It’s taken me years to truly understand the themes of the Washington State Comprehensive School Counseling and Guidance Program Model. I could name them (leadership, advocacy, collaboration and systemic change), but it wasn’t until recently that I recognized their application. This is especially true of the theme of collaboration. Collaboration is to work with all stakeholders, both inside and outside the school system, to develop and implement educational programs that support students. It’s a challenging task that first requires us to understand and appreciate the contributions others make to educating all children. Next, we need to build effective teams and working relationships.
My first lesson in collaboration was very early in my career when I thought I could improve students’ grades or attendance through individual or group counseling alone. I was convinced, for instance, that if our advisement session was particularly good and I applied all I had learned about counseling theory, students’ grades would improve. Looking at the data, however, proved that individual counseling alone was not sufficient. I learned to partner with the teachers and the parents/guardians. I also learned that what was most effective was not the plan we developed (although that certainly helped), it was the establishment of a working relationship between student, teacher, and parents/guardians. In other words, my working relationship with a student didn’t make the difference. My consulting to facilitate a relationship between the student/teacher/parents or guardians did. Similar skills but a different application.
My second lesson related to the school counseling core curriculum. I’ve always been protective of school counselors and it always made me uncomfortable when other staff taught lessons that addressed our ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. I was sure that if someone else taught social/emotional or career-based lessons, school counselors would go way of the dinosaurs in a matter of time. I’ve learned, however, that there are too many students and too many important attitudes, bits of knowledge, and skills that they will need. We have to partner with teachers, career specialists, prevention specialists, and others to make sure all students have what they need to grow and develop. I’m a big fan of co-teaching. I’ve enjoyed delivering High School and Beyond Plan lessons with our career specialist, lessons on self-management with a prevention specialist, and lessons in creating positive relationships with a social studies teacher. Co-teaching, or otherwise sharing the work, ensures that school counselors are working in tandem with others to support all students.
My third lesson had to do with establishing an advisory council. Very few school counseling programs have an advisory council; it’s often considered a high-wire act only performed by schools seeking Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation from the American School Counselor Association. I’ve found, however, that an advisory council reflecting the diversity of the community (students, parents, teachers, school counselors, administrators, school board members, and business and community members) can be an invaluable asset. Forming an advisory council from the start can make implementing the Washington State Comprehensive School Counseling and Guidance Program Model easier. And this is really the key: collaboration, overall, makes our work more effective and efficient.