditional support for target populations
or facilitate achievement ottheir program objectives, such s counseling disadvantaged
or substance
abusing students, augmenting a career center, or implementing a vocational assessment pro
"gram. Most of the time access to.these funds is through a proposal or the development of
a written plan. With the comprehensive program already designcdt such a proposal or
plan is readily developed because the program context and student needs already have
been es tablished. The proposal writer has to extract only the portions of the total
progrom that are of interest to the funding source to present the plan.

Developing Guidance and Counseling Pr(Jgram Component Rcsmwce

Guides A major task in making the transition to a comprehensive guidance and

counseling pro gram js to choose the guidance activities and materials that will Msist
students to develop the competencies that have been decided on. Basing the work on
sound ideas and re
search-based concepts and materials is one key to having good-quality activities
through which the program is implemented and the identified desired results are
achieved. Galassi
and Akos (2004} identified examples of some bases on which to build your program's
specifics, including resiliency and the development of-competence in youths.
Describing the specific activities that make up he program and having adequate pro
gram materials iprerequisite to successful implementation ofthe program. Counselors
must have tools to assist them in their changed roles. Whether such guides are written
for
me in a building's program, for use in a small school district, or for use in an entire
large
district mttkes a difference in the approach to this task, but the end product ; will be
simi lar. In the first two situations, the product may be one binder with tour sections. In
the
case of the large district, the products are usually fbur binders, one for each component.
The resource guides describe activities us,ed inthe imple enta_tion of the comprehensive
guidance and counseling program components. ln-developing the guides, ne\v activities may
be created, or activities may be collected that have been used s\tccc.41sf\tll}' in a building.
The scope of rc.4!ource guide development should V;try with .the size of the district guid
ance and counseling program. No matter how large or how small the program is, however,
the guidance and counseling program leader should attend to the details of the guide writ
ing. In Northside Independent School District, the corripilati()n of ideas into-guides took
3 years to accomplish. Once guides are published, they h:'!VC
permanency that

provides

part of the foundation on which the new program can rcst.lt is important that this foun
dation be solid.

Developing & Managing Your Sehoul Guidam;c and Counseling

Progn\m

A work committee comprised of the program development leaders .was 1.;1sed in

Northside Independent SchooiDistricnQ-develop the torm01ts to be used in the guides,
such as lesson phms, >lctivity plans, aa1d ;ounsclii'ig $cssion. outlines li turn,. t11c w9rk com
mittcc trained the rest ofthccmmsdors in how to complete the forms. When counselors
submitted thci "promising practices" h1 the prescribed iormar, their suggestions were
ready, to be typ d for inclusion in the guide. The work committee screene<i the inputs and
selected rhc best pr>lctkes. The difference betwten these guidesand tlwse developed in a
single building or a small district is tl1anhese become illustrative examples that a building
program can use as a pattern, as contrasted with those that represent actual descriptions
of a particular building's guidance activities Suggestions for developing guides for the
four comprehensive program components follow.
.
. Gt-1i1lmzce Om:riculum GJdde. A curriculum guide provides .the description of cur
riculum units and specific lessons. We suggest that the guidance and counseling program
leader usc the curriculum-writing expertise that is available, such aS instructional
supervi ors if thedistrict has them, the administrator in charge of curriculum
development or in struction,. or rcgional con ultants in curriculum writing. The leader
must also keep in mind tha there will probably not be a one--ononc match between a
specific activity or resource and a specific competency. Often a single guidance activity
may result in the achievement of a number of nudent objectives.

To iJlustrate how an activity may be writtenand .to show its relationship to the goals
and cot'npctcncics ofthe guidance curriculum suggested inprevious.chaptets, an example
is displayed in Figure 7.1. The example is from the Self-Knowledge an.d Interpersonal
Skills domain of the life career development model and relates to 'Goal A for the fifth
grade. You may wish to consider this format for your own activity descriptions. Note that
the activity isdescribcd on one page and follows a straightforward oudine that defines the
Figure 7,1
Sample Activity and Format
Dom;Un 1
Go;1IA
GradeS
. PerfOrmance Indicator
2
Domai11 I:
Gu,JIA:

Cumpet 11cy:
Perfrmmmu
/m{imtur.Z:

,,

....

Sclt;KJiuwl :d i: ai11.l lnt rperaonal Skiils .

.
. .
Students will d :vcl<lll ;llldinr,:UtpOr.ite an 'undemanding of the unique personal
- .J:haf\lct;r tica an.S abiUtlet of thcinl.S41lv $ and others..

St11dcnts will spcc:lfY tho p.;I'S()nai chatocteristics and abilities that they value.
... StudcntnvillldentifY 2 variety ofthirigs that they v.illue.
.

. 4e.#vl.l1.. Ob/ulive:
si.?' il!i118.1 he qr sh1 v,nlues... .

'Tbt intdmt ,,;iliidelltJh

Mnteria/1:
Tiint:

Direftiu1is:

. <!oat 1ifar1 ;,;pen il ..' ' .

.
()iw ses ipn.ufaJ>prq ipl 'll)' Q mbwtes,

each

. . H:l\ c
udcnt fill in an qutl,in1= ofa sbicld with the following for a personal coat
ohrms: ' .

Hox l:'Dnw ;1 JYillbol to rcprcscntyou grme uucces .

' Rox ; DRW uymbol {()represent yol.ir f.unily\s src:arest success.
!lox. 3:.0raw uymbqlto mow a place .fOil dream about; . .
nux 4: Prawyin!x)ls J.9 $hyw two thinss .at which you lU'c good. .
.
B.olf 5: Dnw a plct\lre to !low wbl!t you would do if you h:ad l year to live, and could

6; e:f\:fl : two:!it
nvo or you wo ld like used t .dcscribC y
words you would not like used to describe you.

;,.. 'no

u; . on the otlwr half write

$.214

Making the Transition to a Comprehensive Guidance and Counsc:lin Progr:un

basic activity. COunselors are encouraged to develop the lesson plan according to their
Iwdi'Pldual Student Pla.nnlntf G. t1lde'. An individual student planning guide desc'
ribes in detail activities and procedures to help student$ apply information and develop
their per sonalized plans. These write-ups.exempiUy the refocusing of some current
aCtivities from sy tem support activities to student result-focused activities that help them
m:'lke their ed u'cational plans. For-example, the objective .for preregistration
ofsecondary-lcvcJ students can be changed from "studentS will circle course numbers on
course selection cards" to.stu dent learning objectives, such_ as "lOth graders will select
an 11thgrade course of study that is an appropriate next step toward their
edueationa1jcareer goats." The activities that might be envisioned as a unit i clude
interpretation of career interest and aptitude assess menu, information exploration in the
guidance center, review of the high school gradua tion and college entrance
requirements, revision of the students'high school4-year plans, and,finally,
preregistration for.the llthgrade year. Or the objective for an elementary school Career
D y can be changed ftom "the school staff will provide X number of career speakers" to
"3rd, 4th-, and Sth-grades dents will list the educational requirements for five careers
that relate to their identified career interests." The guidance and counseling pro gram
activities provided to assist students attain the objective might include a career interest
inventory, a guidance lesson on the relationship petween levels ofeducation and levels of
occupations available in various job clusters, and Carter Day speakers who describe their
educational histories as they relate to their occupations. Parent involvement activities re
lated to individual student planning should be described .as well.
1WpDmi1'e Services Guide. A responsiVe services guide can provide a description of
the topics and modes-$uch as counseling, consultation, or referral-the counselor usesin
response to student, student-parent, or student-teacher problems. Counseling session
plans arid the overview of a planned series of counseling activities can help other
staff members as well as less experienced counselors benefit from the ideas used in
activities.
Many sound commercial materials are available to support this component. In addition to
helping new counselors get started, identifYing the materials used in the current program
supports consistency in program delivery across schools and consultation among
counselors. Including a list of the community referral sources counselors use in the
building or ac:toss
the district also enhances the implementation of this component. Developing this list not

1t

i
1

and

t.
1

t
t

l
,

only
the in
names
of outside
peopleawho
haveforcooperated
effectivelyinfor
with
schoolprovides
counselors
the past
but alsosource
can provide
vehicle
gathering consistent
mation
about
these
sources,
areas
of
expertise.
8;stem Support Guide.The system support component guide needs to be written spedf
ically to clarity what the guidance departtnent staff does to support other programs and to
itemize the support they need to ensure appropriate delivery of their own program.
Support to other programs should be listed by program (state the activity and briefly
describe the
counselor role or roles and responsibilities). Support needed from the administration anQ.
staffshould include such items as pplicy anq procedural assi_s nce; bttdget, equipment,
facilities needs; support for specific staff development opp rtunities; and public relations
activities. Outlines of successful teacher in-service presentations should be included.
Dettriblno&emplary Aetl11ines. To begin the task of guide development, we suggest
using the results of the current pro m assessment already completed. Take those current .
activities and materials you feel are in keeping with the improved program that has been
design --those that have the potential of helping students to d vclop the chosen competencies-and place them in the appropriate componentand gradelevel grotiping.
. If, as guidance and counseling program leader; you are working in a single school or
in a small district setting, this may be-acc mplished ensily; however, ifdie setting is
larger,
215 :e

Dev(loping & l\hn11ging Your School Guidance and Counseling llrogram

you may .need to implement a process similar 'tothat dohe hi Northside Independent
School District. This approach was developed aftera group of 12 counselors from the
dimict-4 counselors tiom c;\ch schoollcvcl spcnt a week {the district's typical allot
ment tbr currit..:ulum writing) to develop the 1.1nits and lessons to teach decision making to
Grades 4 through 12. The wor was aligned more closely with textbook writing than
with
typical curriculum guide development efforts. In addition, that district had identified 15
guidance curriculum strands; the counselors a$ weU as 'the director concluded that they
could not wait 14 more years to have the curriculum guide completed, to say nothing of
the
guides for the other components. It also was not realistic to expect the district to hire
the counselors as a curriculumwriting te;un for a year whatever it toqk to accomplish the
tasks. The counselors decided to collect exemplary practices that were currently
performed in district buildings, write them up iri consistent forma . d categorize them
by program component. They found this to be an excellent vehiCle for crossfertilization of ideas. Working with counselors from different school levels to pool ideas
helped everyone learn about each other's programs and was a majot step tOward ari
artic.ula ed K-12 program. It had the additional benefit of helping all parr,icipating
counselors see ho:w what they were currently doing Hr 'inro the new program concept.

or

Establishing Gz-sidan e Far:itities $ta-n4ards

and J.\laking ltecommen4a#gm for Their Application

Ensuririg adequate guidance facilities and equipment may be difficult, considering the
costS that may be involved. However:. physical facilities are so important because they
often provide students with their first and sometimes permanent impression ofthe
guidance and counseling program. Now that you have identified tl1e desired program
design and have chosen guidance activities for the program componems, you also are
y.ware of the facilities
require . For example, if classroom guidance is to be art essential part ot' the develop'
mental program, a guidance classroom may be deemed essential; if counselors are expected
to conduct small-group counseling, an adequatrlysized room: is needed; if a gujdance
cen ter is to be the hub of the program, a large classroom and offices are needed; and
so on. Space io growing distriCts may be at a premium, bu: in schools and districts
wbere enroll rnent is declining, d1e tacilitk.-s development challenge may not be as
'great.
Iinproving the tadlitics..and equipment available to the guidance and counseling pro
gran'l, as with other program improvements, entails knoWing what you want, being able to
communicate that knowledge to others, and inserting guidance and counseling program
needs into relevant district processes; In planning for buUding new facilities or remodel
ing existing ones, and in upgrading the furniture and equipment, you will be communi
eating with architects, facilities planners,- engineers, and purchasing agents,' The$e
professionals and technicians may or may not understand the guidance apcl co nseling .
program, asyou may or may not. understand construction arid purchasing: Your program
is bcstserved ifyouwork withJhern to develop standards for the design of the' guidance
facilitks
and for provision
of the .basic
also need
to work
with
them to incm-porate
into the overallsystemequiprnent
the plantoneeded.
bringtheYou
guidance
department's
f 1cilitics up.lo the stand;lrds.


Facilitits Stmulards. These, standards det.J.il the type offadlitics needed, thcfr
and .
most suitable locations; and .otl1cr basics that should be 'illCOrporated. when schools are;. '
built or n:modeled. Speciijdtems often included in facilities- standards are .oui:Uned in
Table 7.3, wjth examples for a guidance and counseling progdm'i. When ilpproved by the
district administration and the school board, these standards become the specifications
from which a1'c.:hitccts draw thci.r plans and others contract to build or fulfill .

size

..... 216

Making the Transition to a Comprehenshe Guid u\ce Md Couns ling Progr. .m

T tble 7.8
Facilities Design Standards Cates()ries and Examples .

A.
B.

'

c.
D.
B.

P.
G.

H.
I..

J.
K.
L.

ltoont t'JPt: eounselc>rs office; secretary and reception t.tttt recotds, stongc,
and rkroom area; group counseling room; confertnce toom;, registrar's office;
data processing and scheduling assistant .arei; c er c nter area
. LOcation: centered In the building; loc:ation of each of the !)fficcs and areas rclathc to
one anothct' .

Sl]ttnnfo1Jth!Jt: ln addition to activities done inthe: pai'dC\ilar space, size cicpe.nds

on lcvc:l (size of student body), size of schot>l (typical numbera using facility at one
time), furniture and equipment needed
Funeti1111 J!erfonne4 In ,.,,. type: specific to each area tnd personnel working in the area
WnUt: covering, tackable, $0undproof, concrete blocks, fircptot>f
Floor: carpeting or vinyl
.C
blnerr..location, floor-to-ceiling, waist-high with countcnop, depth. lockable, open
s repinmmts: specific equipment, types of materials, amount
Liahti : number, separate controls for mctures
Blearie tlllutlen: number and placement. computer hook-ups
Plumfnn,e: l\Ot applicable ..
Comm.unimtiDm: pri tc telephone lines; Intercoms with lights to ensure privacy;
not . hooked up to school public addttsi .,uem

M. Ununurl elettrie l trguinmmtr. e.g., airc:Onditioning scpanrc from classrooms for

counsc!ora on contracts that extend IntO the summer; dedicated copier circuit
N. t!numal eguipmmi rtfll:'fflnmtt: matker bOards, bullttln boards

1. OtiJer:
such as lockable doon, small Windows; :acoustic considendons (pri;:acy in coun.
scling offices and rooms); noise in the ma that contains the audiovisual equipment used
In the c:enter.

p,;nituN tm4liqtil_punt. Tbe tpklance fadtide.Jhoutdbcfumbhcd itt co fort ,

able a way as possihte fbr atl ttstrs. Jtemerttber ll -u1kn. 3.$ wetf a$ af:f d pa.ren s
gaJn impre8s!oris about the program from your f.tcilities. .
.

A basic furniture and qufpment list also must be developed. Such furniture items, and .
their types and sizes, might incl 1 e a profes ional desk and chair, guest chairs, bookshelves,
credenza, file cabinets, and studeitt tables 3:rid chairs:: Equipment might include bulletin
boards, videocassette recorders or DVD players, TVs, and computers.
Equipment needs are identified by a process similar to t at used for f.1cilitics. In-the_ cur
rent program assessment, you surveyed the equipment available. Having identified the
major material resources, you can :rtow specifY related equipment rieeds. Again; this
infor mation allows you.to annlyze the costs involved and to develop yout' budget
request. The
request is substantiated by the clearly stated relationship behvccn equipment nnd
f.'ldlitics and the program design.
,
Guidance Center.A Way of0rlfanklna Guidance Pacllltles Attention to the type and
use of physical space and equipmetttofa comprehensive guid nce and counseling
program
often is neglected in the change process. Unfortunately, what attention is given remains fixed
to the traditional ways oforganizing guidance. To'make theguida'nce currlculttm, individ
ual student planning, and responsive serVices function effec:tively, and to provide appropri
ate support to other programs,,a new way oforganlzing guidance facilities is needed.
Traditionally) guidance facilities have consisted ofan office or suite of offices designed
primarily to provide one-on-one counseling; Such:an armngcn'le.ntfrcquently h s induded
a reception or waiting area that serves as a brO\vsing room where. studcnts'ha,,clitnitc ac
cess. to displays or files of educational andoccupational information;
typically
- This
- --spac<:
.
. .

...

..

.. .

217 ...

.. .

'

Developing & h-bnaging Your .Sd opl Guidance and Counseling llrogmm

has been placed in the administrative: wing of the school so that the counseling staff can
be close to the records net the administration. The need for individual offices is obvious
because of the cominuing need to carry on individual counseling sessions; However, there
is also a need to open up guidance facilities, tomakethem more accessible to students,
eachers, parents, and community representatives. One approach to making guidance fa
'cilities more usable and accessible is to reorganize traditional space into a guidan<::e center.
A compreh ;nsivc guidance center can bring toged1er available guidance information and
exploration resources and make them easily accessible to students; The center can be used
for such activities as group sessions, self-exploration, and personalized research and plan
ning. At the high school level, students can gain assistance in such areas as occupational
plan ning, job entry and placement, financial aid information, and postsecondary
educational opportunities. At the middle school/j1.lnior high school level, students can gairi
assistance in such areas as career.planning, high school educational opportunities,
community involvement, and recreation opportunities, At the elementary $Choollevel,
students and their parents can gain information about the school, the community; and
parenting skills as well as read books about personal growtP and development. An. area for
play therapy can be provided.
Altho 1gh the center is :\Vailablc for usc by school staff and community members, it
should be student centered, and many of the center activities should be both student
planned and student directed. At the same time, the center is a valuable resource for teach
ers. in their program.planning and implementation. Employers, too, will find the center use
ful when.seeking part- or full-time workers. Viewed in this way, the impact of the center
em $chool and community can be sl.ib$tantial,
lf community members and parent$ are involved in the planning and implementation
of the. center and its activities, their interest could provide an impetus for the involvement
. of other community members. Whe11 parents and od1er con1munity members become in
. :-, ;yol e jp P. 9g.r, ns
'1; l J JUe(;'tb : Q,- pfstl aqg x e-fi91\ce o(the educ tionar
. .- proce $;T}Jrou:gh,tl\ s.e e per en es{new support for education may grow.
.
.. The guidance. center shoLdd be ft rnishcd in as comfortable a way as possible for all
users: Provision should. be mqde for group as well as individual activities. Coordinating the .
operation. of the guidanc.e :e!1ter shquld .be the responsibility of d1e guidance staf All
school st:1ff should be involved, how ver. We recommend that at least one paid parapro
fcssional be employed .to nsure that clerical tasks are carried out in a consistent manner.
Volunteers also may be t sed.

:us. e

Political R.esourcs
: :

:.;.:. ,.

....:-:::::: :-

To improve use ofpolitical resoprC(!St consider updating policies and procedures engen
dering support fiom building .staff, and working with resistant statf members and critical
. constituents (i.e, concenled parents) - . .

. Updating l'olicit:s arul Proc dures. .....

Another task to be completed to implement the new program is updating the policies and
procedures that govern g oJidance. as they appear in the district policy and proceduralhand bo<.lks (thost,: you identified in assessing the current program). If you have not
already doni: so, yo.u must as .a prerequisite to procedural changes-update the board
policy that defines the purpose a 1d _design of the comprehensive .guidance and
counseling program. A model policy statemea)t d.cv lopc;d by the Missouri School Board
Association' (1996) is provided in..Appendix.H. Some ofthe$e procedural and regulatory
changes may be merely editorial or cosn'lctk; others wiU be major cbang,es in procedure
and will not be easy to bring about. The former changes are those that merely translate
board policy to administrators;
218

Making the Trtnsltlon to a Comprehensive Guidance and Counselhtg Program

the latter are those that will need to be negotiated, particularly those that describe l ow the
guidance department interacts with and supports the programs of other departments. All
. of these statements. should be built on the premise that the guidance and counseling pro
gram is an intcgralpartofthe total educational progrnm with an integrity ofits own.
In analyzing how the current program compares and contraSts "1th the desired program,
r,ou have documented something you already knew: A number of activities for which you
are responsible are not guidance activities at all or are, at best, only tangentially related
to guidance. They have become. a part:of the guidance and counseling program over
the
years, perhaps by design, but more likely by default. As you also know, no matter how
tl1ese activities became part of the program, once established, they are difficult to
remove. And what is worse, these responsibilities c.onsume the valuable time and
resources needed to con duct the actual guidance and counseling program. Ways to
manage the improvement of pro gram activities, including displacing nonguidance
acdvities, are discussed in ch:ipter 8.
Making optimum use of school counselors' professional skitls is a: goal of program re
modeling. An issue related to recommending lower ratios, which increase student access
to their counselors, is ensuring opportunities for the counselors to access their students.
Time for guidance and counseling must be seen as legitimate and valuable, and p licie
and procedure must be established to ensure that there is time to deliver the program
appropriately.

Bnge11dering Support From Building Staff

Recognizing that the.new program de ign causesmany operational-level changes in a
building's guidance and counseling program, the district guidance and counseling program
leader and all school counselors need to expertd some energy reeducating the building
staff members about the rationale and goals for the changes. Reeducation and engender ing
support call for communicating dearly what these changes are; providintrguidelines'for .
support from building administrators, and coUaborating \\ith building personnel to design
and implement the local changes.

.
.
Armed with the district plan for guidance and counseling program improvement,
you need to ensure that every staff member has the working knowledge he or she
needs to re spond to the. changes. This ent.tils formal presentations regarding the
program conducted
. at the district levei.for the prinCipals and at the building level for the 1culty.
.
Because principals arc accountable for the successful operation ofevery program in their
buildings, they should have available a copy of the pr gram framework written at the
end of the designing phase. It is also useful to provide a written set of guidelines that
suggest
to building administrators appropriate levels of support for their guidance and counsel
ing programs. These might entail statements about adequate facilities for counselors as
well as adequate budget appropriations for guidance department supplies. Statements
also might be. made about work schedules for counselors concerning, for example, their
ex pect d work hours and including recognition of htnch ho.urs and preparation
periods. Some tasks identified for displacen,tent ma be handled in this n1anner,
especially those that have become common practice at the building level but are not
rooted in district policy. Examples indude .stating that elementary .counselorsshould
benefit from the sccre arial
. services available at the school and should not be required to do their own'typing; rec
ommending that new .middle school students begin the registration process in the ad
ministrative office and be. referred to the guidance department after sudt items as
verification of address and immunizations are taken care of; a.nd recognizing that the
,standardized testing. program provide! useful. information t() faculty andad ministration
as well as counselors and thus test administration is a shared rcsponsibilit>'ofall building
staff members.

- -.
't

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219

se

Developing & Managing Your School Guidance and Counseling Program

At1oil er w;\y tocncuuroge building principals'. support is for the senior district staff
rnembcr who cvalltatc tl1e pl'in;ip<\ S to a each one, "What have you done this ycar/eval
uation p.:riod to support - mprovement of the guidance and counseling program in your
building?"
.
, We believe that it is essential to involve the others who will be affected by the changes
iu the guidance and counseling program in designing what those changes will be and how
they will be made (Henderson, 1989, pp. 37-38).We recommend thatyQu use the exist
ing building program improvement c;omminee to assist you in planning, designing, im
plementing, nnd evaluating the building guidance and counseling programs. A process for
doing this is suggested later on in this chapter. Other formal mechanisms for collaborat
ing with building staff colleagues are staff meetings. Counselors should meet periodically
wid1 the teachers they work-with through grade-level, department, and faculty leadership
meetings. Seeking heir input, hearing and responding to d1eir concerns, and informing
them of your plans are essential to the success of the guidance and counseling program
change p1occss.

Worlli'W WitiJ ResistatJt Staff Me'!l'bers

By now it will be dear that there are school counselors and other guidance staff who un
derstand the new program and are eager for its implementation. And by now it will also be
dear that there are school counselors and other staff members who resist the changes that
are called tor. The resisters probably fall into Several categories: those who have not yet quite
. grasped the program concept; dlose who disagree wid1 me educational-developmental
basis of the program, preferring the psychological-crisis-oriented services approach; those
who arc skeptical as to the validity of the changes; those who do not believe the changes
will cwr 6\.':cur; those who arc worried about their .own competence for meeting the new
mandates; and those who do not wan change, period.
.
. We b. commend that the guidance and counseling program leader continue open.dia
logue with the counselors and other guidance staff about their concerns. As the 'hange
.. process continues to unfold, however, more and more. of their concerns, anxieties, and
tears will be addrc:ssed. Change:; do not happen overnight, and the cQnccpt does
become clearer with time. The superintendent is in support of the program; in-'!iervice
training is
provided. We also recommend that t e disu ct guidance and counseling program leader
identitY ways to acknowledge those who do suppott tile changes and the efforts that lead
in the right directions. We scussthis point more extensively in chapter 8.
.
.

Wodling With Critical Constit#ents: Concerned Parents

All parents want to know, understand, or have ome input into what happens to their chit
dren at school: Some parents want to control what happens and are highly critical of things
that do happen to their children at school. Often these parents are driven .by anger or fear
for what might happen to their children, making them emotional, irrational, or defensive
and difficult to.dealwith. Many ofthese difficult and defensive parents are acting as indi
victuals concerned about their own children. However, some ofthem come forward to uy
to censor school guidance and counseling. They are overtly or covertly representatives of
. local, state, or national groups that do ,not believe. counseling belongs in rl1e schools.
Ditlcrcnt ways that school counselors can address tl1ose who are parents of students in their
schools, ;md whose concerris are similar to thosetllat_ are heard with some frequency around
the country, need 'to be consiqered. (Note that interacting with the parents Of children in
their schools is tbr counselors very different from lobbying a group of parents at the school
board or legislature or some place beyond the school.)

5;.

220

M;tking the Transition to a Comprchcnsht Guidance and Coumelintt Program

It is important for school counselors to respond to concerned parents appropri:ttcly

(White, Mullis, B:trley, & Brigman, 1995), These parents often initiate the dialogue with
their children's school "counselors unexpeCtedly, catdling the counselor off guard .and
un prepared.However, school counselors are usually teady to advocate for-to share their
per spectives about-theitprogiam arid their stildertts' rieeds (Henderson & Gysbers,
1998). One principle that school counselors endorse is that children's personal and
educational wellbeing is best served when schOol counselors(and other educatOrs)' and
parents are part ners working together onbehalf of the children and yo1iths. By
responding to these diffi cult parents, school counselors _strive to better allgn the
parents' agendas with their own, to work together on behalf of children. Additionally,
school counselors have skills that allow most of their parent contacts to be of the highest
professional quality-that is, open, positive, and collaborative; based on professional
analysis and reflection; and carried out
.w
th professional detachment.

Every parerifwhocomes forward.sbould be treated as an indMdual first and, after

sufficient indicative data have been ccrued, as a possible antischool counseling group
member. Most pat nts come forward on behalf of their own children and with concerns
about one or two topics, and most of the time, the school counselor can address the par
ents' concerns for their children. As in effective counseling, the first step in working with
concerned parents is to address their presenting concerns and to keep the discussion focused on them.

Never assume that every parent who comes in and u.;es a conservative group
_puzz word. is a cardcarrying member of the Eagle Forum. Just be aware that some of
them mi.ght be..Even with parents who are affiliated with or reprcsentins a group; and
who appear to have broader agendas than those related to their ownchildren, school
counselors arc advised to address i:he topics they present.

,
To prepare themselves for theseinteractions, school 'o,unselors should lc rn about the
concerned p:trents early on in the relationship. Do they in fact represent grqup!; ofp rcnts?
. What are their specific issues? In sttiving.to work succes$fully in interactions with-such par .....
ents, school counselors, then, tnust rise to tWo challenges: first, identifying the specific
topiC of concern to the parents and the motivation for .their c ncern; seccmd, scl.ccting
the
response(s) to the patents that is(are) app oprlate t thepa nts' topic;s and motives
as.well
as to the counselors' own agendas.
.
.
.
..
. .
. . .
Because these adversarial parcin ounselor, intraction.s re usually initiated by
parents, the parents are initially in the drivcr'.s seat. But by d.efini.tion, intcrac_tions. go
.back and forth: parerit to counselor, counselor to'parent. As these relationships unfold,
<:ounselors
assull'le the management ofthe"relationships, taking control once the objectives are
dear(er) and appropriate responses to the situation rc planned tind implemented.
Although school counselors have no controlover parcntst respQnses. each par.eQt
response provides new data that augment the counselors' orlsinat assessment o(the
si"tuation and inform the counselors' nextset of choices.


.
- Whenit appears that parent$ are nott.oing to be easily pleased, \vhen their.conccrns
are emotionally driven, counselors strive to maintain their professional detathn1ent and
im plement a systematic process, M illusttated in Figure 7.2 fo manitging.thc
intcrnctions, the relationships, and the situation. Responding appropriately and
managing the interactions most effectively entail assessing the situation and selecting
responses.
S tuatlon Assessment. Assessing thesituation entails identifying who the parents rep
resentand their specific topics and motives. It'indudes sthool_counselors' understanding .
their o\vn topics and motives and Clarifying the objective both of the confronting
parents and their own.
: . ' ' .: ' >. : . . _ . , . .. ,:.
.... .

'

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' ' ' ' :

' ..

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221 .

Dcvclupi11g & tv\;ul.l in Yuur Sdtuol <3uidancc and Counsclin ;; Program

.. , Fi c-7"2. .
Strategy Selection Logic Flow Used by School Counselors.i.n Response to Concerned Parents
i'AlU::NT
. . SGHQOJ.,:COVNSELOR
"

:-

Initiate :unversatiun

'

I
I

Hxpn: ses tollic(s) of conccm

Hvidcnces motive lhr lnu:racticin

St01tcs t)bjcctiVI:(S)

'1
8
---

Determines who parent rellf scnts

Spc: ilics parent's topic; idcntilie pwn topic
Identities paren 's .motive(s); clarities own
motivc{s)
Understands parent's objc:c:tlvc:; d termincs
own objective:
Choosc:udvoc\\cy response: skills, rc:solllc:cs,
rc:s1mnsc: level
lm lcmc:nu \\dvoc01cy stntcgy thrQugh an
al:t Yit}'

10.

l'Olrti ;ip:ltes In counsc:loNclcc:tcd tivity and

r.csp mds

11
'

..a.1n2

Implcn\cnu rcspoJUC activities through to

problem rc:soll.nion

and

l: Who do tbe parems repre et1tf IdentifYing who the parents represent involves
learn ing about who they are as individuO\lund if they ar affiliat d with a group
ofparcms who
are averse to schools or school counselors, Parent$ who present dtemselves to school coun
selors and have questions or concerns about the guidance and counseling program or the
roles tid filled by counselors htthe school come from an array of perspectives. Not only does
each p ret t have an individ4al perspectiv on life and school (e.g:., history, background, cul
ture, education, school experiences, beliefs) but each parent may also.be part of a group
that has a specific, expres8ccl platform.
..
Con ;cr.ncd individual parents may be concerned ot1ly for their own children, or
they may personally be resista.nt to ounseling or to ,coUnselors' recommendations for a
variety
of reasons. Grouprepresellt11tives may e b1tere$ted in the operations of the specific school
or may have political interests .covering a larger span (e.g., the policies of the school dis
trict; the state, the nation). They may be basically supportive of the schools and only cu
l'ious or concerned 'i\bOut specific guiclan:ee-relatcd items. They may be basically
nonsupportivc of th public s hools or of school guidance and counseling programs and
school counselors.

, '

Some n;lti<>t1allyyisiblc, conservative, an4 typically religious groups of parents believe

that counsding is ail invasion of priva y, is all attempt to undermine family values, and is
antispiritual, and th t counseli g does not belong ln the schools. Groups ofsuch parents
voice their con'cerns at local and state school boar4 meetings as well as in the media.
Individuals challenge tea J'u:rs, counselors and principals. They are often hostile and ag
gressive in expressing their critids111 qfthe.public schools and often see dte schools' goal
as teaching only reading, writing, an4 math matics,or te chinga particular set of religious
beI1.ets or ce.n.sol"'S h1''p. , ,.. . . . . . . .
.. . . . .. . , . .. .
'

2. Mat are the piwemr topics and motivMion?Identit)'ing what the parents' topic;s are en
tails hearing wh01t their presenting <;:oncerns are and how much of their concern is generated
by or-on behalf of any larg:cr group they are affiliated with. It is important to recognize
clearly and specifically the presenting concerns, topics, and issues of parents who come
forward.

-'SO

222

Maldng the Transfdon to a Comprehensive _Gltidrtnce and Counsclh'S. Prosram

..

'

'

Nationally visible, conservative groups express some recurrent topics. Although most
parents who represent a group do not come forward on behalf of all of the issues, the
scope. of the agendas of organized groups that are against pi.tblic schools gr against guid
ancc.and counseling activities is broad Thus parents may confront schqol counselors 'vith
concerns about the purposes of school or the purposes ofthe guidance and counseling pro
gram, about guidance topics or methods, or about specific activities theyhave heard about
or.experienced. A standard form letter has been distri uted widely that provides a
summary of their. concerns. The letter is based on an overinterpretation of the Hatch
Amendment (and is included in Appendix J).

In questioning the broader purposes of public schools, parents may question .career
and technology education and creative activities by children as well as courses in which
centro versialissues are addres. ed. In questioning the guidance and collnseling program
mission, they may express their fear-that it represents the secular humanistic arm of the
school. They do not believe ha therapy belongs in school and assume that cotlnseling is
therapy.
'Guidance topics that parents may find objectionable include self-esteem, decision mak
ing, attending to d'iilclren's feelings, affective education, or exploring family value. and prac
rices. Parents may \vant their religious beliefs to be taught and upheld in schools. They n1ay
believe firmly hi parents' rlshts to complete authority mer their offspring, including know-
ing and controlling what their children experience in school and choosing disciplinary
methods.
They may express concern about an array of guidance methods. They may be w ry of
psy.chological or career assessments, surveys that include any questions regarding the home
and family, role playing, guided imagery, group counseling, and confidentiality. They may
want their children to have fewer guidance services than are part of the comprehensive guid
ance and counseling program (i.e., no responsive services). Some guidance act;ivities.may
be specific concern,. such as traditional values clarification activities (e.g., lifcboarcxcr
ci es) or behavior modification practices.
.
. . ..
, .
'.;
Noull ofmese sometimes fearful or angry parents have the same motivation, bowe.ver,
although nearly all are also moti\o-ated by concern fbr their. own children.ln wc;>rking cf.
fectively in the often difficult intemctions with these parent$, determining motivation is
im:.:.
portant. The.motivations tend to fall intO five categorl s. Some parents are.
misinformed, some are contemed about materials, some mistru.ttcertainptctctices, sorne
have experienced mistakes, and some are ml11uing an isSue. Identif)?ng whicfi category
des<;ribes a. parent's. motivation helps to suggest an appropriate" response. "".
. .
. .
Most-ofthe parentswho question gUidance and counseling programs either individu
ally or at the building level fit into the firstcategory. They are misinf rtned about a pro
gram or practice, oraboi1t public schools in general. These p:trents 9ft n hear concerns from
other, more politically active patrons, and in some cases they fear for their children's psy
chological or spiritual safety. When they receive accurate information_ about the progta.m
and become acquainted with the professionalismofthe schoolco tn ling staft their con
cems are usually addressed.
,
. ,, _
In thesec::ond category are the concerned parents. ho.hcar about cpmmc,rdalty pro ,
duced materials that have been"targeted by national grotips as undermini!lg the. evclop
ment of wholesome, family values'.

.
.
A third category of critical parents consists of those who mistl'l!S,t ,c rtain practices of
the public schools in general. This -category includes parent. - who worry hat counseling is
brainWc\Shing or instilling a spedfie_set of values that arc contrary to thei_r own _Most often
they see the public schools in general as n a'rm of an 'aih_dstic t:'\tc. . . .. .. . ..: . . . .
The fourth categoryis:thesmallest by far and co pris tl1os \vho, in. f.1 t; have_.ex-
perlencedmista.kes made by staff members."Sometimesschool counselors have the right
0

223.

Developing & Managing Your School Guidance and Counseling

Program

intentions but choose the wrong strategy. In other cases, it is sad but true that some edu
cators are not ethically or professionally sound.
.
Thefifth c>J.tegory are those parents/S:Oll$tituents who are acting in bad fuith, those
wbo
are mis\.ising an issue for their own purpos . Such purposes may be po6tical; they may want
to;engcndcr support for a school board candidate. Such purposes may be economic; they
may be trying to nurture a clientele tbr a private or parochiaJ school. Such purposes may
be immonl or illegal; they may be hiding something going on in their homes. Some of
the parents who use this critical posture are child abusers who do not want to be found
out. It is fortunate that the number ofcritics in this category is very sm;ijlbecause they
are the most difficult to deal with.

3. Wbat are tiJe school coJmselorrtiJpics and motivatiom? School counselors in these sit
uations arc well servecJ by being clear as to meii' own topics and motivations. The ASCA
(2002) position st;ucmcnt on.ccnsorship states a belief of the professional as follows:
In order for students to develop in a hcaldly nlanncr arid obtain the skills necessary for citizen
ship, they need to exist in a climat that foster the ability to .n ke hlformcd decisions b.Ued
upon independent inquiry and sound scholarship. Professional &chool counselor have a
personal and l'rolcssion;\l (>bligation to support be b; sh: tenets of democracy to help ensure
informition about-and 01ccess to-a range of developmentally appropriate school counseling
programs for every student.

Their tqpics fit into three categories. Counselors want to (a) improve the services pro
vided to the specific parents' individual children or to all students, (b) maintain the pro
gram benefits tor individual or all students, and (c) allow the program to continue for
students other than those ofd1c critical parent(s). While keeping the conversation
focused on manageable problems, school counselors usually identify which of rl1esc
represents the best-case scenario for rl1e outcomes ofthese interactions.
In some cases-perhaps many-school counselors want the children of the- adversarial
parents to b!! able to benefit from more extensive services than they arc participating in.
Specifically, many of the children evidence themselves as being in need of individual or
small group counseling services. Some ofthe parent$ are fearful of what counseling will
do to
.t
e minds of their children. Others feu what coimseling will reveal about the
family dy
namics, abuses, or other practices. In advocating for the students, school counselors strive
to .convince parents to let their children participate fully in guidance and counseling
activities.

Adversarial parents often do not want their own-children toparticipate in some or aU
of the activities and services in thecomprehensive guidance and counseling program.
Typically they do not want their children to participate in counseling. Many request that
they not participate in guidance curriculum activities as well, Those whoare truly fearful
of government intervention in their lives do not want tlieir students participating in career
<;levdopmem activities,.including career assessments, or other individual student planning
system activities. Some parents arcnot content with protecting only their own children;
they want these ctivities qropped from the school program all together. Having carefully
de signed their programs to meet students' needs, school counselors believe in and
advocate for the program to stay intact for all students
. Further, some parents threaten the very existence of the progr.am in scho9ls. School
counselors' agendas then.are, aimed at maintaining-the program-for students other than
those of par nts whq do not want the program,- at niaking the program uptional. Many
counselors find it difiic!.llt to give up
ground-they have worked hard for the programs

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224

Making the Transition to a Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling l'rogram

to be in place. Howeve.r, some banks cannot be won, and rather than lose the war, it is
. better. that some children not partl ipate. han for the program. to be eliminated all
together.

. . . ..

School.c:ounselo.rs also are we.ll s rved by clarifYing their own motivations in these
sit ua:tions. Th y, t(?o, have a wide array, from altruistic to self-serving. On the altruistic
end of the continuum, schoolcounselors are motivated to maintain the integrity of the
program.
,A preVious example was to strive to maintain the design of the program by providing ac
tivities and services that meet.the identified needs of,the children and youths served. School
counselors are best served in the face of adversaries when they are secure in the basis of their
program, when they know what the content and rationale arc. They are secure when the
basic mission of the program is tied to the mission of the school and school district. They
are secure when they are well grounded in their O\vrt professional integrity; in their com
petent work \vith and on bchalfofchilc:lren and y<>uths in school.
Most districts_have policies and procedures regarding censorship and the curriculum.
If you or the counselors are not aware of these, they should be included in the
department's
operational handbook. Especially when districts have designed their guidance and coun
seling programs as carefully as we are suggesting and have defined so clearly the
integral nature of their program, defense of program participation is soundly supported
Program modifications must not be made without due consideration of whether the
modification violates the integrity of the program.
.
Sometimes school counselors become fearful or angry and are motivated not on behalf
of children but on their own behaff. There are times when groups.ofparents_ threaten the
very existence of the program, and.school counselors fear that theirjobs nrc not secure. Such
times, however, are not that frequent. Not all pa ents who disagree with the pro1Jram
want it and the cot1nsdor eliminated from the school.

Sometimes concerned parents want to change the shape of the program-bwfC!r ex

ample eliminating gro tp counseling-and thereby change the job description of the
school
couttselors. Some school counselors get angry and defensive about being told what to
do.
Guarding against overreacting inthese circumstances is essential for school counselors.
Fear for job security or anger at differences of opinion are not strong positions, and they
may add grounds for other confrontations.

School c uns lors may also be fearful of parents' concerns because they do riot fully
un derstand them and may be threatened by.the lack.ofclarity of the. parents' goals. They
may resent having others suggest that what they do is inappropriate when they believe it
is ap prop"riate (and th right thing to do). They may be hurt by the appearance of
someone not liking them. If they are insecure in their rote or unsure about the value of
their programs, this insecurity may undermine their professional demeanor.

4. What are the parentr and schDo.l & >unselorr obje&ti1'u? School counselors are best
served when they can state for themselves and for the parents, after analysis and reflection
on the .opening parts of the dialogue, what each "side" has as objectives for the
interac tions and the relationships. It is to be hoped that these arc.in the best
intcrestofthe chil
.d
ren in questipn. Parents' objectives relate to their topics of concern and their
motivations. Counselors' o jectives are specific to each child-parent'S!t!latioriand to
their motiv tions
on behalf of the specific children involved or all children whose access to services are threateQ.ed. For example!

' ; >

Misinformed parents may asktO have their children removed from classroom guid
. ance becatis <:!(.fear of the ht\m nisde nature of the content". A ounsclor's objective
..w(?itld. . 0 all tQ chil<l to reap the benefits of the guidance currkulum.

'
,

.... . . .i.

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225 $/!:

.,

De loplng & Managing \'our S hool GuidtUlcc and ec;\m cling Program

Parents who have

heard negati

gs about particular matel'ial may Wallt

that ma
. terial 'su censore4frolll th pro .(Brigman & Moore, 1994> A counselor's
ob jcctive. would be to main ain its use in relevant aspects of the program.
.

Mistrusrii1g parcn:t$ niay not wan .their childret'\ to participate in smallgroup coun
/ . scling. A counsdoi:'s objecP,ve woul be for the student.o; to participate in sroups
that serve their needs.
.
.
Parents who'havc cxpcricoccd a inistake made by counselors may want to have dif
tere1i.t counsc:lors igned to thek tu4ents. A counselor's objective would be for par
ents o recogn ze d1c; counselor'$. awar ness ofthe error and .assurance that it was a
momentary_l pse, not a. perro.anent condition oflncomperence.
Parents who want visibility in tbe community may want d'e guidance and counsel
ing prograan climin;:tted from the. school. A counselor's objective would be tp
pro vide means tor those parcn ' Chilc;iren to opt out ofthe program; leaving it
intact for the chitdrci\ of parents who want the program to continue.

Appropriate Respo1,se Seie #o.n S ppprted by the.clarityoftheir own objectives,

school counselors choose 'from me of nh e adocacy fCSponse levels. In choosing their
responses, they idci1tit}' the skills and resour tbat best apply in the particular
situation. They iden tit}' potcmially successful rcspo11sc stra gies and hnplclllent
strategically relevant activities.
for thcai1sCJv s ;ll!d f(>r th pwcnt l they larify the status of the situation at the conclusion.
of their intel'actions.
.

L WJJat.advo acy response /eyel # lif,pprpprlllte? As described in more derail in Lendin3 and
-Mmlaglng_YuurScbootGJsidimce Prqgram St4ff(Henderson & Gysbers, 1998), and as de
fined and exemplified in counselhlg/sc;hool counseling literature (e.g., journals of dle
Amcric;in Sch<.>ol Cpunsclors Association, Association for Counselor Education and
$upcrvisi9n, and Alneri an Com lb1g Association), d1cre are nine advocacy responses, each
varying in involvement and inten$lty QU. the part of the advocating counselor. These re
sponses faiJ 01.1 a contin mm of im'W"Y ment by. school counselors (e.g.; degree of participa
tiof1, energy expended, J(.iV l ot'commi l c;Jlt, .c:vi4c:nced by d1e regourccs d1ey expend). The
responscs_rangc fiom being pbysial Y pr nuo acting-assertively on someone s behalf, from
givJrig time o giving ti c. plus irj lin.ipative., power, professionalism, and so on.
Having chosei1 how lirilited Qr hpw :e pM.d.ed the adv<:>cacy role that is appropriate
to contribu e, the counselor consid9r wJ1etber they will simply represe-nt the
program/ profession, intorm the parents! welcome .the , reach out to d1em, support
d1eir objectives,
cooperate or collaborate with tl em as they work toward their objectives or consultor ad
vocate wit.lf.them 011 behalf of their, children. Activities that school counselors do at each
advocacy response lc;ve.l include
following:

the

rcpres,cnting irprog am at par miunctions,

informing pai:e!lts aqoqt .their .program i1l conferences _..
.\velcoming pareil.ts '\VQQ come into the guidance .center and reaching out to those who
. . seem rduc .n.t .
' . ' . , . . . . .
.- supporting parents who have concerns about the school and are seeking ways to
communicate tlwse to d1e right people ..
coopcr<J.n lg \yi_ch pat'Cl)ts, ev.ep those who are critical of the program, and seeking col
laborative _opP,o,rt!Jnl es . o worl$; wi_dl par nts. on mutual agendas
. -
consult tlg \v!th p*rents bou y,;ays_.tt ey f;an help their children be 'successful-in
school'
. . ;. . . . ; .' ' . ' .. : ' ' '
. . .. "
. . . ' . ..
advocath1g for parents with other schoai staff members,. when dle parents are fear

tul or tor some reason cannot find their own voices

Making the Transition to a Comprehensive G\ddnnce and Counseling Program

School counselors consider th skills. and t$ourtes tb y can best apply to bring the situa.
tionto success.fttl . onclusion. To advocate effeetively, counsclots con.o;ciously decide how
best t() apply their .skills in response to the parents' agendas and to advanc:.e the agendas
of the school counselors. Their skills include their communication, consultation, and
politi cal skills (Henderson & Gysbers,.1998); Influence over others stems from their
wanting
s6mething that another individual can offer them. The resources school counselors have
to share include competence, ideas, tim , power, involvement, and energy that stems
fr.om commitment. If counselors determine the parents they are currently working with
can be in uenced, they need to determine which resource will be most influential.
Parents might be influenced by knowing what the counselors understand about
schooling, about children, and about the teachers their children are working with. They
may be appreciative of being
treated humanely and having the counselon give them time for the conversation. They may
be influenced by the cl)unselors' professionalism.
2. Wh.atstrategies are potentially successful? When managing such relationships,
school counselors consclously select strategies that incorporate their and the parents'
objectives,
allow them to apply their skills and resources effectively, and are within the identified
level ofadvocacy respon.\e they have decided is most efficient. They seJect strategies and
related activities tbat appear to have the best chance of responding to the parent ' agenda
'and to best move their own agenda on behalf of students. The goal is, of cours,
resolution of the issues to the satisfaction ofboth sides of the dialogue and in the best
interest of the stu dents involved. .
3. What ruponse activities are stratrgically appropriate? Advocacy strategies arc
carried out through activities. Having selected the strategy (objective, advocacy response
levCI, skills
and resources), school counselors carefully select appropriate activities, plan ho\v they will
conduct them, and carry them out. With parents who are misinforrncd, some proactive ef
forts th tschool' counselors can undertake are to present overviews of their progt:tll'is at
. open houses, PTA meetings, and parent workshops, and to publish newsletters or artides
regarding the topics includedoin guidance curri<;ulum.

With tho e who complain about specific materials, if such materials are used in the
pro gram, it is imp.ortant that people be allowed to study them to become famili:tr \Vith
their actual conten.t. Again, most often .what they think is there is not, and their
concerns are aneviated. EnCO'-ltaging. parents to preview. materials before. they
become concer.ned is
proactive, and.with a plannedpro.gram this is feasible.
Even though the district has established the rteeds for and the values of a compre
.h hensive guidance and counseling program, to help keep confrontations from
escalating
it maybe useful to have procedures for opting out of.nonm:'indatory aspects of the pro
gram or for benefiting from alternative assignments For example, Northside Inde
pendent School District developed a procedure for parents to follow that requires their
learning the information they need to make good decisions about their children's par
ticipation in the developmental guidance and codnsclingprogranl, and tl1M requires
them to be very specific about what -contentthey do not want their child exposed to (see
Appendix 1). Counseling is provided only 'vith parental' permission. These procedures
help counteract parents' feelings of having no control over what happens to their chil
dren at school.

The distrust ofthe parents who question the purpose! of the gnidance and
counseling program usuatly goes beyond that of the program rnd the individual
counselor; Their con cerns should be attended to by the' principal. Schools tannot arid
probably should not ch nge. to attend to the concerns of these parents, and ad
inistrators arc able to express
best what is tegnlly required and done in the best professional judgmc,nt of those reSpon-

sible for the school program.

'
227

;e

Developing & Managing Your School Guidance and Counseling

Program

For the parents who have experienced mistakes of bad practice by school counselors,
the tirst step, is to hear and investigate the parentS' complaints. Again, these occasions
are best handled by the building ministr.ttors involved. They, in turn; need to follow
due process as spelled out in polic)' or regulatioils' to determine the' facts and
consequences. lfhosc parents who misuse the guidance and counseling program by
inaldng it ari is$ue for their own purposes are also best hancUcd by administrators or
other authorities. Political andidates may be listened to andthen turned over to
administrators to handle. Entrepreneurs are best exposed for what they are. Those
involved in illegalactivities, in eluding child neglect, need to be reported to the proper
authorities. (A sample response
to thest;mdard letterdescribed earlier is provided in Appendix J.)

It is dear that proactive strategies are preferable to reactive ones. Parents feel attended
to and appreciate the openness of the guidance department. Counselors feel
comfortable
as they initiate the involvements and manage the relationships from the outset; Thus at the
beginning of the second year, proactive counselors reach out to inform parents of their
pro gram plans tbr the year, hiding nothing. They invite parents to preview materials.
They col laboratc with school administrators and PTAs to help all parents value the
gifts of the
school. They arc especially vigilant about not making or appearing to make mistakes.
They
arc prepared to work politically to address thosewho would misuse theirguidance platform
for other agendas.

4. How is t/Je co"clusion clarified? As with any counselor-<lient problem-solving inter
. action, the counselor ends the conference or m cting by summarizing the original prob
lem and the status of that problem at the time, and the plan for the future regarding the
problem and any related issues. The summary statement may include such items as restat
ing the original problem, how the differences have been resolved so far, and what measures
are planned to continue resolution of the problem. One resolution of the problem is to
agree to disagree. Hopefully, there will also be next steps planned that relate to working
together for mutual goals regarding the children involved in the situation. Such summa
rizing provides clarity for the counselors and for the parents.
- Being confronted or challenged by individuals presents an uncomfortable situation.
.. For their own peace ofmind, school counselors continue to keep in touch with parent$
who are supporters of their work. TI1ey developstrategies for adding to or using their
support base. They do this formally through the school-community advisory
committee, arid in formally by hearing from the multitude of appreciative clients who
have been well served by the program. In tim s of conflict, many supporters are
Willing and eager to present their side of the story. Do not be shy about using them.

Focu,s onSpecial Projects

Once the design for th guidance and counseling program has been established, guidance
. an.d counseling program leaders are encouraged to focus on special projects that help in
corporate current trends in education, tokeep pace with d1eir educator colleagues. The en
ergy provided by an educat:ional reform or od1er profession wide movements can facilitate
some of the chal)ges that need to be accomplished. New directions from the federal, state,
local community, district, and building level could be mirrored by special emphases within
thc- uidancc department. Such ch nges keep counselors abreast of changes in the total edu;
catiQnal system and help maintain their position on d1e educational team. That is, other
staff who have .to changesee that counselors-have to change also.
Such ch;mges also have the side benefit. of helping counselors avoid having change
forced 0 1 tl)em that may be inappropriato to the directions of.the new. program. For ex_ ample, many of the current reforms have increased the paperwork/accountability burden

(!"'-

228

Making the T nsition to a Comprehensive Gttidnnee a:nd Counseling Program

of the school staff, such as noting students mastery of required instructional outcomes.
lf
. the counselors have to attend to changes of their own, they can.better avoid being as
_signed to some of the paperwork tasks that belong to teachers or administrators; irthe coun
selors_ are visibly augmenting the guidance curriculum component, for. example, fellow
staff members 11 see more readily that the counselors do not have tim:e to make such no
tations and instead make them themselves.
/ Recurrent issues that were deemed as critical to .successful development and imple
mentation of comprehensive school guidance and counseling programs were identified in
a national survey (Henderson & Gysbers, 2002). These issues,in priority order, arc
... 1. I>isplacementofnonguidancetasks, including school-counselors' appropriate role
in standardized testing programs
. 2. Program accountability
.
3. Accountability for the quality of school counselor perfotm<tncc
4. Program.advocacy.,..
5. Leader empowerment
6. :Enhancement of an existing comprehensive guidance program
7. Appropriate use oftechnolop;y
8. Parent involvement, including responding to parents who are critical of the pro
gram
9. Program development pro<:ess
.
.
10. !nhancernerit of the cross-cuburalcompetenc:eofschool counselors. (p-.''8)
.

Examples ofleadership responses that led to successful resolution of these issues are offered
in Henderson and Gysbers (2002).
..

{i.

Federal and State Priorities .

1_':

. .' . '

The review of the history of guidance and counseling provided inchapter 1demonstrates
thcdmpact offoderal pt'ioritieson the development ofour profession. In addition, con
temporary guidance and counseling program changes can and should relate to the cur
rent fed ral emphasis on atrisk populations. Surely, children. and youths who areat risk
because ofviolence, drug and other.substance abuse, laek ofacademic
su<:cess;disabilities (hidden or otherwise) that interfere with their learning, premature
sexual activity; or ado lescent depression are priority clients for school.counselors
implementing the responsive services component of a comprehensive guidance and
counseling program. That these clients have fcde_ lll priority (Office of Public Policy
and-Legislation, 2004) provides ra tionale for their needing counseling services. That
the effectiveness of counseling has been established (ASCA, 2002-2003; Office of
Public Policy and Legislation, 2004) pro vides rationale for the guidance department to
receive some of the funds appropriated for the special programs designed to meet:these
.needs. In addition, some priority has been given for character, education at the federal
level (Office of Public Policy and U.gislation,
. 2004); Fittingly, ASCA (1998) has taken a position that "endorses and 'supports
charac- ter education in the schools.
. .. . . . : . .
. State-level reforms at the beginning of the 21st century emphasize excellence in edu
cation as defined in tighter standards forinstructional methodology,, improved curricu
lum, improved student.achievement, and improved Student discipline;These emphases
have caused the development. of new teacher appraisal/evaluation systems, 'new require
ments. for lesson planning, efforts to better facilitate the achievement ofacndemic excel
lence, and increased emphasisin career and technology education on
preparation for a
. .
.

229 ...

Pcveloping & M n ging Your School Gu14:mcc and Counseling

Program

highly technological ,work world. Thctc has been a renewed interest hi accountability as
demonstrated thro\lgh achievement of niinimulll competencies on. tests alid other stan
dardizcd :\Chicvcmentancasul'es. Mandates (or-improved student discipline include sys
tems that provide consistent and logical consequences for student misbehavior and
require ore parental involvement for students who :act out;

.
' Rctorms have tocused on the science of education and on the human dimcnsions of ed
ucation. Politicians and buliinesspeopiQ have had a big say in educational h:forms;
Legislators and businesspeople have stated what they think students should know and be
able to do as a result of schooling {Secretary's Cominission on Achieving Necessary Skills,
1991). Thus the resultsb;lsed education rnovement suggests to educators what our product
should be but-because the movement is coupled with an interest in the principles of total
quality management-leaves the methodology decisions to the "workers;'1 the professional
edu cators. Standards arc high, accountability is measured by such hard data as test results,
but increasing auto omy is given to local districts a:nd schools to plan their own methods
for achieving the standards. The focus is on excellence in the education systen1 and on
recog ninon of the diversity ofstudcuts served,. and it is balanced wid1 calls for equity and
for at tcpding to the unk1uc needs of individual students. The continued-fiscal
conservatism of state govcmmen s hashelped public servants recognize d1at ge ting more
n'loney tbr ser vices is very difficutt. Thus efforts to integrate educational, health, and
human services as well as to coordinat provision ofvQC:ational education and training
continue.
. Each of these dlbrrs can be used to enhance-and suppor needed changes in the guid
ancc ai1d counseling program. The actual specifics of reforms vary from state to state and
according to local priorities and needs; nonetheless, some common d1emes point to di
rections for counselon. New systems for assisting teachers to use current teaching methvd
ology include dinical superv sion strategies of observation and feedback, refined
. appraisal/cvalm1tion models, and professional development plans. The same strategies can
be used l >r counselors and arc discussed more extensively in chapters 9 and 10 and more
fully in Leading aml MntzRgino 'nurSchool Guiila11ce Prooram Sta.ff(Henderson &
Gysbers;
1998). Asking counselors to write their plans for counseling s.essions and guidatlee lessons
is a companion piece to asking teacbQrs to develop better lesson plans. Districts across the
United States are using school imprQvement planning techniques and developing multi"
year-stra cgic plans. Counselors and guidance departments, too,shoutd be aske.d to dar
ity their plans. tor the year by submitting cnlendars and using a goal based improveil.1ent
approach. This tits nicely into.the comprehensive program concept.
..
.
Curriculum development in other disciplines 'provides counselors with the opportu
nity to write the:guidn-nce- curriculum and to provide for infusion of guidance curriculum
in the acaden1ic curricula. for examplej in addition to d1e guidance dimellSion within the
mental health curriculum strand in the health and science curricula, the soda! skills out
comes that are part of the guidance curriculum can easily be infused into the social stud
. ies curricula; communication skills can be infused intolanguage arts; and problem solving
can be infusedinto science and math. Perhaps because the concept of a guidance curiicu
lum has grown, much of what we see as students needs already has been stated in outcome
terms, mak.ingus prepared to work within tht outcomes-based'approach. Another relevant
aspect of this approach, and one that already is a part of dte guidance curriculum, is the
emphasis on helping students-learn-processes, such as decision-making, planning, andre
lating o ,od1ers) including those ffom cultures different from their 'oWn.
.. , The C() tin ed.emphasis on t.esting callsfor counselors to help 'studentS with.their test
taking skills .and. to help teachers use te.st results responsibly This provides counselors the
opportuni!:}' tp .shift .their role from- being test administrators "to bein"g' consUltants in ap
propria < test u,se. Adding the dimension ofa:ttending to each individual student's needs
-- 230

Making the Transition to a CompreheMivc Gliidanet' and Counseling Program

renews the interest in one of couns.eto ' basic services: identification of individual stu.dnt's s e gtf1s, ea)<nesses, a11d needs. Although counselors arc already recognized for
this expertise, the masnltude of the .challenge of providing such insights for every
student
means ensurlng that counselors' own methods are up-to-date (e.g., recognizing the
lim i of tests and being comfortable with using multiple sources of data) and
entrusting some of this responsibility to other educators, under the counselors'
supervision .
. .. imilarly, improved discipline-management programs test.heavily on guidance content
the content of psychology. Counselors can seize this area of high priority to
administrators and work collaboratively with them inhelping students learn new ways
to behave re sponsibly and to make decisions through activities in the guid nce
curriculum. Both of theseemph.ases give counselors clear priorities for providing
students \vith special services;
students who fail to meet minimum academic standardscand students who consistently
mis behave often ca benefit from effective smalf.group or individual counseling.
Further, the .effort to brin community services into the schools draws oncounselors'
expertise in coordination and augments the mental he.alth services provided to children,
youths, and iimilies.How this is accomplished wiU b different in each l ale, but school
counselors must be in on the planning ofintegrated delivery systems to ensure that stu
dents need$ arc well. articulated and to ensure that the role envisioned for them isprofes
sionally appropriate. The emphasis on cocirdinadng the resources for helping children,
youths, and adults enter and succeed in the workforce also provides opportunities, for
school counselors to enhance the career development dimension of their prograrri$t pro
vidirig that they (and you) are involved in the development of the new systems. ,,

District Priorities

or

With or without impe,tus 'from federal

State sources, school districts typically
ha:ve,pri orities ofhigh interest to their school boards or to their superintendents.
Schoorboard
membersare often interested in academicexcellence reflected in the. number of scholar
ship Winners, or in the "back to.the basics" of the schools' mission that can include
thebasic
of responsible behavior. District administrators arc challenged by declining orcxpanding
enrollment; both have implications for teachers'morale. Counselors cari be visible in t eir
role of helping others as weJI as themselves cope with change in a healthy manner.
Wcllness programs bring with them a potendal interest in mental health., These
activities that apply the expertise of the guidance and counseling field are system
support of the best kind. For example, districts around the country are responding to
the chnllenge to help. students connect with the dults in the schools, minimizing
alienation and making the interpersonal climate more inviting.. One mechanism fur doing
this is having effective classroom meet ings at all school levels (Edwards & Mullis
2003). Sevetal roles for professional school counselors in instituting successful
classroom meetings are to advocate for the pr<tc.:tice, ex plaining the benefits for students;
to train teachers in how to t!onduct effective meetings; and to consult.with teachers as
they implement them."

'

..

Comnntnity Priorities
Influential community gtoups, such as the PTA, chamber orconinitrcc, and service dubs
(e.g., Uons and Kiwanis), have priority projects that can bririg-posidve visibility to im
provingthe gt11dance and counseling program; The PTA is h1tcrcstcd in youth 'problem top
ics sucb as suiddc prevention. Uons clubs arc actively worldng' to co111bat dri.ig' abuse and
to help children care for,their personal safety. In some areas, locally elected _piibtk

officials
are concerned about violence and gangs. Bconomfcdevelopment groups are interested in

Developing & Maitaging You1 School Guidan<:e and Counseling Program

career devdopmcnt programs. As education opens up to the communities it serves, guid

anee andcmmscHng program reformers are advised to listen to the priorities of these
groups; areas in \Vhich their interests dovetail with guidance goab suggest priority areas tbr
guidance etlbrts as well.

Building J>riorities
In addition to the expanded opportunities for program improvement provided to co
selon in the loca.lization of school improvement efforts, major events in school
buildings
can highlight the need for specific changea in the guidance and counseling program.
Accreditation self studies ang visits provide opportunities to make recommendations for
improving the guidance and couns.eling program. Visible student problems-teen suicides,
clrug bus , gangrelated \lprisin&$-demand counselors' attention. rnncipals have goals for

their. school .

Counselors should collaborate wiU\ d1eir administrators by showingthem how the

comprehensive guidance and counseling program supports the development of strategies
to help attain the school goals. Principals' goals qui c often include such items as holding
high expectations for students, working to enhance the selfesteem of students, and im
proving intcrperson.al relationships among the staff. Counselors can and should share parts
of d1esc golls. Needless to say, the more iounselors' and principals' gcals have in common,
the more support counselors will have from key decision makers. The more school
counselors are viable members of schoolwide teams, the more support they have in their
buildings.
Further, individual counselor$ or counsclitlg staffs have special talents, interests, and
areas. of expertise. Some high school counselors arc cxpcl't in helping teenagers deal with
griefand loss; some elementary counselors are.creative in using popular toys as materials
in developmental guidance and counseling programs. By capitalizing on these, the guid
ance and counseling program leader not only can give appropriate recognition to those
counselors but also 'an provide for the devcloptuent of special projects that, when sue
cessful,.can be sharc:d with other buildings.

Facilitate B1-t-ildinp- Level Changes

T e district.level guidance and counseling program leader assists the building-level lead
ers and counselors by .estbUshing systems that help make the operational-level changes
needed to effect implementation of the comprehensive guida11ce and counseling program.
This entails, as Adelman and Taylor (2003) phrased it, ''Establishing an infrastructure and
a tion plan[s] for carrying out the cb nges" (p. 9).Two such mechanisms are as follows:
Have building staffS commit to goals for program improveme!lt and develop the
plans fon1chieving those goals. this is a way to repair discrepancies identified
between the current and desiredprogram designs and a means for changing the
activities done within the program.
Have building startS develop transition and implementation plans similar to those de
veloped at the district level. This is a way to change the resources approptiated tO the
guidance and counseling program at the building level.

At the buildin .level, sch()ql oqn.s.cl9rs, d1eir department heads, 'and principals use the
strategies descriqed here: a goal-based program improvement system, amaster plan for
change, and action plans for implementation.

Making the Transltlon

to

a Comprehensive Guidance nud Counseling Program

Using a Goal-Based Program Improvement System

Goals are tools for trirni g visions into realities. They J,clp individuals fo U$ their
energies on changes counselors and others perceiv asimportant, and they make change
manageable. In the circumstance we are describing-remodeling and revltali1.ing your
program while you are liying in it-the thought of striving to implement all the changes
at once can be over whelming. Focusing on a handful of goals is conceivable to mo t
people; being allowed to develop thekown strategies for attaining those goals allows
counselors a sense of autonomy and comfort in making the needed changes. In the
Nortbsicle Independent School Dist.rict, the goal areas are established at the district
level. The. dis ctiniriates. the goal-setting and . action-planning processes, but each
bt,lilding has latitude in choosing specific impl menta tion strategies that fit its needs or
specialties. Establishing the goals for high-priority skill de velopment, clients, or
activities as well as th process of goal. setting, action planning,
monitoring, and evaluating progress toward the goals provides a consistency of focus across
the district. These efforts serve to affect the continuity of newly implemented programs,
allow for the continuation of dialogue between counselors from different buildings about
change efforts, nd give direction forJn-service training and staff development activities.

Goal Setting

In reviewing the current guidance and counseling program and the d_esired guidance and
counseling program, yoq discovered som discrepancies, as we discuss d in chapter, 6.
These discrepancies re the tnrgcts for program improvements district\vide. Likewise, each.
building's gttidance and counseling program design team should compare and contrnst their
existing program with their articulated desired progr.tm. These idctuified discrepancies
become additional targets for program improvement goals.
. ..
. '
The number of goals people are asked to consider depends on the number of discrepan
cies found, the size of the discrepancies; and the priorities the district or building has set. Goals
.. should be delineated for program improvements and for performance improvements. A sam
ple of a memo used in Northside Independent School District to assist counselors to attend
to meaningful goals is presented in Figure 7.3. The goals are presented to individulll staff
members as challenges to each to do something to help repair .the identified discrepancies.
Figure7.3

GoatsMemo
To:

From:
Re:

Counselors

t>lrtol' of Gilid:tn<e
Progr2m and Perf0rm:u1ce Go:tls - -

fur

Below arc listed general go:ds th:n have been ldent!Rc:d

Fit.!fl'n"' lind performnnre
.
improvements. rlertse pick two from each category to fcx:us on for this school ye:tr, and spcciry
the Improvement you ,cnvlsi9n on the action planning form that b attached.

PrD.!fl'tJm Go1Jls

to Increase time spent In tflrrie11lmn/ developmental guidance

, . :: .
to decrtase time 'spent in resprmsi'l't ffl-!'ite /to improvt quality of time spent iri responsive
to decrease time spent in 1,71tem luppwt

to decrease .time/to Improve quality of time spent with school itnff

to increase rime spent '1\ith p tmrts
Perfwmnflet GDII/s
to improv'e group S\tid:tnce skills '
to Improve counseling skills
to Improve consulting akllls
. .
. '
to improve progmm planning/evalu:.uion skills
to lmpr<we rcll:rral skills

,f,

rvi ;es

Nott. Data from Northside Independent School District, San Antonio;TX. Adapted with pcrmbsion:'

Developing & Managi 1g Your School Guida11Ce anQ Counseling Program

These goals arc broad and leave each counselor or building statTwith choices. What they
do "to improve the quali oftim5l spent in respol'lsive services, and how th ydo it are left
to them. For example, counselors may strive t() decrease individual counseling time by ini
ti1ting small-group counseling or systemati<..Uly conslllting with teachers. A sample of
more specific goal targets is presented in Figure 7.4. These goals establis!l more specific
activi ties tor counselors to implement at tl)e building level but leave the implementation
plan to them. For example; they are asked to conduct group counseling for targe.ted
p()p9iations, but the actu;\J design of the counseling series is left to them. In both. cases
the counselors specifY the student outcornes and objectives for their new activities; they
plan their own strategies and methods of evaluation. on the basis of local needs ai1d their
own resources.
Counselors are asked to set their.own goals to be reviewed by their imn1edlate super
visor. Where there is more than one COUilSelor in a building, the guidance department as
a whole should hiwe goils also, such as Wfhc department will develop ail annual plan for
expanded implet'nent:adon of the guidance curriculum.,

The individuals' goals within me department should be related to each other's, and
all counselors on a staff should b cognizant of their colleagues goals. This. helps o
develop a support system that is useful in assining the counselors meet success in.
striving for tJleir goals. We also recommend that building principals sign off on the
goals to indicate not only
their awareness of the, counselors' endeavors but also their approval. The head counselor
or, in buildings where there is no such designated departQ\ent leader, all of the counsel'ors
should tncct and discuss the goals with the principal. This ensures that the guidance goals
are c.on.sisrcrir with the general building goals mdprovides a vehicle for enlisting th.e prin

Figure 7 4

: Counselors' Goals Memo

To:
Elcmcntar)' School
Coua\JCIO&'S From: Director of Guidance
Rc:
' Counselors' Goals
The goal-setting process implemented for the past several years worked well to help focus tl\e guidance
program improvement cft<>rts. 'fl1e disuictwide goals arc listed below. Please discuss d1ese goals with your
prinCipals and add others that arc in.response to the needs of your campu community.
1. T(l C(llltinuc to contribute to students' education by effectively teaching guidance c.urricula outlined in the

Cumpelmuivt Guidn11ee llrtiornm Framework.

. .

. ..

2. To
respond
to campus-identified
illghstudents
priority who
studcntc:lients
.through effective
COU;lScling.
"High
studci1tdicnts"
ri1ay Include
ate undcrac:hlcving
or who group
arc bchilYing
irresponsibly.
3. priority
To rc pomltu c:uni1ltsklentilicJ highpriurity p01rentclients th.rough systematically implemented parent
cunsuhatitlll ur parent c lucalion.
'

4. To decrease studentcont.tct time spent in cleaic;ll/quasiadminlstrativc tasks by identifying.penal

"timccatcrs" and minimizing. the time spent on the$C.

5. To pmv.idc a better

bal.anced guid;tncc program by synematically planning theyear's activities.to adhere

as much as ti:asiblc to the districtoutlinfcJ and campusspccil'ied comprehensive prognun dciign. (Pl;mning
assist ncc will bi: j1rovidi:d by thc'Dir'ectorofGuidancc.)
.
.
.

6. To increase the i:fli:ctivi:ilCss

of counseling anq guidance activities by cle artic lation of the counselor's

thcorctkal base.

As in previous years, we will be discussing the stn.tegies you identify as appropriate for striving:to attain
your goals. A copy of the revised Pla ning Form is attached. Please subm.it a copy of your "Gu.idanc
Program Improvement Planning" forms to me by Scptcn\bcr 1 . .
. . ._ .
Approved:_. --- -----c;c: Elemental")' Schoor l'rincipoils
,' ,.. ...

Note. DOlt:l from orthsidc lndcpendtnt School Djstric S n Antonio, TX. Adapt1.-d with permis$ion
.;&

234

Making the TratUition to a Comprehensive Guitbnct nd Counseling Program

cipal's support in goal attainment:l:'he goa'l$ ultimately should be submitted to the district
office for review by the administr.at responsible for guidance.


-

Guidance and Counseling:Program Improvement Planning ..

Once specific goals have been established,each counselor and each department should
develop plans for meeting these goals. As mentioned previously, such planning
encourages forward and realistic thinking. lfse'ts in motion a series of decisions and
actions that ac tually help implement the strategies. A sample planning fornt is provided
in Figure 7.5.
Once counselors' goals have been identified and counselors have committed them
selves to implementation strategies, the guidance and counseling program leader has a
means of monitoring counselors' progress toward these goals. This process is discussed in
more depth in ch pter 8.

Developing and Implem:enting the Building Master Phin for Change

As at the district level, a master plan .for change should guide the transition effOrts at the
build ing level. In additil')n to making changes in the activities done in the guidance and

counsel- ing program through tl'!e previously described goal-setting process, the building :staff
needs to consider the need for improv ment in the resot1rces that support the program at
their level. The counselor(s), principal, guidance and counseling program development
team, school"'ommunity advisory committee-all of the pla rs with an interest in the
program should consider the status of the personnel, financial, and political resources
available to the program. At this point In the improvement process, there are probably
systemwide stan dards or guidelines e. tablished for resource allocation in the buildings;
however, if there are not, then the local team(s) can develop its (their) own "realistic
ideals" to shoot tbr by l'lsk ing the questions outlined here and others that come to mind as
they consider the questions.
Personnel resDt-trces. Have all school staff members accepted responsibility for
the guidance program? Are the guidance..programrelated jobs being done in
accord with the system's job descriptions? Are the organizational relationships
among the guidance and counseling program staff dear and \vorkiilg wcm Arcthe
otgarii7.ational relationships between the guidance staff and th administrative
staff, the instruc tional sta and the other subsets of'campus staffmembers working
well? Do coun selors ha,e access to students to provide the. program fti1ly? Is
time and money allocated to support program 'and professional development
activities by the coun selors and other guidance"staffi
Financial r:esrmrces. Is there a guidance department budget for supplies at1d ml'ltcri
als? IS it adequate? Are there other funding sources that could augment the budget,
for example, PTA for pareJ1t workshops; federal; state, district; or other grants for
pilot projects; local businesses for-career development or nicntoring programs? Arc
ade
quate materials available to support the program? Is time available to the staff to
de
velop needed materials Do the facilities meet established standards? Are the facilities
wekoming and attractive JS'the necessary equipment available and working?
Political resources. Ar.e campus policies and procedures s,uppprtive ofimplc:mentation
of the desired guidance and_ counseling program design; for example, arc
counselors'
nonguidancc tasks decreasing and student-centered activities iri'crcasing? Is the
prin cipal supportive of the newly defined and designed program .and the staffi
Are the teachers? How are resisters being handled? Is the guidance and
co\.triscling program
J
.
..

235

.E

Figure 7.5

.
Gll

.
.. Guidance Program finpro,cmcm. Planning Fom1
ii)ANCE PROGRAM.IMPRO\lEMENT P NING ..
: Schoot;
Name:.

.....,..

...-.
...,...

---'"-----,

Pri patiHead <;At.ansclor Si;gnatun:: _.

_._;

-------'-------Date:

EVALUATION

PLANNING

(To B.c Co Jll)lctcd

-

(To Be Complctcdi)yConmctEnd-Junc)

bySepfcniber)) .

...;

. Level Of
.

Tub to

Prognm

Objcc:riw:/Stntcgy

Overall

smcnt

of Level
of Accomplishment:

AccomplUh.

(Not Achicvc:d)

. (1-5)

Ac:ccmipluhmcnt

StuderuS"/Othcrs'
O Jtc:oriics

4
5
(Fully Achieved)
Counselor's Signaai
DPraiten:dpU/HadCOwudor._

----------------------------

Making the Transition to a Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program

an integra.l part of schoolwide programs Are school counse ors active members of
schoolwide plan ting tearns Are there g\tidance a.nd counseling program objectives
in the school improvement plan? Are there systematic mechanisms such as weekly
or monthly meetings.that facilitate communication between the counsclor(s) and
the administrator(s); between the c::ounselor(s) and the teachers? Are the
relationships be
tween the guidance and counseling program staff and the community good? Is there
an effective advisory committee? Are the guidance and counseling program public
re lations objectives a part of the school public relations efforts? 1s there an
active/ almost active group of critical constituents who need to be/are being
worked
with
in
a
concerted
manner

After asking and answering these and other qttestions, the next steJ> is to Jdcntify the
goals/targets
for within
change what
andtime
then frame,
to lay out
plan, listing
what
needs toand
be relative
done, inpriorities
what order,
and the
whomaster
the person
is with
primary responsibility (see Table 6-.4).

Developing the Building Action Plans for Implementation

& the time approaches to accomplish. each of the go.'\ls/targcts, a relevant plan of action
should be developed (see Table 7.1). For examplet if in order to access students in a jun
ior high school, guidance curriculum time must be negotiated with the academic teachers,
several tasks need to be accomplished before the counselor can infuse the guidance learn
ing activities into the various curricula: (a) The counselor must have lesson objectives
planned, (b) the principal's support must be enlisted; (c) a meeting with the academic de
partment chairs needs to be established, and so on. Plans must be made to accomplish
each of these tasks successfully.
. .
A point needs to be made here: The changes must begin with reallocation of the
resources currently available and in anticipation of new resources that probably will be
allocated.
Counselors must resist the mentality of waiting until everything at the system level has
been done. This is where the topdown/botto -up dynamic (Fullen, 2001) is most
evident. Only so much change can occur at the building level within the current resource
allocation,
but those changes need to be made. For example, if a principal wants counselors
teaching or developing guidance lessons for use in a homerootntype.situation and
perceives coun. selors as sitting in their offices spending undue amounts of time with individual students,
the cottns lors should devise ways to attend to the prindpal's goal. It is conceivable that if
they manage their time with the consideration that the principal :has an important priority .
for them, the lessons could be developed. The principal, then; will be more likely to believe
that the counselors use their time efficiently when they ask for other considerations.
' Often the success of district resou ce expansion depends on the evidence of maximum
resource use at the school level. Spending all the money appropriated tor buying
program materials is an obvious example. Further, ..once buildings have established their
local plans,
the district can identify and target problems and solutions.identified in several buildings.
For example if several building guidance and counseling program plans seek to augment
the guidance c1.trriculum through use ofhomeroom periods, a districtwide group might
be formed to work together to develop appropriate guidance learning activities.

Implement Public :Relations.Activities

Now that you ha.vc a grasp of the new program and have clarified th languasc used
to de scribe it, you are ready to plan a.nd irnplement public relations activities. Because
the best

237.-

.D cvclopin

& M;magingYoi.lt School Guid:lllCC and Counseling

l)rogram

generator of good public relations is a good prognlm,.co nselors need to feel that they
are conducting the best program feasible.. They ri ed: feel secure in th priorities: that
have been set,und feel that they can explain them .the many.pubUcs served such as
students, teachers, administrators, parchts, the b sii1ess.con"imuil:ity, and community
members at large. They need to makeevery consumer cqrit ct high-quality, customerfriendly expe- fience (even at those impossibly bwy times of the year).
. ..
Planning. public relations begins 'vith sfudy of the data that were gathered in the as
sesstnent of the current program on how athe perceive d1e guidance and counseling
pro gram. Because one purpose of public relations is for people to know more about
the
program so they can access and appreciate its services, the goal at this time is to help peo
ple move t1om what they thought the program was to what the new program
structure.is. To accomplish this task, we recommend that a work group be formed to
assist in planning and implementing the public relations prognun. The work group
should include not only counselors but also represerttatives.,;._preferably leaders-of the
publics to whom you plan to elate. It could be an ad hoc group, and it could include
representatives from the steer ing or school-community adv.isory committees.
Cltimately, the group that will continue public rchltions :u;tivitics, once' they are
undertake11, is the school-community advisory
committee.

Planning Your Public Relations Prog1am

Public relations program planning is no different 'from the planning used in the rest of the
guid;mce amt counseling progr.ull improvemenrproccss. You need to know where you are
by performing a current assessment-in this case, the perception survey. You need to know
where you want to go-the desired end-in this case, the established goals for the public
relations progr;un. And you need to know how you arc going to get there. Establish a plan
of action th;\t includes the public relations objectives and strategies to be accomplished and
t,he til.l1C ti;lme involved.
Public relations should be systematically installed as an ongoing part 9f the program's
overall improvement and management procedures. Public relations activities that are not
r l;ttcd in .. th.is integrated fashion to the total program may be superficial and, as a result,
may nor.havc sufficient impact. Thus careful a.ttention to the planning is important.
To develop your plan. for public relations, consider these steps:
1.. Establish goals for your publi relations efforts. Examples include program con
. . slm'lcrs being informeq ,a,bout, understanding, and being supportive of and able to
. usc tj1c 'omprchcnsive guiqance and counseling program..
.
2. I demit} the target populations for your public relations efforts. Examples include
..sn,dcnts) teachers, p<lrcnts administrators, school board members, referral agency
.. personnel, and community represell,tatives/lcaders.
3. Find om what these publics think about wharyou are doing and.what they think
you should be: doing ..The specific data gathered in the current program percep
tion s tneyshould tell ou,this.

4: ... Establish specific objectives for each subgroup. Examples include informing all
. parents a o.ut th<: program: and gaining support from some parents fa the program.
5. Identi the resources ;wailable to assist in your efforts. Examples include Meet Your
Counselorpamphkt$, PTA ne\\'sletters and programs, daytime radio talk shows,
an .bd'lool offi\!hll omn)uniques.
.
o. , Co 1>ider the J l.ttie. impa<: each re urce n"ia) have on' the target population.
. E:o;_\lr,'lpl:i: . in-;lude in\"i.ting PTA leaden tO' r\e onthe ad\'iSory cominittee
pro.

to

-""' 238

Making the Transition to 1\ Comprdtensive; Guidance :\rtd Counseling Program

vide them an opportunity to fulfill theirteadenhip/re.ptcscntativc role and, if ad

vice Is taken,
enlist their
for the
program.
7. Translate
these to
resources
intosuppor
striltegies
to he
used. Where possible, use the already
existing-resources that have demonstrated effectiveness for reaching the target
population; such as the administrator's association newsletter to conimunkate
, with administrators. Where none exists, consider creating unique rcsourc:cs
Stich ' as guidance department newsletters or Counselor Corner colun'lns in the
local
newspaper.
8; Outline the steps that will be taken in the development of these strategies and rc
l:tte them to the overall plan.
9. Assign a person to be responsible for the activities.
10. Establish your time frame
. Well-plar.ned public relations activities arc an integral part of the guidance and coun
seling program improvement proces$. Remember that an effective public relations pro
gram is sincere in purpose and execution in keeping With the total guidance and counseling
program's purpose andcharacteristics, positive inapprm\ch and appeal, continuous in ap
plication, comprehensive in scope, clear and With simple messages, andbeneficial to both
sender and receiver.
Public relations activities hve two purposes: (a) to let consumers know how good
the program is and how to access it and (b) to change any negative perceptions they may
have
to more positive ones. To do this, it is important to:listen for and Understand the negative
.,
perceptions that some consumers may have..For example, some teachers donot know
about our program and are often dissatisfied that they do not get instant service when
. they think they need it. They are not aware that we, too, take work home at night. they
donot think that we, too, are tied to a set schedule that someone else has determined.
Many are not familiar with our role as student advocates; they see us in problem
situations as ad
versaries. For another example, administrators may think that counselors do not work
very
hard. Administrators. work evenings supervising activities, and they do not think 'that coun
selors do, too. Further, so c cc'"nselors are perceived as not beingtoyal to the sch:oolbe
eause they do not attend extracurricular actiVities. For yet another example; some parents
do not feel that they get th response they want, or l'(Cive counselors as having n1ade.rec:
ommendations about their childt"en that have damaged their educational careers. Many are
not aware of our specialized training..
.
..
Some in the pop Iation at large still-unfortunately- ave negative bias against people
with psychological problems and arc skeptical bout the wahu: ofme ntal healthscrviccs. In
.......

.... addition, some students do norrccogi;ize or: acknowledge the l1clp they receive fh>m coun
selors. They perceive us as paper push rs who were not helpful when they percdved they
were having a problem. In general, because ur programs have not been well defined,
peo
ple have had unrealistic expectations about counselors and tpeserviccs counselors can and

should pr vi e..

...., . . . .

..

..

We mi ht consider some od for thou ht gleaned from the corporate reput.'ltion lit
erature. Corporations and companies have learrted that their reputationsare important
in
achieving not only employee but also customer satisfaction ..One delineation {Davies,
Chun, Da Silva, Be Roper, 2004) of the dimension that make up a corporation's image
identifies them as nAgreeabtencis," "Competence,". "Enterprise;" ' Ruthlessness," and
"ChiC." Davies et al. fatind J'OSitive. cti tornc. satisfuttion to be most hishly <:orrclntcd

with Agreeableness. The cond highe. tc:orrelatlon is with. Cornpcrencc. A rcput;ttion thr
Enterprise and C.'hic: corrcla.tcd.with c tstomer: s.1tlsf.1ction, btJt nut ns highly as rhc li111t
two. Agreeableness, as defined by D Vies et at., entails honesty and social-responsibility
and not
239

Devetoping & Managing Your School Guidance and Counseling Program

being aggressive or arrogant. Competence is defined as being reliable and ambitious.

Enterprise is detined as being innovative, exciting, and daring and is likened to extrover
sionin human personalities. Chic is defined as stylish and prestigious; The one dimension
that correlates negatively with customer satisfaction is Ruthlessness, defined as arrogant

and
/ (:On trolling. Professional school counselors can learn from these corporate reputation mak
ers and consider ways to project their program (the corporation) and themselves (the
em ployecs) positively to their customers.

Implementing Your Public Relations Program

There arc two essential factors to consider in implementing your public relations program:
timing and quality. Public relations activities should be planned .to capitalize on times
when you have your audience's attention. The quality of any activity ought to be high; you
need to put your best foot-forward. Having handout materials prepared in advance helps
you
be ready at a moment's notice. An example is a flier developed and used by Missouri
school
counselors to explain their programs and services hi Appendix K.
We suggest that you consider conducting your public relations activities with your var
ious target populations at those times when you are changing or working on improved ac
tivities that affect particular consumer groups. When you are asking teachers for classroom
time to conducnhe guidance curriculum activities, some may be reluctant to cooperate.
This can be balanced by conducting effective lessons when an opportunity is provided.
Teachers may be quite upset when they look for a counselor to assist them wid1 a problem
and learn th 1t the counselor is scheduled into cla5srooms for guidance for a certain
amount of time. This can be the ideal time to explain to them the benefits gaine<;i from
develop mental guidance. Administrators also may be resistant when counselors try to
divest them selves of the quasi-administrative/clerical tasks that take up so much time and
talent. They get weary of counselors sayirig, "That's not my job." If, however, they
become convinced
that the time saved is tocused directly on helping students through guidance curriculum,
individual student planning, or responsive services, this negative feeling may be
dissipated. Parents who are used to the notion that counselors work oneon-one with
students may be put otl' by group guidance activities. If group guidance is unexplained it
may further parents' feelings of not getting adequate service from dlis specialist for ti1eir
own child. At such times, careful explanation of how many more students and parents are
receiving ser vice oftsets this concern.
Bhepherd_(2000) offered 29 Qrqyen at _g!es for "informing" and "engaging" the
niultiple publics of professional school counselors:students, parents, teachers, administra
tors, community, and school board members. She indicated that implementing them is the
third phase of a process. "Once program goals have been set in motion and ai1 action
plan prepared, the third, nittygritty phase ofa professional advocacy initiative can begin."
They indudc a variety of ideas about l"naking presentations; participating on site-based
teams; publishing newsletters and columns, brochures, calendars, and annual repQrts; att
nding school functions; sharing resources with staff me 1bers; and having ongoing
communica tions within the building.

Atteudi11-g to Diversity
In making the transition to a comprehensive guidance program, professional school coun
selors and guidance and counseling program leaders need to keep their eyes open for op
portuniLics to attend to diversity realities and issues. As human, material, facilities, and
politk \1 resources arc developed, special projects are implemented, goals are set, and pub

ca" 240

Making the Transition to a Comprehensi'l.'e Guidance at\d Counseling Program

lkrelations efforts are designed and made, many opportunities arise to enhance the mul
ticultural dimensi.ons of the idance and counseling pr.ogram. So111e of them are men
tioned in this section. A$ discussed in pre ous chapters, a pasic awarcne s is that schools
tend to represent and profession ls hool taff mem.bers .ar members of the i-r1iddle so
cioeconomic ass Therefore gaps occur betweenthe\lalues and xperiences held.by
"the
school" and those of individual stUdents and individual
f.'lmilies.
tn developing human.resources, atte11tion can be p id to ens\,lripg the cultural and eth
nic representativeness of the counseling arid guidance program staff. Every staffmember
must acknowledge the cultural backgrounds of the individuals with whom the come in
contact. They need todevelop respect for and their capacity owork_with people from the
diverse cultures in their community. VirtUally every school and school counselor \ve have
worked with can grow in thisarea. In the first place, multicultural competence develop
ment is a.nre long process. We are just now coming out of a lon.s period of 9enial about
differences among people-color-blindness that only focused on simila ties. Similarities are
good; but so are differences. The Ameriean Couri$eling Association's (n.d.)
_Multicultural competencies artd'Objecti\Tes (see App ndix I) provide guidelines for
counselqrs target ing this area of their profession developtnent Some counseli11g sr.tf.tS.
have designated one of the counselors to be the Multicultural Competence specialist,
whose r ponsibilitics are to have internalized the competencies and objectives and to help
the entire staff keep. their.
work and the program cognizant of the impact thatdiversity might,b having.
. All guidance and co nseling program staffmernbers need to work constan ly to ,estab
lish a welcomirtg drespectful climate in the guidance office (and the school). The
office receptionist staff is particularly critical in this endeavor. The attitiid , thoushts,.wo
ds, and
deeds of professionals and paraprofessionals must be respectful andirich.isive. M
nyschool pat1professionats come from the local school community. It is \vise,
however,tq remem
ber the local community is probably not &II of one rilind, even .though they may be .Primarily
from one ethnic/racial group .Many of the sc;hool parapr.ofes.t:ional s ff, although local,
. have worked hard tO raise their sttnd: rds ofliving tnq arc rcl.l9vcly :new arrivals in the mid
die class. Some are not as tolerant as they should be for those ho arc more cont nt
with
their economic StatUS artd are not struggling tQ,improve their c:ond tion,. . ..
. Developing the component resource. ides prqVidesmany oppon :mities to,e.nhante
thcrmulticulttiral nature o(thegu ; #ce and c unseti g pfogram. Each guide can include
exa,nples of techniques that are e!fc ve across varipuscultures .and include il)formation
tOr counselor-users about keepingittidents .cqltur21'tdcntities in mind and being respon
sive t0 them. The gtiidance curriculum guide should tndude lessons aimed a.t enhancing
sru4ents' _multiculrural competence, Also,, lC$S()nS S <?uld be htdu4 that _address
inter cUltural issues in the buildings. The i.n vidual stud nt planning guiqe
shptddindude ac tivities based on the same expectations, hopes, and dream for all
students and not be
rat heted up for some groups of students and "dumbed down, for others because of
stei'eotyPes. Test resttlts interpretation activities thatl)elp tupcf:its es ablish edu ational
and career plans must be done with awa enc;ss o(biases.J und)n. most staridardizcd
ass.css
ments. ThC re.t:ponsive services gui e hout4 ind d activith::s,,that. por :ty. :t r;'!ngc ofcoun
. seling and cqf1sulta.tion. mod.aiities, helpin.it o,t.wsdo l>e cy r {nindfu.t t)lat the development
of our profession is c:Jeeply rooted in, European American, middle-class c.ulturc (Lee 2001).
The highest level of multicultural C()O'ipcten e development, is that counselors 1sc "culturally
appropriate intervention strategies '(.4merican Gotu:t eling )\sso ia jo,n, ,n.d.). Advocacy is
definecUn the ASCA National Model a
.
'
. :a vdy $\!!lporti!ls t:\il$e." cnfor Pt>t!cles dtat;pi-tlmPte: t{ ; \tdcnt.nC!l l1.li ari:cr
pnnl/
. social :nctd.. One
forM,C'!t
a.dV!IC:tcy
i
d,e
pr
,
pf
erivJyid
i!ti.fyll1S
undcrrcprcsct)l
,ti,StulfC:h
ts
.
.
.

- ,

..

. .

241

'

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:',

Developing & Manorging Your-School GuidallCe and Counsellhg Program

A :- :.,.

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and supporting them in their etforts to perform at their highest level of academic achievement.
(ASCA, 2003, p.l29)
_.

sponsive services need i: be i plemente4 P1at help students whose culture is different
from that of the school or the dominant society as they w :estle with their racial/cultural
'identity development and with finding their pl, ce in the larger society. The system support
guide should provide strategies th tdemonstrate how school counselors can help their
schools become "culturally responsive".(J;.e )--2001 including but not limited to reach
. .. .. ing OJit'to their COl llllUnitles an ilVi rig the CC)irbnuruty in-to lower its protective Walls,
,.ooth lifcrar and figurative, that are dTectively keeping o'ut'the comn1unity.
.
In recreating the facilities of the gUidance program-the guidance center, offices, re
ception area, career center, conference room ounselors shouid ensure that the presen
tatiun ul'infbrmation rctlects diversity, from the reading materials available for center users
to the posters on the walls. ("A picture 'is worth a th,ousandwords!")
. _
. In developing and using the political reso ces inclusion, the conscious engagement of
all of your constituent groups_imust bca_tule. In.dealing with the program's critics, in par
ticular seemingly hostile parents, counselors learn much by being sensitive to their personal
histories with s hool: Manyafdnmiddle;clMl minority, and poor people have had school
experiences d1ai: ha': led t<? &p1srr\lst. of school systems. Listen carefully and probe sensi
'tivelyandwithoutptejudicCi 1 '1
/ ; i (-'C- ,...lt .;,: . ,
..
ln 'considcrillg special projects, there are also multiple opportmiities.lor. attending to
- , _the diversity of students and of'the school community. One expressed intent of the current
:iccountability movement is't() strive to ensure: that schools hold all students to the same
standards-the standards for achievement being academic tests. The requirements to dis_
aggregate the data generated rega ding the test scores force schools and local, state, and
federal policynlakers to recognize those who ar.e not being well served by the current sys
.; -.!;
:_; tel'h. Fe ieral tlu1ds ate'targeted tbwatd' helping''underachi:evers,
unsucce.ssfullearner . 9\:... _- _- .
.dropou s; th9se:who are neglected, litchkey, delinquent, or at risk; raci'iil/ethnich\jnc)rtf ';;;;_,,-
:...
ties; children tiom lower economic classes; <;hildren who are or have been violeot; clillClten' ; -_, 'who use/abuse drugs; children.who are iruaitt, suspended, or expelled; and children in cor
' rectional facilities or who are homeless. Th,c groups of students have needs that coun
selors can and should be responding to. Many of them come to school from cultures that
are very ditlcrent from d1at repres nFed n the sChool. Counselors can b the bridge.
Finally, schools acro s the United Stil.tcsYare e,xpe'rii! 9ns racial/eduuc tensiqt among
faculty or
.-, ._ het\vccn t lcfitry and sttlliea1ts'. In the rta oti _sutveytof critical issuesifacilig oo. prehen
'' sive gttitlancJ' pt:ogr:ims (Henderson &: Gysbers, 2002'), the example
su:ccessfuf'responses to the issue of enhancing school couriselors' multicultural
competence were by counselors
who facilitated strategies for e11hancit-lg aU staff members in a school (Locke, 2002) and in
a school distrkt (Zambrano, 2QO ) Theyp 9\tide excellent models of counselors advocating

>. --: : .: .

_ - for, r :;iJ :g i : J -it'; ;::ovehi ntiq school buildin l}l relate to

= i:he realities of the school,s dcmogra lli ,poi:,be \):1/eii. h the popula
th is oCI : u cd
to have" or thaF people perceive is d1ere buronthe population t11at the watJJ tell you iS'mere.
Goals should target discrepan ies in seivic s.to various groups of studeius or issues with .
the taculty projecting stereotypes. On thepq itive side, goals can be estab shed that.cf:ie
- !;>rate divcrsiry::-;that help cou'ti:s'eto'rs, stuqe:rits, acuity, and parents ackpoW,l d,ge.Jeltntt
,,, _ \voik with,lcspcct't andvalu..;.';.\11: of tho 'dUT<!renctl tl1at individuals an4gr() ps'billigi:o:the: -< :_,

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Any public,reh1tions or com_i 1linicat1ons'pr graiu Qr plat1 shouid cbi sfdci'cli;.:s i:t1 \";;:,,_.
- that arc lll<:>St apt to reach all'of the publi4 of the s rvke provider. Therefore;-nontridl ....
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242.

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Making the Transition'to a Cornpreh<:nsive Guidance and Counseling Program

tional means of communication and working with the public_ must be considered. For
ex ample, in communities in which parents are intimidated or otherwise made
unc01nrortable by the school and school staff, providing services on their turf can be
effective. Our cthi cal standards suggest we communicate with our clients in language
that they understand; so too should we: communicate in situations in which the clients
are comfortable and, thereby, more apt to understand our messages.

Guidance and- Counseling Program Leadt;r's .

Roles and Responsib Uties
.
.
The role of the guidance artd counseling program leader shifts during this phnse to that of
staff leader and program manager for ongoing successful program implementation, and to
that of advocate for the changirtg program and the guidance progrnm staff. While the tr:ut
sition to the new program is being made, the roles that the leader will play in continui11g
leadership and supervision of the improved program begin. .

The guidance and courtseling program leader keeps the momentum for change focused
and alive during the transition, and in implementation maintaills the focus on continuing
improvement and fine-tuning ofthe improved program (Henderson & Gysber5, 1998).
The per_son responsible for program development leads the dlsnkt changes and is the
chiefim plementer of the district master plan for change; 'The leader brings iri
appropriate con sultants to assist with the implementation ofsptcitl projects; The central
office' guidance staff members are in position to know what is 80irt.g on at thedistrict,
state, and federal levels and have the responsibility to communidte 'and interpret that i
formation .to the rest of the guidance staff. The guidartce and counseling program leader
manages
the
origoing
public
relations
efforts.
.
The guidance and counseling program leader dc\rclops bttildfng planning and Hn:
provement systems to be used when the program has scttlc<l inm ongoing t')lat1ning;
eva!uating-adjusting. The ultimate accounta:bility for progt.un success 1\nd for pcrfomiant:e
improvementis vp to the designated guidance and counseling program lender. The guid-
ance and counseling program leader works not only to ensure that guidance dcpa_rtment
staff contim,te to strive forprogram improvement! but also to encourage arid reinforce
their efforts. One of the methods for-empoweri g the stafTi allowingthetl'l to sc.Jci.:t and
plan their own improvements (Henderson&. Qysbcrs; 1998). Ar the san'lc time, it is cot
ventional wisdom among personnel specialist'S that t:mptoyces do what is_"inspected" not
what is "expected"; thus an inspector is needed. '' - . .

.
Some oftftis uthority is delegated to the othet,dcsignttted leaders-such as building
gtiid ance and counseling program staffleaders:Those leaders rteed assistance in
carrying out their roles effectively. As is discussed more fully in chapter 9 and in I,.e-adi1VJ
a11d Mnlm._iring Tour Sch.ool Gttidance Program StajJ'(Henderson & Gysbcrs, 1998),
this will probnbty en t.ail direct modeling of appropriate conduct as administrator,
supervisor, manager, and pro fessional leader. It will also entail encouragirtg these leaderi
fis they try leadership strategies.
;o ensure full implemerttation, we encourage the continued use or other staff lei\dcrs. informal or otherwise-to ensure healthy con1mttnicitrlon bet-.\'cen the district guid:u\ce ttnd
counseling program leader and the entire guidance sta:ffi Inforrtlttlleadcrs arc often the best
vehicles for honest feedback.

Senge and Kaeufer (2000) delineated several forces that'might'i pcd d1ange during
this developmental phaset which they labeled "ChaUn(t s otlnitiating,(p 4): Th sc
chal lenges occur "often after groups have richieved-cetrain go:tla only to c'ricmmtcr. ,i,lc v
prob
lems, [and] as the project draws inmore people" (p. S) . One. is. bascg, on .th fear
are
to
and
au.xiety-ofthestaff. They
anxious: be aus they a e afraid mak tn stakes, show
.
. .:
: .. . . . . -. .. . . . . .
..'.
.. . .
,.. ...
.

'

'

243

Dc:vc:lopin & Man;lging Your School Gui lancc an l Counseling

l'rogr;un '

ignonmce, or hurt othc;rs. The anxiety m eds to be. acknowledged or individuals- withdraw
and become dctcnsive. A second chaU nge tbat oftcm.arises at this phase is captured in the
sentiment, ...This stutl'is not working, (p, 5). This is a tcsult of expecting immediate rc
sults from implemented changes. Senge and l<aeufer otlcred two suggestions to .leaders of
change: "to ''pprcdate the time delays involved in profound change (p. 5) and develop
'clear m :ch1nisms for assessing progress toward the desired goals. The third challenge they
discussed is the tendency tor statf1i1embers to "split into believers and non-beli vers" (p.
5). They explained,
Because innovative groups create subc Jltures, a clash between insiders and outsiders is
inevitable, but it nccJ not escalate iflcalkrs: 1)operate ctTcctively widunnew sub-cultures and d1c
mainstteam culture; 2) seck mcntoring frum other leaders with high credibility in dle
mainstream culture; 3) build the: gro 1p's ability to engage d1c liuger system; 4) cultivate
openness; 5) respect people's in
common language and values. (p. 5)
hibitions nbuu. t change; and 6)

develop.

Central office guidance and counseling programleaders need to establish their roles with
. the principals and other administrators. Because administrative responsibilities probably are
shared with thl!m, they must be educated as to the guidance department,s goals and pri
odtics, and their support must be enlisted for the changes. and the ongoing efforts as well.
Their concerns and goal$ need to be attended to and supported by the counselors.
A goal we have not discussed fully. is that ofstriving for open and clear communication
between
the building
administrators;
this isprogram
someti.n1es
problematic
and
deserves
consciouscounselors
attention.and
Pottheir
guidance
and counseling
change
efforts to
be successful, collaboration must occur between the counselors and the administrators
(ASCA, 2005). Often this puts counselors in the role of advocating for their program.
The imcmctivc nature of educational program decision making presents challenges to both
building and district administrators; successtUl program implementation depends on tak
ing correlated steps toward program improvement. The more these actions are orchestrated,
the more etJective the guidance and counseling program will be in achieving its goals of
helping students learn what the program can offer. The better training support building
level counselors have tor their advo cy role, the better implementation will be.
During implementation of the newly conceived guidance and coumeling program, it
is time to focus on ctlort uo 'ensure. that the guidance department statl' members
professional and paraprofe sional, leaders and followers-have the competencies they
need
to conduct the well-balanccq and comprehensive guidance and counseling program that
is envisioned. Chapter 9 discusses in more .detail how .the staff leader can work .to ensure
that each staff member is striving to reach full professional potential, that each staff mem
ber is operating competently.

Concl-uding Thoughts
To make the transition to tl e comprehensive guidanc and counseling .program at the
building level, \ve h:1Ve drawn up everal sets .of plans: a plan for change, action plans,
guidance andcouriseling program improvement plans, and guidance and counseling pro
gram implementation plans. The b!.lllding plan for change is similar to the district's mas
ter plan tor program hnprovenl.ent. It includes a list of resources that must be accrued and
tasks that must be accomplished .to implement th.e d sired program fully. Action plans out
'line the ctioris, to. be akcn' to accomplish targeted changes. G idance and counseling pro
gram improvement plans focus on improved program s.tratcgies and are. the means for
systematizing the improvement process. The guidance and counseling program imple
244

Making the Transition to a Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program

l

'

mentation plan is a description of the actual activities that need to be accomplished to de

liver the comprehensive progtam components. This is discussed: in more dctailin
chapter
8. Henceforth, the emphasis is on managing a continuously improving program. .

245 e

Developing & Managing Your School Guidance and Counseling llrogram

National Allhmce of Pupil Services .Organizations. (1993, January). Policy statement on

schooJ./iukt:d itltegratcd services. (Available from the American Counseling
Association md other member org u1i \tions).
Office of l>ublic Policy and Legislation. (2004, August). No Child Left Behind: Sources of
Jmuliug tbat mpport schoot coJmseling tmd met tat healtb services. Alexandria, VA:
'American Counseling Association. Retrieved January 12, 2005, from http://www.
counsding.org/Content/Navigati?nMenu/PUBLICPOLICY/NOCHILDLEFT
BEHIND/NCLB_Programs_August_2004.pdf
Peer, G. G. (1985). The status of secondary school guidance: A national survey. Tbe School
Couuselor, 32, 181-189.
Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills. (1991). Report. Washington,
DC:
U.S. Department of Labor.

Senge, t>. M., & I<aeufer, D. H. (2000). Creating change. Executive Excellence, 17(10), 45.
Shepherd, L. J, (2000). l>romoting professional identit.y in an era of educational
reform.
Proji:ssioual Si:I:Jool Commliup, 4{1), 31-41. . .
.
White, J , Mullis, p,, Earh:y, Jl., & Brigman, Q. 0995).. Co11mltatior1 i11 s ht1ols: 11Je coun
s Jior'l rule. }>orrland, MS: J. Weston Walch.
Zambrano, B. (l002). Opening the dialogue. In. P. Henderson & N. Gysbers (Eds.),
Implcmcuting comprebensive schoolallidtmce progrRms: Critical leadership issues JJnd
sue ct:!sful rfspames(pp. 241-249}. Grei.insboro, NC: CAPS.

246