Do Counsellors in NZ Schools Really Help?
Stress is everywhere. We live in a world where pressures are getting the better of human beings. Depression is as common as the common cold and more than hunger, pain or physical ailments, we are struggling with mental and psychological problems. New Zealand has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world. According to Statistics, New Zealand (2006) 144 suicides in 1996 involved people between the age group of 15 and 24. The best way to change the world is by starting at the school. Schools are crucial in promoting physical and mental wellbeing (Patton et al 2000 in Dickinson, Francesco, Woolford & Agee 2003). We have a battle on our hands as schools are turning into teenage-hothouses filled with stress, competition, despair, joy, achievement and depression, all at once. And thus, there are counsellors. Counsellors help students through a range of problems that can hamper their education, at school and even at home. Or do they?
In this paper, we will investigate whether school counsellors serve their purpose? Is counselling effective in helping students overcome their problems? Do counsellors intervene and avoid potential disasters? Do counsellors help students cope with studies and life in general? Are they needed in New Zealand schools?
First let us look at who are School Counsellors and what are their roles? The American Counsellor Association (ASCA) defines a School Counsellor as a trained, accountable professional who is skilled in helping students in furthering their achievements by promoting leadership and collaborating with other stake holders like parents and teachers besides creating a safe environment where human rights are not infringed (2004). In other words, the counsellor assumes responsibility in forging a student’s well being, progress and general plan for achievement. The counsellor is also accountable for student’s progress, where he or she has to promise short and long term benefits against which the counsellor’s work can be measured. According to Herr (1998 in Mosconi 2003), school counsellors create meaning for students with the help of teachers, families, and the community by helping student in planning their own lives. Brown and Crace (1996 in Mosconi 2003) agree that School counsellors help students add value and meaning to their actions that eventually leads to career development, thus playing a vital role in students’ lives. Counsellors deal with a rich range of problems. We live in a world of diversities and mass immigration, which makes the job of a counsellor’s very difficult. The New Zealand Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) lists six diversities that must catered in the school environment: cultures, ethnicity, beliefs and values, learning needs and sexualities (NZPPTA, 2003). Thus, counsellors must be sensitive to diversity whilst addressing a host of other issues. According to Dubber (2003) a counsellor intervenes classroom behaviour problems, bullying, sexual harassment, potential violent situations and aids problem solving, adolescent choices training, alternative thinking strategies and gang resistance education besides facing anxiety and fear, loneliness, shyness, grieving, depression , suicide, truancy, dropouts and push outs, homelessness, foster care, abuse and neglect, divorce and separation related issues, substance abuse, sexual behaviour resulting in pregnancy, abortion or parenthood, learning disabilities like Individualized Education Plan (IEP), Autism, and emotional disturbance. This definitely shows us how pertinent and specialized a counsellor’s role is in the school context as she or he plays a host of other roles. According to Sederholm (2003) a counsellor provides study counselling, which includes counselling on choice of school, homework and study management, choice of courses and generally help students who have failed courses, transferred between schools, moved to a new course or higher education and in career issues besides a host of other activities like coordinating with specialists and institutions for serious cases, research, ongoing education, supervision by another psychologist or social worker of their work, group work, work training of junior counsellors who are studying and coordinate with the students parents and his social group without compromising professional ethics. It seems imperative that we need counsellors at least, on the basis on the complex job profile they have.
Let’s look at the counsellor from the New Zealand Perspective. In New Zealand, counselling has come a long way. A study indicated that counsellors worked in diverse roll-size schools, were mostly female, white, had adequate qualification, were on an average above the age of 43, initially trained as a teacher, received supervision sessions that were mostly paid by the Ministry of Education or School and were most frequently dealing with career counselling, family problems, educational problems, peer conflict and disruptive behaviour; the most difficult cases being depression, family problems, suicide attempts, sexual abuse and drug abuse (Manthei 1999).
So how do Counsellors do their job? Counsellors have one to one interview with students. Counsellors listen. In a world where not many else do! When one listens to a person’s problems it goes a long way in relaxing the person and feel that he or she has been heard. According to American Psychological Association (2004), one needs to control anger before anger takes control as it is an emotional state that provokes physiological and biological damage. Counsellors encourage us in being assertive by listening. This blows the steam away and can protect students from future harm either to themselves or others, by channelling their anger. That is just the start. A counsellor talks to parents and teachers, mobilizes funds, gets extensions on assignments, refers the case to specialists if needed; in other words, everything they can, to ensure that the student gets a fair chance at studying. This obviously makes counsellors fundamental to education.
Counsellors themselves, as a requirement of NZAC (New Zealand Association of Counselling), receive an ongoing supervision which includes discussing issues and seeking support from another counsellor outside the school parameters for ethical reasons (Carpenter, 2004).
Intervention: Prevention – Better than Cure. Now this is one of the greatest advantages of school counsellors. They are trained and specialists in their field. According to the American Counselling Association, counseled students get better grades, counselling decreases classroom tensions and disturbances and thus supports teachers and the improves the quality of education and counsellors are trained to recognize the danger signs and can prevent an explosive situation from turning into a disaster and serve as the safety valve of the school (ACA, 2005). In a study conducted by Khaleghian (2003) school counsellors, because they are professionally trained, were instrumental in promoting positive and caring teacher-student relationship by promoting the ethics of care and using their influence to fulfill their vision of making the school a better place. It is crucial that students perceive teachers as fair for the students’ aspirations and success and this is where the counsellor plays a crucial role by identifying students with issues and changing their perceptions (Nash, 2002). This makes counsellor the perfect catalyst of good feeling between the school and the student.
So does counselling work? Let us look at a non-academic example of a rather extreme case that proves that counselling works before getting into the school environment. According to a study from Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, regular psychological counselling for breast cancer, patients not only lower their stress and anxiety, but the right type of intervention leads to healthier diets, reduced smoking, and a stronger immune system (Journal of Clinical Oncology in Research News, 2006). The out-of-school example accentuates the far-reaching consequences of counselling.
School based research. Brigman & Campbell (2003) conducted a research to examine the impact of school-counsellor-led interventions on student academic achievement and school success behaviour and found that the impact was positive as far as, development of cognitive, self-managerial and social skills needed for success were concerned and in turn, led to an increase in direct counselling services and provide clerical support for counsellors to help deal with the growing paper work that frequently keeps them from working with students. However, Whiston (2002 in Brigman & Campbell 2003) is circumspect and suggests that such research-based programs could be influenced by the counsellors since they are the ones who benefit from the opportunity to increase needed prevention and intervention services for students. This brings us to the question of accountability.
According Gysbers (2004) though accountability puts extra pressure on counsellors and hampers their performance because of the need for outcomes and it is time counsellors take the challenge of accountability. But this is easier said than done because of time constraints and various other responsibilities that counsellors have to perform.
Attitudes. Counsellors often team up with the other stakeholders like students, teachers, administration staff and sometimes the whole school to change attitudes. A study tackling mocking was conducted by giving questionnaires that informed students on mocking, followed by a whole school approach that involved professional development of staff, a reporting system, involvement of senior students in leadership roles and development of an anti-mocking teaching module yielded very positive results: 27% of students reported a perceived reduction in mocking in school (Dickinson, Francesco, Woolford & Agee 2003). This proves that schools can be a start point to change attitudes in the world and also, how counsellors can practically change the school to a better place.
Suicides. The paradox is, according to NZPA (2006), suicides are caused by an over-protective society that shields youngsters from failure and competition at a very early stage and thus break ups with girlfriends or boyfriends could cause suicides. This is precisely what makes the role of a counsellor so much more important. Counsellors can save lives by talking about these issues and reading the early signs of suicides.
Alcohol and Substance abuse. There is a growing trend of substance abuse in New Zealand with P hitting the headlines every few days. According to a study, in a Christchurch school, 88% of 42 guidance counsellors reported having contact with a drug abuse and alcohol problem student in the previous two months and these counsellors were not only sensitive to gender and ethnicity but also felt that schools should assist students suspended for using cannabis (Deering, Daryl, Simon Adamnson, Douglas Sellman, Chris Frampton, and Paul Robertson 2001). Counsellors add a humane dimension to the school and are very crucial if we want our schools to be a place where every student does get a fair chance.
Why teachers can’t do a counsellors’ job
Teachers have to balance NCEA and Unit Standards besides doing actual teaching and not just teaching towards for NCEA marking
According to the American School Counsellor Association secondary school counsellors providing Classroom Guidance that includes academic skills support, organizational study and test-taking skills, post-secondary planning and application process, career planning, education in understanding self and others, coping strategies, peer relationships and effective social skills, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, conflict resolution and study skills, career awareness and the world of work, substance abuse education and multicultural/diversity awareness; Individual Student Planning that includes goal setting, academic plans, career plans, problem solving, education in understanding of self, including strengths and weaknesses and transition plans; Responsive Services that includes individual and small-group counselling, individual/family/school crisis intervention, peer facilitation, consultation/collaboration , referrals; and System Support that includes professional development, consultation, collaboration and teaming, program management and operation besides working with parents for academic planning/support, post-secondary planning, scholarship/financial search process, school-to-parent communications, school-to-work transition programs, one-on-one parent conferencing referral process; working with students for academic support services, program planning, peer education program, peer mediation program, crisis management and transition programs; working with teachers for portfolio development, providing recommendations and assisting students with the post-secondary application process classroom guidance lessons on post-secondary planning, study skills, career development, school-to-work transition programs, academic support, learning style assessment and education to help students succeed academically classroom speakers and at-risk student identification and implementation of interventions to enhance success; working with administrators for school climate,academic support interventions, behavioral management plans, school-wide needs assessments, data sharing, student assistance team development and working with the community for job shadowing, worked-based learning, part-time jobs, crisis interventions, referrals and career education (ASCA, 2006).
According to Alison (2006) teachers have a scarcity of time to think themselves as professionally productive and internal moderation either places a big burden on teachers or the department heads and thus a Teacher Workload working party needs to enable teachers to share ideas about internal moderation till it is found manageable and thus no level of the NCEA should be entirely internally assessed.
On the negative side
Most crucial is intervening
Conclusion time can be the hidden variable
Personal reflection
Personally, I would not have made it through this paper without my counsellor since I did this paper through break-ups, sickness, personal tragedies and feeling of absolute learned helpless.
Monetary help is very real and cannot be sold short.
http://www.michiganschoolcounseling.org/resources_research1.htm
One of the biggest curse of human life is we have to see our own die.
Counsellors are given a raw deal.
Yes counsellors help in getting grants, listening, helping suggestions.
Counsellors give time and padding to go through the disaster.
Let us first define the job of a counsellor and counselling.
The initial
I think we need to give counsellors the benefit of the doubt in NZ multicultural and more problems and diversity and drugs lately P making rounds.
Conclusion: If yes how. if no how. One can only feel sorry for counsellors since it is a thankless job.
http://www.cit.ac.nz/counselling-alcoholdrug/profiles.php
http://www.wordworx.co.nz/news3.html
http://www.wordworx.co.nz/SOSADeditorial.htm
http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/116-1175/460/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10367113
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3563070a10,00.html
Research on School Counselling Google
Map
Define the job of the counsellor. Who is he or she. What does he do for us. On the positive side. Value, money, advice, listens to us. On the negative side accountability, work pressure and burn out.. Treats not just suicide but drugs, family probs, grade improve, personality problems, fears and phobia, dr
On the negative side all the money on counsellors is a waste. There is a research that states that ministry is happy with the work.
Counselling is not an isolated job it requires team work
References
Brigman G. & Campbell C. 2003. “Helping Students Improve Academic Achievement
and School Success Behavior”. Journal of American School Counselling Association 7:2
Gysbers N. “Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Programs:The Evolution of Accountability”. 2004. Journal of American School Counselling Association 8:1
Mosconi J. “Effects of a Values Clarification Curriculum on High School Students’Definitions of Success”. 2003. Journal of American School Counselling Association 7-2
Manthei Robert J. 1999. “School Counselling in NZ”. NZ Journal of Counselling. 20:24-46.
Deering, Daryl, Simon Adamnson, Douglas Sellman, Chris Frampton, and Paul Robertson. 2001
We live in a world where people have psychological problems. That includes breaking families, diversity issues, drugs, gay and lesbian, poverty issues,
Intervention: teachers cannot
How do you measure success or failure for that matter?
Counsellors have different ways of dealing with different problems. Teachers don’t. they may just hear impartially without making valu judgements
Plus teachers themselves may be having their own trauma
Team work between teachers and counsellors
Who are counsellors
We are at that stage of history when diversities and diaspora is the order the day. If pys don’t do this who will teachers do they have the specialist knowledge do they have the time in a country where 1 out 5 is a mh.
Modern lifestyle poses unique probs for people.
The results are not measurable or overnight.
Addressing Teacher and Management Workload in Secondary Schools
I BACKGROUND
II STRATEGIES FOR ADDRESSING WORKLOAD ISSUES
A. Timetabling practices
B. Use of technology
C. Effective use of support staff
D. Staffing practices
E. Student guidance and classroom management
F. Management and administrative practices
G. Schools restructuring through school support initiatives
MINEDU http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?layout=document&documentid=6628&data=l
More than anything else counsellors are a tool of intervention. In todays world that is extremely crucial.
Journal of the New Zealand Medical Association, 06-August-2004, Vol 117 No 1199
Early intervention for psychosis in New Zealand
Mark Turner, Susan Nightingale, Cecilia Smith-Hamel, Roger Mulder
NZ Journal of Counselling Vol 24-1-2003 The Phenomenon Of ‘Mocking’ In a study conducted by Paul Dickinson, Bob Francesco, Graham Woolford and Margaret Agee
Khaleghian Vol 24 -2 2003
Counselling and Breast Cancer. (http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/psychcou.htm)
Guidance from the Progress at School Project-Roy Nash – Vol 23 2 -2002
(ACA What is a School Counsellor: A resource guide for parents and teachers).
Statistics New Zealand (2006) (http://www.stats.govt.nz/analytical-reports/young-new-zealander/suicide-rate.htm)
American Psychological Association (2004), (http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/article.php?id=29)
Alcohol and Substance abuse. There is a growing trend of substance abuse in New Zealand with P hitting the headlines every few days. According to a study involving 42 guidance counsellors in Christchurch designed by a senior counsellor, as many as 88% reported having contact with a drug abuse and alcohol problem student in the previous two months and used diverse ways of counselling students sensitive to their gender and ethnicity and agreed that schools should assist students suspended for using cannabis (Deering, Daryl, Simon Adamnson, Douglas Sellman, Chris Frampton, and Paul Robertson 2001)
Reflection
My eyes are wide open now. I feel teachers have a crucial role to play since we are in this profession to help students in any way we can. Teaming up with the school counsellor(s) will definitely teach me to be more sensitive to students who had issues and problems. After all, it is my role to ensure that every student gets an equal chance. In School A, I saw the school counsellor trying to help a female Maori student who often came drunk to the class.
According to Alison (2006) teachers have a scarcity of time to think themselves as professionally productive and internal moderation either places a big burden on teachers or the department heads and thus a Teacher Workload working party needs to enable teachers to share ideas about internal moderation till it is found manageable and thus no level of the NCEA should be entirely internally assessed.
http://www.ppta.org.nz/internal.asp?CategoryID=100005&SubCatID=100086
Teachers talk about NCEA Judie Alison
