Moving School Counseling Forward
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s I mowed my lawn the other day, I thought about what would make the school counseling profession in Massachusetts even better. There were the obvious answers: more school counselors, fewer state mandated tasks, and a clearer role description of what a school counselor does. While those would all be great, the one thing that would be best for our profession is the elimination of the school guidance counselor certification and school social worker / school adjustment counselor certification in favor of a single certification: that of school counselor. Call me crazy, but over the past few years it has become clear to me that these roles are confusing and unclear. This is no fault of either the school guidance counselor or the school social worker/ school adjustment counselor. For most of us currently in these roles, our roles are clear. But those outside our professions— administrators, teachers, parents, and even students—often have no idea how we
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ROBERT BARDWELL MASCA Past President differ. And this confusion and lack of understanding sometimes results in budget money being spent inappropriately. The most significant difference in these roles is the training required for certification. The school adjustment counselor/ social worker has a deeper background in the mental health coursework, and the school guidance counselor has an academic and career focus. However, school guidance counselor preparation has changed over the years and contains a significant focus on the
mental health component. A course by course comparison at Bridgewater State College, an institution that offers both school guidance and school adjustment counselor certification tracks, shows only five courses that are different. Considering that the mental health track requires only 12 credits more than that required of a school counselor, the difference is almost negligible. An additional practicum is also required. Although this comparison does not take into account many of the nuances of each role, I believe that these two job titles do more harm than good. If we are all striving for academic success and positive mental health for all students, what difference does it make what we are called? Take, for example, my children’s elementary school. My boys are both fortunate enough to have a full-time school adjustment counselor available to them. Until last year, she was only part-time, but two years ago they were able to hire additional elementary counselors and she became full-time. Although her title, technically, is “school adjustment counselor,” in my opinion, she functions as a school counselor. She does classroom guidance lessons, meets with students individually and in small groups, and works with teachers, parents, and administrators to ensure academic and personal/social success for ALL students. In other words, she functions like a school guidance counselor. I have worked with wonderful school adjustment / social workers, and this “vision” is not meant to be a negative appraisal of their services. Rather, it comes from discussions with colleagues from both camps. My biggest concern is that administrators, especially, are not well versed in the differences. As a result, when they hire support staff, they may not make the best decision for the majority of students. Although I am biased, I feel that all counseling staff should perform classroom guidance lessons, working with students in small groups as well as providing individual counseling opportunities. What irks me is when I hear of a support professional who meets with students only COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
