Comprehensive School Counseling Program Analysis

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Program Foundation Designing a comprehensive school counseling program is a task that requires time, effort, commitment, and the collaborative efforts and support of all the members in the school community (Brown & Trusty, 2013). School counseling programs are crucial to student achievement and therefore, should be incorporated into the students’ daily curriculum. The development of a comprehensive school counseling program occurs in stages. In the first stage preplanning, counselors conduct an audit of their current program. This audit helps counselors evaluate how efficient the program is and what aspects need to be improved or changed. Evaluating program resources and analyzing the results of needs assessments will give a clearer …show more content…

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) (2012) created The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling programs as a means for student achievement by focusing on three areas of development; academic, career, and personal-social. School counselors can use the ASCA National Model as a guideline for the design of their own counseling programs. Programs that are based on the model can provide equitable access to the counseling program for all students, identify the knowledge and competencies that students should possess as a result of the program, and establish methods to the deliver the program to students (ASCA, 2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs have also been said to be successful when implemented within a diverse environment. Having diverse faculty members can create a positive school culture and improve student achievement because students are bound to develop relationships with staff members from similar races and ethnicities (McMahon, Mason, Guenther, & Ruiz, 2014). Creating bonds with students not only improves school function