Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
- What is a professional school counselor?
- What does a professional school counselor do?
- What are the PWC objectives for the school counseling program?
- What is the foundation of the school counseling program?
- How do school counselors deliver their programs?
- How do school counselors manage their programs?
- How do school counselors assess the effectiveness of their programs?
- How can a student make an appointment to see a counselor?
- How can a parent get in touch with the counselor?
- What are the ethical standards of a counselor?
- What groups are offered at Tyler?
- What is the peer mediation program?
What is a professional school counselor?
"The professional school counselor is a certified/licensed educator trained
in school counseling with unique qualifications and skills to address all
students' academic, personal/social, and career development needs."
Source: "The Role of the Professional School Counselor." American School
Counselor Association. Timberlake Publishing: 2005. Alexandria, VA.
What does a professional school counselor do?
Professional school counselors are educators who counsel, help, equip, and
teach students how to meet with success in the areas of academics,
relationships, and career development through small group and individual
counseling and classroom guidance lessons.
What are the PWC objectives for the school counseling program?
ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT
GOAL: Students will acquire the academic preparation essential to chose
from a variety of educational, training, and employment options upon
completion of secondary school.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
GOAL: Students will investigate the world of work in order to make informed
career decisions.
PERSONAL/SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
GOAL: Students will acquire an understanding of, and respect for, self and
others, and the skills to be responsible citizens.
Kindergarten:
KA.1: Recognize responsibilities of being a student worker in school.
KC.1: Identify areas of interest.
KC.2: Develop awareness of careers in the community.
KP.1: Recognize and appreciate one's unique abilities.
KP.2: Identify and understand the meaning of various feeling words.
KP.3: Develop awareness of empathy.
KP.4: Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior in school.
KP.5: Use appropriate communication skills to ask for help when needed.
First Grade:
1A.1: Develop skills and positive work habits (including task completion)
to successfully meet school requirements.
1A.2: Understand that mistakes are essential to the learning process.
1A.3: Understand the importance of goal setting.
1C.1: Develop an understanding of roles and contributions of workers in
school, home, and community.
1C.2: Identify personal skills, abilities, and interests in the areas of
academic, career, and personal/social development.
1P.1: Describe how to express feelings in constructive ways (i.e. "I
statements.")
1P.2: Develop an awareness of the importance of personal safety (i.e. Know
telephone number, home address, emergency contact information, Stranger
Danger).
1P.3: Identify situations requiring adult professional help.
Second Grade:
2A.1: Develop awareness of goal-setting steps.
2A.2: Recognize the relationship between goal setting and accomplishing
work.
2A.3: Work independently to achieve academic success.
2A.4: Identify and utilize test-taking skills.
2C.1: Learn about the variety of traditional and non-traditional
occupations in a changing work place.
2C.2: Identify resource people in the school and community and understand
how to seek their help.
2P.1: Identify forms of communication (e.g., listening, speaking, body
language, etc.)
2P.2: Develop awareness of individual differences.
2P.3: Define "friend" and describe what is meant by "friendship."
2P.4: Recognize how personal behavior affects group dynamics.
2P.5: Recognize peer pressure and bullying situations.
2P.6: Recognize different coping strategies to deal with situations.
Third Grade:
3A.1: Set realistic short-term goals.
3A.2: Recognize the relationship between learning/achievement and personal
effort.
3A.3: Identify and utilize study, organizational, and test-taking skills.
3A.4: Display a positive work ethic (persistence, self-motivation,
punctuality, etc.)
3A.5: Identify how group participation contributes to learning.
3C.1: Demonstrate how a positive outlook regarding self, education and work
enhances potential and increases productivity.
3C.2: Recognize that skills, abilities, and interests are considerations in
the choice of careers.
3C.3: Understand that jobs with similar characteristics may be grouped as
job families or career clusters.
3P.1: Identify different modes of interpersonal communication (verbal, non-
verbal).
3P.2: Positively communicate thoughts, feelings, and needs to others in a
variety of situations.
3P.3: Demonstrate and accept responsibility for individual behavior and how
it affects others.
3P.4: Demonstrate self-control.
3P.5: Demonstrate how to communicate positively in a conflict situation.
3P.6: Explain the skills needed to function effectively in groups.
3P.7: Identify the decision-making process.
3P.8: Understand that diversity exists in the United States of America and
appreciate the similarities and differences of all ethnic backgrounds.
Fourth Grade:
4A.1: Identify and describe how decision-making, problem-solving, and
coping skills support or interfere with academic achievement.
4A.2: Identify and utilize effective test-taking skills.
4A.3: Demonstrate time management and organizational skills.
4A.5: Understand how personal learning styles can impact school
achievement.
4C.1: Identify hobbies and interests.
4C.2: Relate each step of the decision-making/problem-solving process to
career development (awareness, exploration, and preparation).
4P.1: Evaluate methods of expressing feelings.
4P.2: Identify and describe the steps in a decision-making/problem-solving
process.
4P.3: Identify factors that influence personal decisions.
4P.4: Generate alternative solutions to problems and consider/evaluate
consequences.
4P.5: Demonstrate the decision-making process.
4P.6: Recognize that group members may have differing opinions.
4P.7: Demonstrate different coping strategies for various situations and
life changes.
4P.8: Identify factors that impact personal safety and well-being (i.e.
substance abuse, etc.).
4P.9: Demonstrate self-reliance.
Fifth Grade:
5A.1: Set realistic long-term goals.
5A.2: Apply personal learning style.
5A.3: Recognize the benefits of individual initiative and teamwork.
5C.1: Compile a list of personal abilities.
5C.2: Describe how personal strengths in school work affect future goals
and career options.
5C.3: Understand that the changing workplace requires lifelong learning and
acquiring new skills.
5C.4: Acquire employability skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and
organization.
5C.5: Identify career choices through various means of exploration.
5C.6: Describe changes as inevitable and necessary to adapt to new
situations, (e.g., middle school).
5P.1: Describe how verbal and non-verbal behavior influence interpersonal
relationships.
5P.2: Demonstrate how to communicate with others.
5P.3: Demonstrate appreciation and respect for similarities and differences
in opinions.
5P.4: Describe strategies for getting along with others.
5P.5: Demonstrate how to disagree with other without provoking them.
5P.6: Demonstrate appropriate responses to ease a conflict situation.
5P.7: Demonstrate effective responses to peer pressure and bullying
situations.
5P.8: Identify and analyze group dynamics in a variety of situations.
What is the foundation of the school counseling program?
According to the American School Counselor Association National Model, a
comprehensive school counseling program is based on a written statement of
philosophy for the school counseling program that addresses beliefs and
values for all students; goals of the counseling program; role of the school
counseling program in the educational process; use of data in program
development and evaluation; a written mission statement that creates one
vision, is student focused, includes long range goals for all students, and
is aligned with the school's mission.
How do school counselors deliver their programs?
Professional School Counselors deliver their program in the following ways:
counseling individuals and small groups, conducting classroom guidance
lessons, collaborating with school staff and community agencies, supporting
students with special needs, and offering crisis intervention and prevention.
School Counselors also provide the following services for parents and
guardians: Parent Workshops (parent education and discussion groups),
referrals to community resources, and information about situations that may
be harmful to students.
How do school counselors manage their programs?
Professional school counselors manage their programs through a written
agreement and weekly meetings with administration; regular collaboration
with the Counseling Advisory Committee; annual, monthly and weekly calendars
for the purpose of planning and organizing the implementation of the school
counseling program, and ensuring that 60% of their time is devoted to direct
services to students through individual and small group counseling.
How do school counselors assess the effectiveness of their programs?
Professional School Counselors collect data on the effectiveness of
classroom guidance lessons, small group counseling sessions, etc., and
analyze this data to constantly improve the program and better meet the
needs of the students. This data is shared with the key stakeholders and
used to improve the school counseling program.
How can a student make an appointment to see a counselor?
Students may refer themselves to the counselor by filling out "Notes to the
Counselor" located in each classroom. If a student has an emergency
situation, they may put a red dot on the request form, and the counselor
will try to see them before the end of the school day.
Besides self-referral, students can be referred to the counselor by
teachers, parents, administrators, or the Child Study committee.
Counselors are available for on-going individual counseling, should your
child need to work on a particular issue. Parental permission is required
after meeting a student more than 3 times for the same issue, to continue on-
going individual counseling.
How can a parent get in touch with the counselor?
If you
would like your child to see the counselor, please call 703.754.7181 Ext.
230 or email Mrs. Chamberlain at chambejh@pwcs.edu.
What are the ethical standards of a counselor?
A.2.b "The professional school counselor keeps information confidential
unless disclosure is required to prevent clear and imminent danger to the
student or others, or when legal requirements demand that confidential
information be revealed. Counselors will consult with appropriate
professionals when in doubt as to the validity of an exception."
Source: "Ethical Standards for School Counselors." American School
Counselor Association.
Parents have the right to know what their child has discussed with us in a
counseling session. We encourage students to take the initiative to talk to
their parents about counseling sessions. This keeps parents informed, but
promotes rapport and trust between the counselor and the student.
What groups are offered at Tyler?
Secret Agents (for selected fourth grade boys who are interested in doing
random acts of kindness around Tyler); Girls on the Run (running group for
fourth and fifth grade girls); Ladies that Lunch (fifth grade girls); Making
Good Choices (anger management)(available for all grade levels); Stars and
Stripes (military families); Organizational Bootcamp (organizational and
study skills); Grief and Loss Group; and Banana Splits (children from
divorced and separated families). For fourth grade the Safe Homes/Safe Kids
Program will be implemented.
What is the peer mediation program?
Selected fifth graders mediate conflicts for students in grades 1-5.
Each year, 4th grade teachers are asked to nominate students for the next
year's peer mediation program. The school counselors interview these
students and ask them to complete applications in order to select those best
suited for the position. Ten students are selected. These students
participate in a fourth grade Prince William County training session, and 3
training sessions in the fall of the fifth grade year at Tyler.
If a couple of students have a continuing argument, one of the students or a
staff member may ask for a peer mediation. Physical fighting, bullying, and
other discipline issues are referred to administration instead of peer
mediators.
There is a weekly schedule on the resource door adjacent to the Counseling
Center. Staff members can sign up for a date and time by writing the room
number and the name of the teacher in the slot; this protects the privacy of
the students involved. Peer mediators are available during 5th grade recess
and 5th grade core extension.
Each peer mediator is assigned an "On-Call" day of the week. Peer mediators
check their On-Call days to see when they are assigned mediations. One or
two peer mediators will come to the referring staff member at the scheduled
time to pick up the students. Some students may choose not to participate in
peer mediation sessions. In this case, the students may be referred for
mediation with a school counselor.
Peer mediators will bring students to a school counselor's office for
mediation. They will explain the mediation process to the students, and will
help the students come to a written agreement under the supervision of a
school counselor. At the end of the mediation, the students will sign the
agreement, and the peer mediators will walk them back to class.
Peer mediators set a positive example for their classmates, and they are
encouraged to serve their school community by performing the following
duties: doing public service announcements, putting up school signs, and
helping with charitable events.
