A Fable:  Seven Counselors and 'the Plan'

     The role of the guidance counselor in schools that have not fully implemented a comprehensive and developmental guidance program reminds one of the tale of the blind men and the elephant. Even well-intentioned counselors may perceive their guidance roles as imperfectly as the blind men saw the elephant in the fable.

     The first blind counselor sees her role as a therapist to the students. She is very involved with a small percentage of the students assigned to her. She does one-on-one counseling with those students whose needs are the greatest. She organizes and runs small groups for students addressing issues that impact adolescents: substance abuse, family issues, self-esteem. Tara Pea is well liked and respected by the students she sees.

     The second blind counselor views his role as a quasi-administrator. He is invaluable to the organization as the scheduling guru who designed and implemented the master scheduling program. He is an active participant on the curriculum committee, the school improvement team, the high school-community college articulation board, the child study group, and the annual college night program. To the relief of the principal, he has assumed responsibility for the discipline of students who receive special education services, and he serves as the 504 coordinator. Quasi Admin is well liked and respected by the building staff, particularly the administrators.

     The third blind counselor looks upon his role as resource person. He maintains relationships with local human service providers, the public protection agencies, the state colleges and universities, and the service organizations that offer scholarships to students from the community. The building administrators, support staff, and teachers all refer the tricky questions to him, and he provides a resource or referral for the student involved. He is frequently out of the building maintaining his local contacts, but he is dependable with follow-up and returning calls. Reese Orz is well liked and respected by staff and parents.

     The fourth blind counselor considers her role as a program coordinator. She conducts the annual needs assessment for the district, preparing a detailed report for the board of education and the newspaper. When she learns of a program that may meet an identified need, she reviews the syllabus and arranges to bring suitable resources into the school. She attends to the details of the local administration of the Michigan Educational Assessment Test. In fact, she competently coordinates all the student testing activities above the classroom level; she is frequently at school late into the evening or on Saturday meeting these needs. She is well liked by the building administrators and the board of education members.

     The fifth blind counselor regards her role as a special teacher. She meticulously prepares lessons for classroom presentation on topics such as conflict resolution, interpersonal relationships, healthy habits for young people, smoking prevention, and study skills. In addition, she maintains an impressive resource collection of articles, posters, videos, and lesson plans that teachers can use in their classrooms. She is often asked to substitute for teachers who are out of the classroom for short periods, and she does so willingly. Vera Speck is well liked and respected by students and teachers. The administrators are very happy that she works in their building.

     The sixth blind counselor visualizes his role as an educational planner. He meets individually with as many students as possible, helping them plan their programs and select suitable classes to meet the graduation requirements. Several of last year's graduates were accepted by elite universities because of the strong preparation that he advised them to get and the outstanding letters of recommendation that he wrote for them. He has the best collection of college catalogues in the district. He insists on seeing any student who is considering changing a class because he knows what best meets each student's needs. Ed Planner is well liked and respected by most students and their parents.

     The seventh blind counselor sees his role as a buddy. Last year he spent $279.00 of his own money keeping a bowl of candy on his desk. Students are standing three deep in his office before and after school. He is a familiar smiling figure in the halls between classes and as he makes the rounds of the lunch tables in the cafeteria. Teachers carrying coffee cups often find the way to his office during their prep period. Several of the teachers, a custodian, and the assistant principal are on the softball team he organized for the city league. Everyone likes Buddy.

     Because there is no comprehensive counseling program in this district, each counselor believes that he or she is fulfilling the role as it should be done. They are all frustrated, however, by the needs they see that they cannot address. Their administrators have a vague feeling that the counselors could do more, but they cannot identify just what improvements might be made. They like and respect most of the counselors, but the school board is looking for a place to make cuts. This year it may have to be some of the guidance staff.

     This tale has a happy ending.

     Ed Planner and Quasi Admin drop in on Buddy during fourth hour for their daily whine. Buddy shares information he has received from the program coordinator about something called a comprehensive counseling program. They decide to see whether Reese Orz can get them more information because it sounds too good to be true. Reese quickly rounds up four copies of the Michigan Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program (1997). It is a blueprint that can give form and meaning to everything they are already doing well; it is a guide to enhancing the traditional networks they have established with community professionals, parent groups, and the teaching staff.

     They gather Saturday at Buddy's with the rest of the staff for a work session. Buddy has the grill heating and a buffet table that will take them through the evening. Quasi leads them through the development of an action plan for implementation; he has done action plans before. Tara talks with them about taking risks and making changes. The program will require each counselor to add some new skills and activities to ensure that the program is developmental and comprehensive and that the new activities effectively meet the students' needs. Following the guidelines in the Michigan Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program, each counselor contributes his or her special skills to the mix, volunteering to develop the services to address the unmet needs. Vera leads the group in polishing a presentation for the building administrators and the Board of Education.

     They feel confident now that they can all see how their skills and interests fit into a comprehensive plan that will meet the developmental needs of all the students as well as satisfy the organizational needs of the school. That confidence bolsters their enthusiasm as they present their program to the Board of Education. Every one of the counselors shows up that night, even Tara, who has never before shown an interest in politics.

     This year's budget cuts won't be in the guidance department.
 

Reference:
Michigan School Counselor Association. (1997). The Michigan Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Program.  (1997 Revision). East Grand Rapids, MI: Author.

Professional School Counseling is the journal of the American School Counselor Association.  It is published five times a year by ASCA, 801 North Fairfax Street, Suite 310, Alexandria, VA  22314.