Culturally Sustaining School Counseling Specialist

Location: Online, Self-paced                                                            

Course Description
The United States is racially, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse, which means its schools are as well. Furthermore, culture is a powerful and pervasive influence on students, stakeholders and school counselors’ attitudes and behaviors. For that reason, there is a critical need for multicultural education in all K–12 schools, no matter the demographic.

School counselors are ethically obligated to maintain the highest respect for student diversity, respecting students’ and families’ values, beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identification/expression and cultural background and exercise great care to avoid imposing personal beliefs or values rooted in one’s religion, culture or ethnicity. As leaders, advocates and systemic change agents, school counselors are in a position to collaborate with stakeholders to create a school and community climate that embraces cultural diversity and helps promote students’ academic, career and social/emotional success. Learn how you can foster increased awareness, understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity in the school community through culturally sustaining school counseling. View the Specialist syllabus. 

Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to: 

Module 1: Self-reflection and Personal Bias

• Identify and acknowledge personal limitations and biases and articulate how they may affect your work as a school counselor 
• Monitor and expand personal multicultural and social-justice advocacy awareness, knowledge and skills
• Identify those around you who have an impact on your personal bias
• Complete a self-reflection and personal bias assessment 
• Define cultural sensitivity

Module 2: The Role of the School Counselor 

• Discuss the school counselor’s role in leading multicultural education efforts
• Explain how prejudice, privilege and various forms of oppression based on ethnicity, racial identity, culture, age, economic status, abilities/disabilities, language, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity expression, family type, religious/spiritual identity, appearance and living situations affect students’ achievement, behavior, relationships and overall performance in school, as well as the perception of other stakeholders
• Maintain and communicate high expectations for every student, regardless of cultural, social or economic background
• Collaborate with administrators, teachers and other staff in the school and district to ensure culturally sustaining curricula and student-centered instruction
• Critically reflect on your own school counseling experiences and practices involving race and equity, including identifying your own bias thinking
• Explain the need and value for multicultural education in K–12 schools
• Use culturally inclusive language in all forms of communication

Module 3: Culturally Sustainable Work with Students and Families 

• Talk to students about race issues and anti-racism
• Demonstrate basic knowledge and respect of differences in customs, communications, traditions, values and other traits among students based on race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or intellectual ability and other factors 
• Discuss how all parents/guardians, custodial and noncustodial, are vested with certain rights and responsibilities for their children’s welfare by virtue of their role and according to law
• Explain the dynamics of cross-cultural communications and demonstrate the ability to communicate with persons of other cultures effectively
• Design and implement multicultural education interventions in your school counseling instruction, group counseling and schoolwide activities
• Describe how to deliver culturally sustaining school counseling through the framework of the ASCA National Model

Registration Fee
For $99 ($249 for nonmembers), you can earn 5 CEUs/50 Contact Hours focused on developing a culturally sustaining school counseling program, all from the comfort of your own home or office. Graduate credit is available for an additional fee.