Week 14

            As one might expect, it will take many years to fully implement the changed model for school counseling as outlined in the ASCA National Model.  It is not surprising to see that many counselors still practice in a way that is reflective of the profession when they were originally trained.  This does point out the need for continued professional development for all counselors.  But equally, this points out the need for entire school systems to be aware of the changes in the profession and to make adjustments to its counselor expectations in line with those changes.  Even more so when the recognition and alignment comes from the state as a whole, schools and counselors will not only be encouraged but required to make changes to align with new models of counseling programs such as the ASCA model.

            I am left wondering why the high school counselors in the study (Dahir, Burnham, & Stone, 2009) were the least aligned with the ASCA national model.  Could that be because in some sense high school counselors feel they have less time to be proactive leaders in setting the agenda for a school counseling program.  Perhaps unlike the other levels their schedules are more dictated by the calendar:  class scheduling time, college application time, graduation time, etc.  Perhaps elementary and middle school counselors are given more latitude to design a program and plan which activities they will initiate. 

            As I contemplate the fact that the ASCA model is new for many practicing counselors who were trained before its inception, I wonder what new models will appear as we are in practice.  I would not assume that the current ASCA model will  forever serve as the guide and gold standard for the understanding of the school counseling profession.  What model will be developed in 10 or 20 years from now?  And will we be able to adapt and be conscientious about developing the skills we might be asked to have in the future in order to align ourselves with any emerging models?  Most fields are ever evolving, and therefore we will need to also be ever evolving. 

Dahir, C. A., Burnham, J. J., & Stone, C. (2009). Listen to the voices: School counselors and comprehensive school counseling programs. Professional School Counseling, 12(3), 182-192. doi:10.5330/PSC.n.2010-12.182