Counseling Middle School Inner City Students

Counseling Middle School Inner City Students

Introduction

Historically, the school counseling profession has helped students in making informed and appropriate decisions about careers and education. More recently, school counselors have widened the scope of the practice to include the whole child. Students across the country, including Baltimore City, have needs inside and out of school that go far beyond the domain of career education and counseling. School counselors have advocated moving to the forefront of those who seek to help guide students through the challenges and successes across the lifespan. (Brigman 2010)

Discussion

Middle schools provide unique opportunities for the growth and development of young adolescents, offering rigorous and integrative curricula as well as school wide programs that foster student well-being, and reduce or eliminate social and emotional barriers to learning. Effective middle schools are led by principals who serve as instructional leaders while simultaneously developing, nurturing, and sustaining teams of highly qualified teachers, counselors, and specialists who recognize and embrace their multifaceted role as student mentors, advocates, and guides. (Brigman 2010)

While the overall structure and design of effective middle schools may globally address the social and emotional needs of adolescents, middle school counseling programs specifically address these issues. Integrated into the total middle school program, counseling helps students maximize personal growth, acquire positive social skills and values, set appropriate career goals, and realize their full academic potential (American School Counselor Association, 2005). Middle school counselors coordinate this schoolwide effort while providing direct counseling services through a school guidance curriculum, individual student planning, individual and small group counseling, and system support. While the specific procedures involved in students' interactions with counselors vary across the nation, effective middle school counselors provide young adolescents with skills and supports that enable them to navigate the unique and challenging developmental issues of the middle years (Lapan 2011)

Many states have made important strides in class-size reduction, higher academic standards, greater accountability and improved teacher preparation. The important missing link in these initiatives to improve student learning is the need for more school counselors and other student support services, such as school psychologists, school social workers, and school nurses. In many states, students' access to counselors varies by grade level, and some school districts have no counseling programs at all. When counseling programs exist, counselors are often asked to add administrative duties such as testing, supervising and class scheduling. School counselors provide counseling programs in three domains: academic, career and personal/social. Their services and programs help students resolve emotional, social or behavioral problems and help them develop a clearer focus or sense of direction. Effective counseling programs are important to the school climate and a crucial element in improving student achievement.

Middle school is an exciting, yet challenging time for students, their parents and teachers. During this passage from childhood to adolescence, middle school students are characterized by a need to explore a variety of interests, connecting their learning in the classroom to its practical application in life and work; high levels of activity ...