(5) Equity, Fairness and Diversity: Candidates who complete the program are accomplished school counselors and educational leaders who have the knowledge, ability, and cultural competence to model and promote behavior appropriate in a diverse and global society by showing respect for and valuing all members of the community. They demonstrate fairness, equity, and sensitivity to every student, and they advocate for equitable access to instructional programs and activities. Candidates:
No matter the students gender, race, culture, sexual preference, height, developmental ability, socio-economic status, or whatever specific factors relating to a student’s experience of the world, as a school counselor I am their advocate and a resource to ensure that they are treated with the equity and respect that should be garnered to every human being.
The Multicultural Counseling, Foundations of School Counseling, and the Parents, Families, and Communities in school, and Youth at Risk courses that I took all were very helpful in ensuring I understood my role as a Professional School Counselor and had the skills necessary to ensure equity, fairness, and diversity were upheld at the schools I work in.
(a) Advocate for all students and for effective school counseling programs.
Student Advocacy
As a school counselor, it is important that students know you are a resource there to advocate for them and that they can come see you about any issue they are dealing with. That you are an ally, an advocate, a resource, a safe haven, and that you aren't there to judge them.
The way in which I accomplished sharing this information with students before they even met with me as a counselor was by utilizing visual aids students could see before they had need to or met with me, and that in my office at each site again there were visual aids clearly representing my purpose as a school counselor to advocate for them. When I did meet with students, I ensured they were clear that they could talk freely to me about anything, but that I did have an obligation to protect them as a mandated reporter if they were being harmed, were going to harm themselves or another person. As and advocate, ally, and resource, my first job was to ensure their safety.
Working with administrative staff, I participated in SST, 504, IEP meetings, as well as behavioral placement and expulsion hearings which allowed me to advocate on behalf of students to ensure that they were receiving fair and equitable treatment.
While at Hamlin Middle School, I worked closely with a student who had multiple diagnoses - bipolar, oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), Attention Deficit Hyper activity Disorder (ADHD), and another student who had anger management issues which led to them facing an expulsion hearings.
In the case of the student with the multiple diagnoses I was able to advocate for them and demonstrate the progress they had made in improving their behavior while ensuring that the expectations placed on them were in keeping with their developmental capabilities in the context of their diagnoses.
In the case of the student with anger management issues, I was able to help the administration understand that the student's behavior was largely a by product of family systems issues and in doing so was able to advocate for them and demonstrate the progress they had made. This also facilitated the opportunity for me to work with the students parent and provide resources for them to get family counseling and attend anger management meetings available to them as well.
At Maple Elementary, I worked with the administration and Kindergarten teacher to observe behavior, while working one on one with a student new to the school who we had next to no information on to determine whether or not the student was capable of success in a traditional school environment.
All our students don't come to school with developmental equality, and each have their own challenges and talents, it is my job to ensure that their needs are being met as necessary to them as an individual.
(b) Understand the role of racial, ethnic, and cultural heritage, nationality, socioeconomic status, family structure, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, occupation, physical and mental status, and equity issues in school counseling.
The Role of Diversity
Each student experiences life in a way that is unique to their lens of perception, and that lens has been shaped by their racial, ethnic, and cultural heritage, nationality, socioeconomic status, family structure, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, occupation, physical and mental status, and equity experiences as they go through life.
It is my role as a Professional School Counselor, to help them better understand themselves in a more positive proactive way that celebrates who they are as an individual and with acceptance for all the aspects of their life that shape them, and to be there as a resource, ally, and advocate for them.
When a student at Hamlin Middle School was dealing with coming to terms that they were homosexual and that this was in conflict with their families spiritual beliefs, I made sure that they knew the counseling office was a safe place where they were accepted for who they were without judgment. I then put the student in contact with local LGBTQ resources and introduced them to The Trevor Project so they could have additional supports. I also met with this student and their guardian to provide additional support and provide information regarding family counseling resources outside of the school.
No matter the students gender, race, culture, sexual preference, height, developmental ability, socio-economic status, or whatever specific factors relating to a student’s experience of the world, as a school counselor I am their advocate and a resource to ensure that they are treated with the equity and respect that should be garnered to every human being.
The Multicultural Counseling, Foundations of School Counseling, and the Parents, Families, and Communities in school, and Youth at Risk courses that I took all were very helpful in ensuring I understood my role as a Professional School Counselor and had the skills necessary to ensure equity, fairness, and diversity were upheld at the schools I work in.
(a) Advocate for all students and for effective school counseling programs.
Student Advocacy
As a school counselor, it is important that students know you are a resource there to advocate for them and that they can come see you about any issue they are dealing with. That you are an ally, an advocate, a resource, a safe haven, and that you aren't there to judge them.
The way in which I accomplished sharing this information with students before they even met with me as a counselor was by utilizing visual aids students could see before they had need to or met with me, and that in my office at each site again there were visual aids clearly representing my purpose as a school counselor to advocate for them. When I did meet with students, I ensured they were clear that they could talk freely to me about anything, but that I did have an obligation to protect them as a mandated reporter if they were being harmed, were going to harm themselves or another person. As and advocate, ally, and resource, my first job was to ensure their safety.
Working with administrative staff, I participated in SST, 504, IEP meetings, as well as behavioral placement and expulsion hearings which allowed me to advocate on behalf of students to ensure that they were receiving fair and equitable treatment.
While at Hamlin Middle School, I worked closely with a student who had multiple diagnoses - bipolar, oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), Attention Deficit Hyper activity Disorder (ADHD), and another student who had anger management issues which led to them facing an expulsion hearings.
In the case of the student with the multiple diagnoses I was able to advocate for them and demonstrate the progress they had made in improving their behavior while ensuring that the expectations placed on them were in keeping with their developmental capabilities in the context of their diagnoses.
In the case of the student with anger management issues, I was able to help the administration understand that the student's behavior was largely a by product of family systems issues and in doing so was able to advocate for them and demonstrate the progress they had made. This also facilitated the opportunity for me to work with the students parent and provide resources for them to get family counseling and attend anger management meetings available to them as well.
At Maple Elementary, I worked with the administration and Kindergarten teacher to observe behavior, while working one on one with a student new to the school who we had next to no information on to determine whether or not the student was capable of success in a traditional school environment.
All our students don't come to school with developmental equality, and each have their own challenges and talents, it is my job to ensure that their needs are being met as necessary to them as an individual.
(b) Understand the role of racial, ethnic, and cultural heritage, nationality, socioeconomic status, family structure, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, occupation, physical and mental status, and equity issues in school counseling.
The Role of Diversity
Each student experiences life in a way that is unique to their lens of perception, and that lens has been shaped by their racial, ethnic, and cultural heritage, nationality, socioeconomic status, family structure, age, gender, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, occupation, physical and mental status, and equity experiences as they go through life.
It is my role as a Professional School Counselor, to help them better understand themselves in a more positive proactive way that celebrates who they are as an individual and with acceptance for all the aspects of their life that shape them, and to be there as a resource, ally, and advocate for them.
When a student at Hamlin Middle School was dealing with coming to terms that they were homosexual and that this was in conflict with their families spiritual beliefs, I made sure that they knew the counseling office was a safe place where they were accepted for who they were without judgment. I then put the student in contact with local LGBTQ resources and introduced them to The Trevor Project so they could have additional supports. I also met with this student and their guardian to provide additional support and provide information regarding family counseling resources outside of the school.
(c) Apply strategies and methods of working with parents, guardians, families and communities to empower them to act on behalf of their children.
In support of working with parents, guardians, and families I worked closely with the Family Center director at each of my internship sites to familiarize myself with resources available through the school and those resources available in the community.
When the opportunity or need arose, I was able to share the necessary resources with parents, guardians, and families to provide them resources to act on behalf of their children.
Some of the resources I provided parents are shown as artifacts below.
In support of working with parents, guardians, and families I worked closely with the Family Center director at each of my internship sites to familiarize myself with resources available through the school and those resources available in the community.
When the opportunity or need arose, I was able to share the necessary resources with parents, guardians, and families to provide them resources to act on behalf of their children.
Some of the resources I provided parents are shown as artifacts below.