FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNSELOR

FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNSELOR

 What a counselor does in the COUNSELING

RELATIONSHIP
 Centered upon the person whose primary
functions are that of a counselor
• Ideal:
• What should the counselor do?
• Actual:
• What does he actually do?
WHAT SHOULD A COUNSELOR DO?

 Depends upon who is asked:

 Different groups expect somewhat different
things
THE GROUPS

 Students
 Teachers
“Counselor’s Publics”
 Administrators

 Parents

 Counselors themselves

 Those who, though not counselors

themselves, are professionally involved in
the field
VIEWS: STUDENTS

 Students see their function as primarily one

of helping with educational and vocational
planning
 Though some see them as able to help with
personal problems, this is not typical
VIEWS: TEACHERS

 The idea the teachers have depends on what

they observe counselors of that school do
 Thus they share beliefs of students and
parents: they provide educational and
vocational assistance
 Teachers, more often than students expect
counselors to help students with personal-
social problems
VIEWS: ADMINISTRATORS

 Also expect help with students with school

related problems, but:
 Sees counselors are involved in instructional
or quasi-instructional activities
 Curriculum-planning
 Testing
 Attendance
 Schedule making
VIEWS: COUNSELORS

 Recognizes the role in both counseling and

in the guidance program, but with more
emphasis on the former
 He assumes other roles, such as consultant,
resource person, researcher and educator
but only as these support counseling
relationships
VIEWS: COUNSELORS
 It is essential that the majority of a school
counselor’s time be devoted to individual or
small-group counseling. In a counseling
relationship the counselor –
 Assists the pupil to understand & accept himself as
an indiviual, thereby making it possible for the pupil
to express & develop an awareness of his own
ideas, feelings, values & needs
 Furnishes personal & environmental information to
the pupil, as required, regarding his plans, choices or
problems
 Seeks to develop in the pupil a greater ability to
cope wth & solve problems & and increased
competence in making decisions & plans for which
he & his parents are responsible
VIEWS: COUNSELORS
Responsibilities in planning a Guidance
Program
 Assisting in defining objectives
 Developing plans of action
 Assist in continued Guidance program and
curriculum development
 Identifying guidance needs of students
 Evaluating the program
 Assisting other staff in evaluating their own
contribution to the Guidance Program
VIEWS: COUNSELORS

 Others view the functions of the counselor in

terms of problem solving or crisis needs.
 “Trouble-shooting” views

Emphasis is on aiding in
development
VIEWS: NON-COUNSELING PROFESSIONS

Commission on Guidance in American Schools

 Counseling with students

 Consulting with staff and parents

 Studying changes in the character of the

student population
 Performing a liasion function
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

 “Elementary school counselor” is

comparatively new
 Its more difficult to differentiate functions as a
specialist and as a member of the guidance
team
 Secondary counselors frequently work
directly with individuals, while elementary
counselors work indirectly
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

 Requires closer teacher-counselor and

parent-counselor relationships
 Greater need for manipulation of
environment
 Elementary children are not able to benefit
from direct counseling
 Must be tuned in to the dynamics of the
classroom
SECONDARY SCHOOLS

 Although not too different from Elementary

Guidance, the context of secondary
education focuses on Educational and
Vocational assistance
 Primaryrole: provide assistance in development
 Secondary role: participating as a member of the
guidance team
WHAT DOES THE COUNSELOR ACTUALLY DO?

 There is a discrepancy between what he

should do and what is done
 No complete consensus on what should he do
 Its only recent that professional groups
presented their detailed views on this
 Schools have different resources
SAMPLE CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES

 Since there is no consensus, these are

generally only suggested activities. Guidance
needs vary from school to school.
SAMPLE CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
Recurring activities
 Conducting counseling interviews w/ students
 Supervising or assisting with the maintenance of
cumulative records
 Interviews with parents
 Consulting with teachers
 Orienting new students
 Making studies of students having special
problems
 Arranging referrals
 Conducting exit interviews
SAMPLE CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
September
 Become acquainted with new teachers
 Interview new students who were not seen during
spring orientation
 Review cumulative records of entering students
 Request records of those students whom records
have not been retrieved from previous schools
 Alert teachers of students that may need special help
 Supervise and assist orientation activities
 Arrange distribution of handbook
 Have new students fill up questionnaires for the
cumulative record
SAMPLE CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
October
 Supervise clerical workers in entering
cumulative records scores done previously
 Check scores for those who needs special help
 Inform seniors for college entrance testing
 Make sure the new teachers that are part of
information services are informed about
available resources
 Review and update occupational information file
 Bring up to date information on scholarships
SAMPLE CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
May
 Assist with orientation meeting for pupils
expecting to enter highschool/college next
year
 Preparing the removal of the graduating
seniors’ files form the active file
 Assist in students seeking summer
employment
 Prepare annual reports

 Complete next years plan for guidance

services