CEP 596 SC Fall 2007 1

Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology

Fall 2008

CEP 596 SC – School Counseling Fieldwork

Instructor: Janice L. DeLucia-Waack, Ph.D.

Monday,

1:00 to 3:40 P.M. or 4:10 – 6:50 P.M.

(On the days that there is a speaker, early section meets from 2:20 to 5)

Office HoursPhoneEmail
Monday 10 to 11:30 a.m
Wednesday 4 to 6 p.m.645-2484, ext.
And by appointment

Mission Statement of School Counseling Program

of the University at Buffalo, SUNY

School Counseling is a profession that focuses on the relations and interactions between students and their school environment with the expressed purpose of reducing the effect of environmental and institutional barriers that impede student academic success. The profession fosters conditions that ensure educational equity, access, and academic success for all students K-12. To accomplish this function, the trained school counselor must be an assertive advocate creating opportunities for all students to nurture dreams of high aspirations. They assist students in their academic, social, emotional and personal development, and help them to define the best pathways to successfully achieve their dreams.

Serving as leaders, as well as effective team members, school counselors work with teachers, administrators and other school personnel to make sure that each student succeeds. As consultants, they can empower families to act on behalf of their children by helping parents/guardians identify student needs and shared interests, as well as access available resources.

The function necessarily requires focused attention to students for whom schools have been the least successful-poor students and students of color. A concentration is required on issues, strategies and interventions that will assist in closing the achievement gap between these students and their more advantaged peers. Measurable success resulting from this effort can be documented by increased numbers of these students, as well as other students, completing school academically prepared to choose from a wide range of substantial post-secondary options, including college.

School counselors have an enormous impact on the choices students make and their future options. They are ideally positioned in schools to serve as advocates, creating opportunities for all students to define, nurture and accomplish high academic aspirations. Yet, school counselors been left out of the standards-based education reform movement and little or nothing has been done to prepare future counselors to serve as advocates for all students, especially low-income students and students of color.

UB School Counselors will envision:

Leadership

Advocacy

Teaming and Collaboration

Counseling

Assessment and Use of Data

Principles of Transforming School Counseling

NationalSchool Counselor Training Initiative

Transforming School Counseling Initiative

2003 SummerAcademy Presentations

In looking to improve the educational experience for students, school counselors need to lead in multicultural awareness efforts, pupil assistance committees, mentoring programs, student leadership development, connection with external constituencies, and political activism (Clark Stone). School counselors also need to be leaders in championing healthy choices, respect for students and families, social justice, healthy environments for schools, and most of all, the development of students and families (Cole Ryan, 1997; Kurpius Rozecki, 1992; Smaby Daugherty, 1995).

Course Objectives

Field Work is the first of a three-course sequence that permits the student to practice the entire range of functions of a school counselor. In Field Work, emphasis is placed on all aspects of the school counselor role, except individual counseling – that aspect will be emphasized during Practicum and Internship, the two remaining courses. All functions of your practical experience in the schools are described in the School Counseling Student Handbook and Practicum Manual (2008).

Upon completion of this course, students will:

Understand the school as a social system

Observe the complete range of school counseling activity within a comprehensive school counseling program

Observe how school counselors perform within a pupil services team (e.g., school psychologists, school social workers, school nurses, etc.)

Perform, under supervision, all activities except individual counseling

Developskills related to organization, facilitation of effective discussion and meetings, and advocacy for students.

Text

School Counseling Student Handbook and Practicum Manual. Available at Great LakesPrinting in the UB Commons.

Articles are available online on BlackBoard throughout the semester. BlackBoard will be used as a means of communication and conveying assignments. Check it regularly for updates.

Grading

Course grades will be based on the successful completion of the following:

  • Active and Appropriate Class Participation (40%).
  • Active Participation at School with Cooperating Counselor (30%)
  • Observations and Interviews (20%)
  • Leadership of Class Discussion (10%)

Letter grades are given: A, B, C, D, and F.

Calendar

DateTopic*Assignment Due

Readings

August 25Introduction to the CourseStudent Handbook

WEEK ONEIntern ManualASCA Position statement on School

Expectations and Logistics Counseling Preparation

Course Syllabus

September 1Labor Day – No ClassBegin Placements

September 8What School Counselors Do? Appendix BB

WEEK TWOWhat makes an Effective Counselor? ASCA (2007)

Professional Organizations and GroupsBaggerly & Osborn (2006)

Rayle (2006)

Foster et al. (2005)

ASCASchool Counseling

Competencies

September 15Social Advocacy for Students Key Concepts of Mission Statement

WEEK THREE Effective Leadership and Membership Discussion Leader Guidelines
In meetings: Set up, Facilitation, and Appendix EE

Follow-up Viccora (2008)

Sign up for Leading Discussions

September 22What You Should Know as A New School Cnl Liedtka (2005)

WEEK FOUR(Guest Speaker Panel at 4 p.m.) Saunders (2006)

Administration and School counselors Chata & Loesch (2007)

September 29Rosh Hashanah – No class

October 6Pupil Personnel TeamsInterviews with social worker,

WEEK FIVEpsychologist, counselor, & nurse

Individual Meetings

Simcox et al. (2006)

Brown et al. (2006)

Walsh et al. (2007)

Bryan & Holcomb-McCoy (2007)

October 13Teaching and Leadership Styles Observations of 2 Classrooms

WEEK SIXClassroom Management and Interviews with 2 teachers

Developmental Issues at Clark & Amatea (2005)

Middle School Level Geltner & Clark (2005)

(DaveGervase at 4:00)

Calendar (cont.)

DateTopic*Assignments Due

Readings

October 20School counseling at differentObservations at other levels

WEEK SEVENlevelsEder & Whiston (2006)

EmpowermentHipolito-Delgado & Lee(2007)

Mitcham-Smith (2007)

October 27Classroom GuidanceSabella – Boot Camp

WEEK EIGHTSmall Groups3/6 of psychoeducational or

counseling group sessions

Individual Meetings

2 classroom guidance activities

Clark & Amatea (2005)

Studer (2006)

Steen & Kaffenberger (2007)

Akos (2006)

ASCA Position statement on Group Counseling

November 3Meetings2 dept. meetings

WEEK NINETechnologyIndividual Meetings

AsssessmentBoard of education mtg

Principal & counseling

Secretary interviews

Turba (2006)

Ekstrom et al. (2004)

Carlson et al. (2006)

Howe (2006)

Summary of Technology

Summary of Assessment

November 10Special Education/ServicesCSE Meeting

WEEK TEN Counseling6 counseling sessions

Interview of special education

teacher

Eder & Whiston (2006)

Milsom (2002)

ASCA Position statement on Special Needs Students

ASCA Position statement on Confidentiality

Calendar (cont.)

DateTopic*Assignments Due

November 17Career Development3career development sessions

WEEK ELEVENCandidacy Forms2Career Assessment Forms

Resumes, Career Services

Teacher Recruitment Day

(Judy Applebaum from UB

Career Services at 4:00)

Readings

November 24Planning for PracticumStudent Handbook

WEEK TWELVEPreparation for Supervision Appendices H & I

Organizations/Continuing EducationWorkshop and local Staying Empowered counseling org. mtg

Bryant & Constantine (2006)

Studer (2005)

Hipolito-Delgado & Lee (2007)

December 3Ending Student Handbook

WEEK THIRTEENPlanning for PracticumCandidacy Forms

Integration

Wrap-up

December 19Weekly Log Sheets

Supervision Evaluation

*Items in boldface italics type are assignments due that day.

Assignments

Course Attendance and Participation: Your presence at each class meeting is expected and essential. You will be allowed one absence. Any additional absences for professional reasons will be excused with the completion of a 3-page paper discussing the activity and its relevance to school counseling.

Students should come prepared each week ready to discuss the topic of the week and readings assigned. Grading sheet is available on Bb under Assignments. Guidelines for respectful discussion is included under Readings for Week One. Students will receive a grade weekly based on their display of:

  • Conveying the key concepts of assigned readings
  • Practical application of readings to issues/events in their placements
  • Ability to see multiple sides of an issue, debate, or discussion
  • Ability to disagree respectfully.

Leading A Group Discussion. Beginning in mid-October, pairs of students will facilitate discussions on topics in class each week. The discussions will be focused on an integration of key ideas in the assigned readings or planning an intervention for a specific situation related to the assigned readings. Students will receive feedback on their planning for the discussion (agenda) and leadership skills displayed. Grading sheet will be available on BlackBoard under Assignments. Prior to the discussion, students will gather materials from relevant sources (ASCA, ACA, NASP, NASW, APA).

Observations and Interviews: Over the course of the semester, you should observe certain events and/or interview specific people. After completion of each activity, write and turn in a ½ page reaction/discussion. Reactions must be turned in by the date of the related discussion. All others must be completed by December 1stexcept for the professional conference requirement so plan accordingly and discuss with your cooperating counselor. There are 36 assignments in all.

The specific events to be observed include:

2 classroom observations (at least 30 minutes each) by teachers. (Focus your attention and discussion on learning styles, teaching styles, and classroom management strategies)

2 classroom guidance activities by school counselors. (Focus your attention and discussion on goals of activity, interventions, and processing questions)

Parent conference*

Counseling department meeting*

Teacher department meeting*

CSE meeting*

Board of Education meeting*

3 psychoeducational group sessions*

3 counseling group sessions*

3 individual counseling sessions focused on personal issues**

3 individual or small group sessions focused on career development**

6 hours (3 hours at each level) of school counselors at different levels than your placement**

Professional Development workshop

Local Counseling Organization meeting

Professional Conference including ACA, ASCA, ASGW, ACES, NYSSCA, NYCA, NY ASGW (may be deferred until Spring Semester if that is when the conference occurs).

*Focus your attention on the person leading the session. What leadership skills are they exhibiting? How do they keep the group on task? Direct them? Facilitate discussion? What worked? What didn’t.

**Focus your attention on the counseling theory and skills displayed by the counselor(s). Identify specific skills and the client response to the skill. What worked? What didn’t?

Discuss with the following what the role of the school counselor is and how they interact with the school counselor. Identify in one or two bullets their major points and then suggest 2 or 3 interventions/activities that would increase the contact and cooperation with the school counselor. The specific personnel to be interviewed include:

School Psychologist

School Social Worker

Principal

School Nurse

2 classroom teachers

Counseling department secretary

School Counselor at another level than you are placed

Special education teacher.

Weekly Log of Activities in your School Placement: You are expected to turn in a weekly log of your activities in your school in mid-October and again, in December. Keep a copy for your records. At mid-semester, you will meet with the instructor to review your activities and discuss plans for the rest of the semester. See the section on Log in the Student Handbook and Practicum Manual and the appendix with the copy of the form. Your log must be in EXCEL. Blackboard contains the format for the log that you can import into EXCEL to create the spreadsheet.

CEP 596 – SC Field work, revised 8 19 08