School Counseling Curriculum Lessons and Activities
Classroom lessons, schoolwide events, etc.
School counselors provide data-informed lessons and/or activities to provide all students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills appropriate for their developmental level. School counseling curriculum topics are preventative, psychoeducational, driven by student need, and aligned with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success, Virginia Social Emotional Learning Guidance Standards, and/or Virginia’s Standards for School Counseling Programs.
Direct Counseling Activities (with students)
Alignment & Impact
1. Deliver classroom lessons that…
- introduce and explain the role of a school counselor.
- support students’ personal/social growth (e.g., social/emotional development, mental health/wellness).
- promote academic achievement strategies (e.g., organizational skills, study skills, time management).
- promote college/career readiness
2. Coordinate schoolwide events and programs for school around academic, career, or personal/social issues (e.g., career day, substance misuse prevention, suicide awareness, kindness week, bullying-prevention, new student orientation).
Individual, Small Group, and/or Crisis Counseling
School counselors provide developmentally appropriate, goal-focused, brief counseling sessions to students that address issues related to: mental health/wellness, social/emotional development, achievement, college/career readiness.
School counselors provide individual counseling that is developmentally appropriate, goal-focused, and brief counseling sessions to individual students to address issues relating to mental health and wellness, social and emotional development, academic achievement, and college and career readiness.
School counselors provide small group counseling to students with similar developmental or situational challenges with the goal of improving achievement, attendance, mental health/wellness, and/or behavioral outcomes.
School counselors provide crisis counseling to help students navigate critical and emergency/crisis situations.
Direct Counseling Activities (with students)
Alignment & Impact
3. Short-term individual counseling with students regarding personal/social growth (e.g., social/emotional development, mental health/wellness).
4. Short-term individual counseling with students regarding academic concerns and to promote academic achievement strategies (e.g., organizational skills, study skills, time management).
5. Short-term group counseling with students regarding personal/social concerns (e.g., social/emotional development, mental health/wellness).
6. Short-term group counseling with students regarding academic concerns and to promote academic achievement strategies (e.g., organizational skills, study skills, time management).
7. Provide crisis counseling to help students navigate critical and emergency/crisis situations.
Appraisal and Advisement
Development of Academic and Career Plan and Portfolio Development
School counselors assist students in the exploration of their abilities, interests, skills, and achievement to make decisions and develop immediate and long-range goals and plans.
Direct Counseling Activities (with students)
Alignment & Impact
8. Short-term individual counseling with students to support students’ college/career readiness. Exploration of students’ abilities, interests, skills, and achievement to make decisions and develop immediate and long-range goals and plans (Academic and Career Planning/Portfolio development).
9. Short-term group counseling with students to support students’ college/career readiness. Exploration of students’ abilities, interests, skills, and achievement to make decisions and develop immediate and long-range goals and plans (Academic and Career Planning/Portfolio development).
Consultation & Collaboration
School counselors provide and receive information and counsel to/from individuals or teams in support of a student’s needs. School counselors work with parents, teachers, administrators, school staff, and community stakeholders to promote achievement for a specific student or to promote systemic change to address the needs of groups of students such as underserved or underrepresented groups of students in the school. School counselors refer students to outside providers and resources as necessary.
Direct Counseling Activities (on behalf of students)
Alignment & Impact
10. Consult with teachers about building classroom connections, effective classroom management and the role of noncognitive factors in student success.
11. Consult with teachers to align content, schedule and present school counseling curriculum lessons based on developmental needs and needs identified through data.
12. Consult with administrators to discuss progress towards goals; as well as, identify and resolve student/staff issues and unmet needs.
13. Consult with families regarding concerns or issues.
14. Coordinate referrals for students and families to school or community resources for additional assistance and information.
15. Attend meetings to advocate for students at individual education plan meetings and other student-focused meetings (e.g., 504s, attendance plan meetings).
16. Participate in team/grade/subject team meetings.
17. Participate in school committee meetings.
18. Coordinate special events or workshops for families (e.g., parent workshops).
19. Coordinate teacher training around appropriate topics (college/career, mental health, etc.)
20. Inform stakeholders about the role, training, program, and interventions of a school counselor within the context of your school.
Program Planning & School Support
Time spent defining, planning, managing, and assessing school counseling activities. This time may include reviewing data, creating annual student outcome goals, creating action plans and results reports, monitoring use-of-time, creating annual and weekly calendars, or facilitating school counseling advisory councils.
School support may consistent of fair-share responsibilities. Fair-share responsibilities are duties or tasks that align with and are equal in amount to the fair share responsibilities provided by other educators on the school site (ex. hallway duty). While it may be necessary for school counselors to be assigned a fair-share responsibility they should not preclude implementing and managing a comprehensive school counseling program.
Program Planning Activities
Alignment & Impact
21. Attend professional development activities (specifically for school counselors).
22. Data analysis to identify student issues, needs and challenges.
23. Assess student progress as a result of participation in individual/group counseling from student, teacher and/or parent perspectives.
24. Conduct needs assessments and counseling program evaluations from parents, faculty and/or students.
25. Plan and manage delivery of school counseling services.
26. Communicate with stakeholders the goals, vision, mission and results of the school counseling program (e.g. advisory team, webpage, social media, result reports, newsletters).
27. Fair-Share Responsibilities: duties or tasks that align with and are equal in amount to the fair share responsibilities provided by other educators on the school site (ex. hallway duty).
Non-Counseling Activities
Non-counseling activities are not directly aligned with the role of a school counselor and can have a negative impact on the school counseling program.
Inappropriate vs. Appropriate Activities for School Counselors (ASCA)
School Support (Fair-Share Responsibilities / Non-Counseling Duties)
Alignment & Impact
28. Cover classes for teachers.
29. Handle discipline of students.
30. Clerical tasks such as maintaining student records and data entry.
31. Enroll or withdraw students from school.
32. Building a master schedule.
33. 504 Coordination (e.g., scheduling meetings, completing paperwork).
34. Coordinate the standardized testing program.
35. Coordinate eligibility for gifted services.
36. Coordinate eligibility for special education services (e.g. scheduling meetings, completing paperwork).