New Mexico Comprehensive School Counseling Program Guide

Delivery System
Individual Student Planning | Curriculum | Responsive Services | System Support

System Support

System support consists of all the management activities that establish, maintain and enhance the total school counseling program. Counselors will use their leadership and advocacy skills to promote systemic change by contributing in three main arenas. Those three arenas are (1) professional development, (2) consultation, collaboration and teaming, and (3) program management and operation.

(1) In-service training helps counselors to update skills in curriculum development, effective teacher training, developmental issues, trauma issues, technology and data analysis, etc. Counselors also provide instructions on school counseling curriculum or other concerns to the school staff or community.

(2) Professional association membership assists counselors in maintaining their level of competence. (American School Counselor Association, New Mexico School Counseling Association, etc.)

(3) Post-graduate education helps to maintain and improve levels of competence by attending courses, conferences and meetings related to the counseling field.

(1) Consultation with parent(s)/guardian(s), teachers, administrators, and community experts. Activities would include Parent/teacher conferences, open house, Student Assistance Team, other meetings, etc.

(2) Partnering with staff, parent(s)/guardian(s) and community relations. Counselors will orient staff, parents and community businesses and organizations to the school counseling program. They will share information and opportunities through these partnerships, newsletters, local media, presentations, and trainings, etc.

(3) Community outreach. By visiting the sites counselors become knowledgeable of community resources for referral agencies, employment opportunities and labor market information.

(4) Advisory councils . The district's school counseling program may have an advisory council to allow for the community to provide input as well as to be informed about counseling curriculum and programming. Counselors may serve on advisory councils such as the Community Health Alliance, which could offer many opportunities to get information on resources and partner for student's success.

(5) District committees . In serving on committees such as Governance council, monthly counselor meetings, matrix development, and task forces, etc. counselors generate support for the school counseling program throughout the school or district.

(1) Management activities would include creating and utilizing a budget, accessing facilities, utilizing or changing policies and procedures, research and resource development.

(2) Data analysis such as student achievement, counseling program-related data, activity outcomes, testing scores, and gaps in services, etc.

(3) Fair share responsibilities monitoring to ensure that there is equal responsibility for the team members in the educational system.

All of these system support services activities support other programmatic initiatives by creating a structure for providing services, as well as an accountability for measuring the success or further needs of the district. It also provides us vital information to be able to write grants for funding of the school district's needs to better serve our students needs.

Appendix A:

How to Make a Referral:

(1) Consult with colleague(s)

(2) Talk to student about the procedure and elicit their permission to consult with their parents and an appropriate agency/service provider

(3) Collaborate with parent(s)/guardians (if the student has consented), as appropriate.

• Inform parents of the procedure for referral, and elicit their permission to consult with the appropriate agency/service provider
• Inform them that you will be collaborating with the referral agency/service provider
• Inform them how the counselor and school will continue to support the student at the school
• Inform them of how they can also support the student at home
• Inform parents that if they do not take the student for services, it could be considered neglect. Let them know your responsibility and obligations in this process.

(4) Choose an appropriate agency/service provider to meet the students needs

(5) Have a two way (agency/service provider to school counselor and school counselor to agency/service provider) release of information signed to collaborate with agency/service provider as appropriate.

(6) Follow-up to make sure the student is receiving the services they were referred to. If not, consult with colleague(s), and parents to resolve any issues that are barriers to the student receiving the services.

(7) Make contact with the agency/service provider. Indicate reason for the referral. Provide the agency/service provider with the release. Collaborate on what type of information will be shared to meet the needs of the student. Develop a plan of action and follow up with the plan in writing.

(8) If a referral is made to Children, Youth and Families for abuse and/or neglect, the parent(s)/guardian(s) who are suspected of perpetrating the abuse/neglect will not be informed of the referral.

(9) The counselor has the important responsibility of documenting concerns and actions taken on behalf of the student.

In New Mexico, minors have been given explicit authorization to consent to mental health and medical services. However, we recognize that parent involvement and collaboration is, under normal circumstances, ideal. Therefore, the school counselor will talk to the student and discuss the benefits and possible consequences of informing their parent(s)/ guardian(s). The counselor must have the student's permission to inform parent(s)/guardian(s) of any mental health counseling services or referrals. The exception to this is, if the counselor suspects harm to the student, or if the student is going to harm another, then parents and the authorities will be informed. Another exception: if the counselor suspects abuse and/or neglect by a person other than the parent(s)/guardian(s), then parent(s)/ guardian(s) will be informed.

References

Boys & Girls Club Curriculum: Smart Choices
Groups: Process and Practice (5th ed.), Marianne Schneider Corey and Gerald Corey, Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, (1997).
School Counseling Renewal: Strategies for the Twenty-first Century , Rosemary Thompson, Accelerated Development Inc. (1992).
The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, American School Counseling Association, (2003).
The New Mexico School Counseling Services Program Guide: A Technical Assistance Handbook for School Counseling Programs, The New Mexico State Department of Education (Winter, 1995).
Transforming the School Counseling Profession, Bradley T. Erford, Merill Prentice-Hall, (2003).

Resources

American School Counselor Association
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/

New Mexico School Counselor Association
http://www.nmsca.org/

Arizona School Counselor Association
http://www.azsca.org/

Colorado School Counselor Association
http://www.cosca.org/

Nebraska School Counselor Program Guide
http://www.nde.state.ne.us/cared/standards.html

Utah Comprehensive Guidance Program, Secondary
http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/ate/compguide/model.html

Arizona School Counseling Program Guide, 2003
http://www.ade.az.gov/cte/api/ProgramWorkbook5-2-03.pdf

Tuscon Unified Schools Comprehensive Guidance Program, 2003
http://instech.tusd.k12.az.us/counsel/handbook/section1.pdf

The Missouri Comprehensive Guidance Program Manual
http://mcce.org/CDs/Missouri_Comprehensive_Guidance/start.html

Introduction | Foundation | Management System | Delivery System | Accountability
New Mexico Counseling Program Guide | NMSCA Home