Introduction
Shelby County School Counselors Care

School Counseling is in Shelby County Schools and is designed to meet the needs of the students.

Counselors work with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community.

Students can be referred to a counselor by a parent, a student, a teacher, an administrator, or by him/herself.

If a parent wants to refer their child, the process is simple—just call the school and talk with the counselor or schedule an appointment for a face-to-face meeting with the counselor.

All school counselors in Shelby County Schools have at least a Masters Degree in School Counseling.

Shelby County School Counselors are available to help students.

Rationale

The rationale for counseling programs in schools is to be more responsive to the challenges that students, parents, teachers, and the community face today and in the future. The emphasis is on reaching all students with a school counseling program that is based on a clearly designed program emphasizing standards, activities, needs assessments, program assessments, and procedures. The school counseling program incorporates a team approach, performance indicators, deficiency remediation, and systematic implementation.

To insure the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program, each school must address the following issues:

• School counseling reaching 100% of the students.
• A plan for addressing student needs.
• A plan for accountability.
• A plan for needs and program assessment.
• Programs based on “student needs” rather than “scheduling” needs.

Assumptions about a comprehensive school counseling program are as follows:

• It serves all the students.
• It helps students function more effectively.
• It is an integral part of the total educational program.
• It addresses performance expectations and performance indicators.
• It is correlated to other subjects.
• It guarantees the student access to the counselor and the counselor access to the student.
• It assists students with their educational, career, and personal and social development.
• It provides developmental, as well as, prevention and intervention services.
• It is continually revised through program assessment and needs assessment.

SCS Philosophy of School Counseling

We believe in the worth, dignity, and uniqueness of each individual. We also believe that each school has unique needs. Therefore, each school counseling program is designed to address the specific needs of their students and community. The counseling program is coordinated in conjunction with services provided by social workers, school psychologists, administrators, the school faculty, special education staff, and the Central Office.

With this in mind the Shelby County Schools’ Counseling Program is also coordinated with National School Counselors’ Standards and the State Counseling Model. This model has four major components—

School Counseling Curriculum,
Individual Planning,
Responsive Services, and
Program Support.

Also included in the counseling program are needs assessment and ongoing program assessment. Finally, the counseling program takes advantage of community resources to provide workshops for teachers and counselors, speakers for parents and students, and career awareness opportunities.

The objectives for the counseling program are based on National School Counselors’ Standards. The goal of these objectives is to help students:

1. To acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and skills which contribute to effective learning in school and across their life span.
2. To complete school with the academic preparation essential to choose from a wide range of substantial post secondary options, including college.
3. To understand the relationship of academics to the world of work, to life at home, and in the community.
4. To acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions.
5. To employ strategies to achieve future career success and satisfaction.
6. To understand the relationship among personal qualities, education and training, and the world of work.
7. To acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others.
8. To make decisions, set goals, and take necessary action to achieve goals.
9. To understand safety and survival skills.
10. To utilize technology to enhance learning.

School Counseling Program Components

These components are based on the Tennessee School Counseling Model.

I. Classroom Curriculum

A. Classroom Guidance

1. Developmental
2. Based on National Standards
3. Based on needs of the school

B. Time Percentages

1. K-5 20-35% of the time
2. 6-8 20-30% of the time

II. Individual Planning

1. Personal, educational, and occupational goals
2. Use information about the student’s personal-social and career goals to assist in planning
3. School, parents, and students essential in this stage of planning
4. Behavior Plans
5. Student Observation
6. Transition
7. Individual Assessment/Advisement
8. Individual and Small Group for the Purpose of Planning

a. Analyzing and evaluating

1. Students abilities, interests, skills, and achievement
2. Students test information
3. Long and short range planning

b. Individual assessment

c. Four Year Plan

1. Individual, small, and large group
2. Students, parents, and teachers
3. Collaboration with the high school

III. Responsive Services

A. Individual

1. As needed
2. Signed parental permission required after the first visit
3. Referral to the counselor may be made by

a. Self
b. Peer
c. Teacher
d. Administrator
e. Parent
f. Other

B. Small Group

1. Based on Needs Assessment
2. Variety of Groups
3. Signed Parental Permission Required
4. Topics

1. Academic
2. Career
3. Social
4. Personal

C. Crisis

1. Meeting immediate needs
2. Crisis

D. Consultation

1. Parents
2. Teachers
3. Administration
4. Agencies
5. Other professionals

E. Referral within the system

1. S-team
2. Student Assistance Program
3. School Social Worker
4. Behavior Consultant
5. Intervention Services

F. Parenting

1. Workshops
2. Activities

IV. Program Support

A. Staff Development/Professional Development

1. Inservice/Professional Development meetings
2. Updating professional knowledge

B. Staff and Community Relations

1. Orientation to the school counseling program
2. Public relations

C. Committees

1. Advisory Committees
2. Community Committees
3. Curriculum Committees
4. Professional Development Committees
5. School Improvement Committees

D. Fair-Share Responsibilities

1. Responsibilities required by all school staff

E. Program Management and Operations

1. Planning and managing tasks needed to support school counseling activities

F. Positive Public Relations

1. Keep administrators informed
2. Presentations to parents at PTA meetings about the school counseling programs (obtain permission from the school administrator)
3. Informational posters/signs around the school concerning the school counseling program
a. Counselor’s schedule (day(s) at the school)
b. Counselor’s room number/location
c. Positive messages
4. Articles in the local paper about up-coming events (consult with the school administrator)
5. Participate when invited to speak at various community functions
6. Design school counseling bulletin boards
7. Send home school counseling messages
8. Communicate with teachers
9. Write a column, “Counselor’s Corner,” in the school paper or newsletter
10. Represent your school(s) and the school counseling program in positive ways
11. Send “school counseling goodies” to the teachers.