FUTURE ROLES

OF SCHOOL
COUNSELLORS

Nor Zaiham Midawati Abdullah

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of
Education
Universiti Brunei Darussalam
What is our role as school
counsellors?
Then Covid 19 happened

In Brunei Darussalam
1st Wave : 9th March 2020
2nd Wave: 7th August 2021
Early Endemic Phase: 15th December 2021
3rd Wave: Early February 2022
Endemic Phase: 1st June 2022
 Work From Home, Online
Increased number of patients in
Learning, Video
hospital and isolation units
Conferencing,
Online Assessment

ALL
Business affected, CHANGE Lockdowns &
Financial Difficulty & Movement
Work Retrenchment
DURING
Restrictions
COVID 19

Change of Family Pattern No Social Gathering /

(Communication & No Outdoor Activities
Interaction)
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

Anxiety Loneliness

Stress Trauma

Fear Isolation
NEW NORMAL IN EDUCATION
Keep pace with Online Learning
digital age 1 2 (blended learning,
hybrid learning)

Adopt to new school

environment 8 3
Home Learning Pack
(HLP) – no internet

Online Guidance and

counselling 7 4 Work From Home

Video Conferencing 6 5 Online assessment

Challenges of school
counsellors during
Covid 19 in Brunei
(Affandi, 2021; Bakar 2021;
Shazli, 2021)
 Readiness to
Digital
technology
• Unprepared for digital technology

• Lack of technology mastery

• Internet coverage

• Student’s willingness and openness

via online

• Risk of online counselling

Juggling between
family and work

• Work from home

• Commitment

• Supervising children with

online learning

• Conducting guidance and

counselling programme online
 Time
Boundary

• Working around
the clock

• Students
contacting at any
time (Whatsapp,
etc.)
 Meeting the client
• Dilemma among counsellors

• Emotional connection with clients

• Inavailability of gadgets

• Unstable internet connection

• Uncertainty

• Confidentiality issues from clients

side

• Timing
Mental Health
Issues
Psychological
and emotional
wellbeing

• Burnout
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Sleeplessness
• Inability to focus well
• Emotional exhaustion
NEW ROLES OF
SCHOOL
COUNSELLORS
 Digital competence

• Digital literacy and

competency
• Online Counselling
- Flexible and accessible
- Safe
- Cost effective
- Lessen social perception
• Use social media platforms to
disseminate information,
create awareness, provide
support and foster wellbeing

• Tiktok and Instagram: Self-

help information

• Online tools and assessment

 Social Media
Abbreviations

Emoticon
s
Client’s message

SRSLY, IDK & IDC.

FTGG.

Seriously, I don’t know

and I don’t care.
Fun Talking, Gotta Go.
IRL, I FOMO.
QQ JSYK

In Real Life, I Fear Of

Missing Out *cry*
Just So You Know

QQ = cry
Be alert with abbreviation
that means negative feelings

 KYS: Kill Your Self

 KMS: Kill Myself
 SMH: Shaking My Head
(shock or disappointment)
 CWOT: Complete Waste Of
Time
 CS: Career Suicide
 DBMIE: Don’t Bother me I’m Busy
 FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out
 NSFW: Not Safe For Work
 Digital Safety
• Raise awareness regarding their
safety online

• Acceptable or unacceptable to do
online

• Sharing personal information and

password

• Privacy online: video camera,

accepting request

• Cyberbullying, Phishing, Scams,

Child Grooming

• Ensuring students’ mental health

UPGRADE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
• Keeping abreast with the current trends and
technique in guidance and counselling

• Attend training in certain therapy

• Come up with our own modalities or

techniques that suits a client

• Need to be creative - previous technique may

not be relevant now. Modify and do not
compare

• Collaborate with other professionals

Promote Mental Health and Wellbeing

• Provide a comprehensive guidance and counselling programme

• Provide support for students and staffs

• Continue to provide individual counselling

and group counselling

• Teach students coping skills that may include play and activities
in counselling session (such as role play), etc.

• Organise school-based awareness programme and preventive

programmes such as stress management, cyberbullying
awareness, mental health awareness programme, etc.

Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin
Haji Sulaiman during his opening keynote
address at the ASEAN Business and
Investment Roundtables
30th September 2021
IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
“Equipping the society for a digital future
relies on the development of the younger
generation with relevant skills and
knowledge in this digital era. As technology
is just the enabler, it is crucial that the
society, in particular the students, are well
equipped with relevant 21st Century skills,
knowledge and competencies by focussing
on the 6Cs – critical thinking; collaboration;
communication; creativity; cultural
awareness; and character education. These
will serve as the foundation to respond to
the needs of Fourth Industrial Revolution
and Society 5.0, where the demand for
technological, social and emotional as well
as higher cognitive skills will grow.”
21 Century Skill
st
21st CENTURY SKILLS
 CHARACTER BUILDING
• Character building is essential foundation of
nation building

• Sense of identity

• Encourage positive social values

• Good personality and ‘adab’: Build social and life

skill

• Appreciate what we have, self-acceptance

• Foster students to become a caring and

responsible citizens, confidence, compassion,
optimism, self-respect, mutual respect,
trustworthy, perseverance, resilience and
wellbeing, tolerance, emotional intelligence
 CITIZENSHIP
(Embracing Culture)

• Belief and values in our society that

we hold

• Understands global issues of diverse

values and world views

• Respect other cultures and races

• Sense of identity – Brunei

Darussalam’s Melayu Islam Beraja
(MIB)

• Promote global citizens

• Active participation in the society that

impacts human and environmental
sustainability
 COMMUNICATION
• The importance of speaking, listening and
conveying thought, ideas and feelings verbally,
non-verbally and digitally

• Adaptability of using digital technology

• In counselling session, clients to convey the

thoughts, feelings and ideas via various
modalities such as sand therapy, role play, art
therapy, etc.

• In group guidance and counselling, they

communicate, detect meanings, and instill
empathy
CRITICAL THINKING
It requires students to gather information,
organized ideas, think of solutions, consider
alternatives and communicate their
decisions effectively.

It enhances problem solving skills as students to

think of the pros and cons of their doings.

Critical thinking is essential and stimulates

creativity.

For example: CBT and guidance programme

COLLABORATION
• Work effectively together.

• Exchange of ideas, being able to learn from each

other, share with others, and express oneself to
them.

• Team-building and trust building activities

• In Brunei, Forum SINAR: Collaboration with

different agencies such as Prison Department,
Royal Brunei Police Force, Narchotic Control
Bureau, Pusat Dakwah Islamiah, Jabatan Adat
Istiadat Negara, etc.

• Kem U.M.A.T (Untuk Mu Amalan Terpuji) aims

to improve the self-quality of students to be
more responsible in fulfilling Brunei Vision
2035.
 CREATIVITY
• Ability for students to utilize the
knowledge and skills they gained to be
innovative

• Imagination that results in creating

something new

• In counselling, creativity is enhance

through therapeutic conversation,
implementation of various techniques as
it nurtures new ideas, knowledge and
perspectives.

• Creativity gives us the flexibility to look at

things from various angles and allows us to
move in a new direction.
Industrial Revolution 4.0 to
Industry 5.0
-
-
Analytical thinking and innovation
Complex problem-solving
TOP 10 IN-
DEMAND SKILLS
- Critical thinking and analysis
- Creativity, originality and initiative
- Reasoning, problem-solving and
ideation (Future of Jobs Report, 2020)
Problem-
Working
solving Leadership and social influence
with
People

1 2 - Technology use, monitoring

Technology and control
- Technology design and
use and programming
3 development
TOP 10
in-demand
- Active learning and learning
skills of 4 Self-
strategies
2025 Manageme - Resilience, stress tolerance
nt and flexibility
 Coping Strategies
Personal wellness
activities
(Leisure, self-care,
staying active)
Mindfulness
Social Support Relaxing, senses, thoughts
Talk therapy and feelings

Peer supervision
and consultation Spiritual
Connect to Allah (Tahajjud,
Debriefing, case
conference Doa, Redha)

Professional and
positive outlook Refresh niat
Acknowledging one’s self
Goals and intentions
limitations, need to be equipped
with latest approaches

Resilience
Adapting to challenges
 Top 10 in-demand Skills (Future of Jobs Report, 2016, 2020)
2015 2020 2025
1. Complex problem-solving Complex problem-solving Analytical Thinking and
Innovation
2. Coordinating with others Critical Thinking Active Listening and Learning
Strategies
3. People Management Creativity Complex Problem-Solving

4. Critical Thinking People Management Critical Thinking and Analysis

5. Negotiation Coordinating with others Creativity, Originality and

Initiative
6. Quality Control Emotional intelligence Leadership and Social
Influence
7. Service Orientation Judgement & Decision Technology Use, Monitoring
Making and Control
8. Judgement and decision- Service Orientation Technology Design and
making Programming
9. Active listening Negotiation Resilience, Stress Tolerance
and Flexibility
10. Creativity Cognitive Flexibility Reasoning, Problem Solving
and Ideation
WHAT IS
YOUR
TAKE
HOME
MESSAGE
 • Upgrade skills
• Adaptation
• Collaborate with other agencies
• Visibility and approachable
IN CONCLUSION • Prioritise your wellbeing
• Coping strategies
• Work life Balance
• Get support
Any further question, feel free to ask me at:

norzaiham.abdullah@ubd.edu.bn