GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING

Guidance

It is a process of helping individual to become adjusted to his present situation so as to provide the
maximum development for him/her and to help plan his/her future in terms of his/her interest,
aptitudes, capabilities and needs. (also refer to RA 9258)

Foundations of Guidance and Counseling

● Philosophical

● Psychological

● Sociological

Reasons why Guidance and Counseling is essential;

1. In order that the individual may be aided to live a worthy, upright, useful and happy life
according to his nature and to adjust himself adequately to the world and to his fellowmen.
2. To assist the individual in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and attitudes which will enable him
to enter and occupation and to make his living.
3. Guidance is necessary to help the individual to attain the maturity of judgment, stability of
emotions and volitional control which are characteristics of true self-direction

Principles of Guidance and Counseling

1. Integral part of the educational system.

2. Responsive to the student/client needs.
3. It recognizes the student/client as an individual.
4. The program is in the hands of a qualified personnel.

Aims of Guidance and Counseling

1. Happiness of the individual, efficiency and competence.

2. It seeks to make each student/client self-actualizing, self-relying and self-directing including
in him the spirit of initiative and responsibility.
3. Guidance seeks to help students/client choose immediate goals wisely & to evolve life goals
that are personally satisfying & beneficial to the society.
4. Guidance seeks the best development of the individual to the fullest actualization of his
potential.
5. It seeks to help student/client understand himself by helping appraise his past development
and to recognize his present assets, liabilities and interests.
6. It seeks to give information regarding the opportunities & requirements of different fields of
endeavor.
7. It seeks to give students an understanding of the educational, vocational, recreational,
personal and service activities in which they will take part both in school and in life.
8. It aims to help students to make intelligent choices at critical stages of his life.
9. Guidance is more interested in preventing crises in the lives of the students/clients than it is
in rehabilitation or remedial work.
 10. It seeks not only to help students meet the goals & solve problems of daily living but also to
learn to a technique whereby he/she may in the future be able to solve his problems.
11. Guidance attempts to help teachers to teach more effectively and administrators to
administer more effectively.
12. It seeks to help the home by interpreting the school &the program to the parents, and by
exchange of information by mutual respect and support.
13. Guidance seeks to help parents deal more realistically & wisely with their children.

Counseling in Different settings

▪ Community Counseling

The field of Community Counseling is broad and diverse, applying principles of both
counseling and social work in a community setting. Effective community counseling involves
helping clients work through their mental health concerns, while also helping to prevent
those concerns from proliferating in the community.

1. What is the RESPECTFUL model of counseling?

R- Religious
E- Economic Class Background
S- Sexual Identity
P- level of Psychological Maturity
E- Ethnic/Racial identity
C-Chronological/Developmental Challenge
T- Trauma
F- Family Background
U- Unique physical characteristics
L- Location of residence/Language differences

RESPECTFUL framework is important for community counseling because it encourages

counselors to view human development from multiple perspectives – an important task
when treating a large community.

2. Community Counseling Model by Judy Daniels

The components of the model include:

(1) direct client services such as individual and group counseling;
(2) indirect client services such as client advocacy, consultation, and training;
(3) direct community/organization services such as stress management training, career
development and life planning workshops, transition awareness training, newsletters,
and retraining; and
(4) indirect community/organizational services focusing on the interface between the
environment of the workplace and the employees working in that environment.

▪ Hospital

Counselors working in the hospital works as;

Family Grief Counselor

Mental health educators
Assist patients overcome various psychological and behavioral issues
 w/PH Clinical Supervisor

▪ Industry

Workplace counseling is therapy offered to employees of a company, often through an

employee assistance program, that provides employees with a safe place to discuss any
issues that they’re struggling with. A counseling service offered by an EAP often includes
both in-person counseling as well as a telephone-based helpline.

The benefits of workplace counseling for employees include:

o Easy access to trained counselors
o A safe space to talk about their problems
o Helping employees to better understand themselves
o Establishing or improving coping skills
o Developing effective solutions to problems
o Learning to look at issues with a more positive outlook and different perspective

Benefits of workplace counseling to the employers

o Improved employee performance, leading to productivity gains

o Decreased employee absenteeism
o Lower turnover rates among employees
o Productive way to handle sensitive situations or staff members with problematic
behaviors
o Establish a reputation as an employer that cares about staff

▪ School Setting

● Jesse B. Davis was the first one who set up the first systematized guidance in public
schools. He encouraged English teachers to use lessons and compositions that
allowed students to investigate career interests, develop character, and avoid
behavioral problems.

● Guidance and Counseling is important in school because students need someone

who can listen to them, help them transform their goals into actions and support
their mental health during challenging times.

● School Counseling Program (SCP) is an integral part of the educational system

● The SCP is data driven to promote high standards and produce positive student
outcome
● The SCP must have an impact on student achievement, behavior, or attendance in
order to connect to the mission of the schools

● School Counselors work with Students- in a psychoeducational context and

counseling, a way to help individuals become successful students in schools

● School Counselors are considered to be a Counselor, Collaborator, Coordinator or

Conductor of Activities, Consultant and a Change Agent
 ● Counselors must learn to identify how they make a difference to student outcomes.
● A School Counselor is responsive to students’ needs.
● A School Counselor must ensure that students are successful in their academic
careers by attending to their personal, social and emotional needs that may interfere
in the learning process.
●

Guidance and the Pandemic

The Pandemic has challenged the Counselors in many different ways. Everyone has been
greatly affected by it and some of its effects were that some people experience these feeling of
Isolation, Anger, Frustration, Boredom, Uncertainty, Grief, Fear , Anxiety, Stress, Depression and
some people developed trauma. Basically the pandemic has a great effect on one’s mental health,
thus Counselors are more needed now for they are the ones who listens to students, help students
transform their goals into actions and support students’ mental health during challenging times.
Counselors also play a crucial role in sharing accurate public information, and in helping clients
maintain perspective while providing methods of coping and continuing their wellness strategies.

The main challenge particularly for school counselors was to how to reach out to the
students and how to deliver the different services online. Counselors struggled at first but was still
able to overcome it and was able to come up with a good program where delivering the services
online was included. The transition to telehealth was a big change for the counselors for they have to
adjust their counseling methods and routines especially since they have to set up a working space at
their homes. Another concern was to remain compassionate and continue to offer people grace so
they can figure out as to how to adjust and adapt well with the new conditions. Aside from that
Counselors must also recognize their own vulnerabilities and make time for self-care.

A report from one of Harvard Graduate School of Education lecturer Mandy Savitz-Romer
and her coauthors, presented the result of their on the impact of the pandemic on school counselors
based on the results they have made some recommendation as to what Counselors should look into
in articulating a vision for counseling, protecting counseling time, and providing access to resources
to better support student wellbeing.

▪ School leaders need to think about how counselor time is structured and be intentional
about building in time for students to meet with counselors and for counselors to provide
supports to whole classes, grades, or schools.

▪ Articulate a vision for counseling and define expectations with input from the counseling
staff

▪ Integrate counseling supports. Let counselors join morning meetings to connect with
students.

▪ Spread out logistical duties like tracking down absent students across school staff or, if the
resources are available, hire additional staff.

▪ Prioritize counselors' time with students and take flexible and creative approaches as needed
 ▪ Be intentional about scheduling. Give students (and families) an advisory period as a chance
to connect. This may require flexibility and may need to take place outside of school hours to
accommodate the needs of students and their caregivers.

▪ Ensure counselors have access to resources and supports to adapt to supporting students in
this new environment

▪ Consider the need for privacy in virtual counseling sessions. Counselors may need to connect
with students in a safe meeting space or use a tele-counseling platform.

▪ Offer trainings and supports that meet the specific needs of counselors. As the pandemic has
increased trauma, grief, and isolation, counselors may need explicit training in these areas.

Sources;

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/20/09/school-counselors-and-covid-19

https://www.bestcounselingdegrees.net/resources/covid-19-and-the-role-of-counselors

https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/mental-health-resources/trauma-disaster/mental-he
alth-professional-counseling-and-emergency-preparedness