Comprehensive Program

PowerPoint
Kira Thomas
What is a school comprehensive program
A comprehensive school counseling program is a holistic educational plan that is designed to provide all students with more effective resources and services to achieve success within their
academic, career, and personal/social domains. a comprehensive program provides a systematic, collaborative, developmental, and preventative approach that is integrated into the school’s mission
and philosophy. There are many models that school counselors can use to implement a comprehensive school counseling program in their schools.
Risk Factor that support the needs for school
counselor and school comprehensive program

■ More than 22% of all children lived in families with incomes below the poverty line in 2010 and 2011 (Child
Trends, 2012)
■ About 7% of students dropped out of high school in 2011 with a wide disparity by race, Hispanic origin, and
foreign-born status (Child Trends, 2012)
■ In 2008, at least 20% of children, ages two to 17, reported experiencing one or more types of bullying (Child
Trends, 2012)
■ In 2010, more than one in twelve twelfth-grade students reported using illicit drugs other than marijuana
(Child Trends, 2012)
Benefits of a Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program

For students
-Focuses on academic, career, and social needs of all students
-Increases students’ academic success and performance
-Supports more interaction with students
-Offers a developmental and preventative program with intervention strategies
-Develops students’ life skills through addressing social, emotional, and cognitive domains
Benefit continues

For parents and guardians For teachers

-Encourages input from parents and guardians through -Contributes to a group effort to improve students’
advisory groups and surveys performance

-Provides support regarding children’s’ academic and -Encourages teacher’ input and ideas
social development
-Includes related curriculum ideas for classroom
guidance activities
-Presents parents and guardians with information about
offered resources
Why do we need school counselors?

School counselors are needed to help address these issues systematically, helping students maximize
their academic success and augment their overall well-being, through implementing a
comprehensive school counseling program. Previous research suggests the effectiveness of
comprehensive preventive and intervention programs on students' overall success and development.
Why do we need a school comprehensive plan

● to guarantee the adequate outcome for every student with anticipated awareness given to their unique characteristics,

including physical constraints, mental insight, personal abilities and social factors such as household environment,

family situations and cultural conflicts.

● The extent of the program is widespread with a particular emphasis on preventative and developmental strategies.

● Program development is generally established on student data accumulated over the years. The American School

Counselor Association provides a framework for a comprehensive school counseling program that assists school

counselors in providing the highest quality of counseling strategies for the diverse student population (ASCA, 2019).
Mapping and what is missing at PS256@43
In PS 256@43 strategies are essential to the school counseling comprehensive program. Mapping is based on the learning strategy of self- motivation

and self direction to identify long and short term academic, career and social/emotional goals. These mindset and behavior components are

fundamental at PS 256@43 as the students are mentally vulnerable.

Unfortunately, at PS 256@43 all mapping methods are not implemented. As a K-8 institution we neglect lessons based on career and college

focus aspirations. There is simply mention of different career options shared with students without insight into the process of securing employment or

college admissions process. While it is understandable that the school counselor wants to distribute the same information,it leaves more to be desired

in regards to challenging the students academically and socially. Although the school counselor at PS 256@43 strives to engage all students with the

same lessons not all students can interpret the lessons she is trying to deliver in the same way. Mapping by grade level does not account for the

individuality of students, especially those with special needs and dual diagnosis. However mapping mindsets and behaviors diverts focus from

academic pursuits only and places importance on attainable goals especially important and attainable for students with developmental, intellectual and

social emotional delays and differences. Mapping reinforces accountability and provides an opportunity to assess accomplishments against goals.

categorizing activities
Recommendations for next step
The NYSED has numerous requirements for the students and school administrators. In order to move towards implementing a comprehensive school

counselor program, school counselors must be available full time in the school building. Unfortunately, while the NYSED requirements mandate

school counselors, they do not require schools to hire school counselors in a full time capacity. School Counselors often divide their attendance

among various schools. The school counselor at PS 256@43 has to split her time between 3 schools in NYC. Hiring school counselors full time to

work in a single school building will alleviate the stress of the counselor and validate the necessity of the school counselor position. It is especially

concerning, during the pandemic of COVID-19, that school counselors limit exposure by remaining in a single school building, rather than travel to

multiple locations decreasing tracing ability and increasing potential exposure. Salary for school counselors should be included along with the salary

of other essential staff including, teachers, principals and other administrators. Increasing the budget would give enough money to pay a school

counselor and support the existing program.

 Reference
Amatea, E. S., & Clark, M. A. (2005). Changing Schools, Changing Counselors: A Qualitative Study of School Administrators’ Conceptions of the School Counselor Role. Professional School Counseling, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759x0500900101
The ASCA National Model: A Framework For School Counseling Programs. (2019). PsycEXTRA Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/e504812012-001
Camelford, K. G., & Ebrahim, C. H. (2017). Factors That Affect Implementation of a Comprehensive School Counseling Program in Secondary Schools. VISTAS Online. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/vistas/comprehensive-school-
counseling.pdf?sfvrsn=4.
Cervoni, A., & DeLucia-Waack, J. (2010, November 30). Role Conflict and Ambiguity as Predictors of Job Satisfaction in High School Counselors. Journal of School Counseling. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ914271.