Huwebes, Setyembre 29, 2011

Part IV: Guidance personnel (Roles and functions)

Guidance director
-          Has the overall responsibility for guiding all the personnel in any guidance and counseling office. Specifically, s/he.

Ø  Reviews adjust and improve the guidance and counseling program each year.
Ø  Meets with parents about their children concerns.
Ø  Meets with students
Ø  Establishes and maintain mutually beneficial relationship with staff.
Ø  Attends national and regional conferences
Ø  Prepares reports
Ø  Attends meetings with other guidance personnel.
Ø  Provides counseling to advisers of students.
Ø  Prepares yearly budget plans.
Ø  Anticipate expenses
Ø  Approves all the expenditures from the guidance and counseling budget.

Guidance counselor
-          Assists people with personal, family, educational, mental health and career decisions and problem.
-          Overall function is to talk to students, provide option, listen to problem, help students develop their coping skill and learn to become good problem solvers and decision makers on their own

Counseling in school includes a wide variety of activities and services. The following list will describe the services of school-counseling program. These include:

Ø   Individual counseling
Ø  Group counseling
Ø  Group guidance
Ø  Students appraisal
Ø  Referral
Ø  Consultation
Ø  Coordination

It is necessary to listen for three pieces of information students bring to the counseling sessions;

Ø  Their problem or concerns
Ø  Their feelings about the problem, and
Ø  Their expectation on what they want the counselor to do.

Most problems maybe classified in one or more of five categories:

Ø  Conflict with others,
Ø  Conflict with self
Ø  Lack of information about self
Ø  Lack of information about the environment and
Ø  Lack of skill

The qualities and behaviors present in very effective counselors are as follows:

Ø  Intellectual competence
Ø  Energy
Ø  Flexibility
Ø  Support
Ø  Goodwill
Ø  Self -awareness

Advantages of being a school counselor

Ø  You get to touch the life of your student
Ø  You are able to reach out and help someone solve a problem or feel good about him or her self
Ø  You the opportunity to work with a variety of professionals such as psychologies, social workers, and various therapists.

Disadvantage of being a school counselor

Ø  Is that it is both emotionally and physically draining.
Ø  You work for many people such as the administrator, teacher, parents and students all demand time and attention from you.

Psychometrician
-           Is someone who develops test. The one who conducts testing services is called
a psychometrist. But in the Philippines the one who is in charge of testing services is called   psychometrician.

Function of psychometrician:

Ø  Identifies and select test, in coordination with the guidance director that must be purchased and administered.
Ø  Setting the schedule of the testing services either individual or by group.
Ø  Administers, corrects and interprets test results.
Ø  Provides counselors with the result of the test to be of aid for counseling placement and other relevant concerns.
Ø  Encodes and makes summaries of test results for future references
Ø  Prepares testing materials and other materials necessary to carry out testing activities.
Ø  Keeps test materials and test results




Researchers

-          Designs, formulates and conducts research project.
-          Collect, manage and analyze information and organize data which are presented in oral or written form.

Function of researchers is as follows:

Ø  Defining and refining research objectives.
Ø  Designing questionnaire
Ø  Using appropriate and creative methodology to design and manage a research project.
Ø  Applying a variety of research techniques to gather relevant information.
Ø  Developing testing theories;
Ø  Liaising with and directing social research field interviews to gather information;
Ø  Conducting literature searches using electronics data based
Ø  Analyzing and evaluating research and interpret data, making sure that  key issues are identified
Ø  Carrying out or directing field work to gather information
Ø  Preparing and reporting findings and disseminating results both orally and writing: and
Ø  Offering research based briefing and advice, which may involves writing action plans.


Guidance secretary

-          Make appointments, put files in orders, write letters and answer the phone. They also make travel plans. Uses computers, fax machine and copiers.
-          Some are called executive secretaries or administrative assistants.


Auxiliary personnel

Psychologist
-          Study the human mind and human behavior.
-          The most popular area of specialization is clinical psychology.

Clinical psychologist

-          Aim to reduce psychological distress and enhance and promote psychological well-being.

Clinical psychologists work at people at all ages who experience mental and physical health problems. These may include:

Ø  Anxiety and depression
Ø  Serious and enduring mental health
Ø  Adjustment to physical illness
Ø  Neurological disorders
Ø  Addictive behavior
Ø  Eating disorders
Ø  Behavior disorders
Ø  Personal and family relationship problems
Ø  Learning disabilities

Counseling psychologist

-          Assess and evaluate individuals problems through the use of case history, interview, and observation and provide individual or group services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustments.

School psychologist
               
-          Are qualified  to provide a broad range of skills to address  students needs in a variety of area
-          Works with parents, students and teachers to promote academic, emotional and behavioral success
-          Experts in special education and have a large role in the eligibility process for special education.

Developmental psychologists

-          Those who want to contribute to the general knowledge of human development.
-          Explore the influence of the environment vs. gene, a comparison often referred to as “nature vs. nurture”

Developmental psychologists can choose from a variety of work environments. Here are  a few of  the many options:

-          Conducting research at a university.
-          Interacting with patience and medical professionals a hospital or other medical facility
-          Teaching at college
-          Working with population as varied as the elderly, homeless or infants to perform evaluation or test.

Psychiatrist
-          Are primary care givers in the area of mental health.
-          They assess and treat mental illness through a combination of psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, hospitalization and medication.
-          Are physicians who serve a fundamental role in our society and have an effect upon all our lives

v  Psychotherapy- involves regular discussions with the patience about their problem.
v  Psychoanalysis ­– involves long-term psychotherapy and counseling for patience.



Social worker
-          Works with people who have been socially excluded or who are experiencing crisis
-          They provide to enable service user to help themselves.
-          They maintain professional relationship with service users acting as guide, advocates or critical friends.

Over 50% of social workers work with young people and their families. They may also work with the following groups:

Ø  Young offenders;
Ø  People with mental health problems;
Ø  School non attenders;
Ø  Drug and alcohol abusers;
Ø  People with learning and physical disabilities;
Ø  The elderly.