Final Blog

I found developing the comprehensive school counseling program to be an effective way to become familiar with what goes into an successful program.  It provided me with the opportunity to develop knowledge of the various components that are needed in order to maintain an valuable school counseling program.  The biggest barrier that I found to implementing this is time and resources.  In order to follow through and uphold an effective program, I believe that you must have buy in and support from the teachers.  At this point, there is a push for improving academics so you would have to determine the right time to push in.  Also, you may have to be creative due to a possibility of a lack of resources.  Regardless of these barriers, there were three practical pieces that I felt could be used in practicum.  The first one were the lesson plans that were created.  The lessons that were created could be used and adapted to meet the needs of the students.  Next, the calendar could be a valuable resource due to the ideas that could be implemented each month.  I plan on doing my practicum over a years' time so I could take ideas from each month to incorporate.  Finally, the surveys that were created could be used to determine needs of the students.  This would be a great way to establish what they need or how they feel about a particular topic.  Overall, after completing this project I feel comfortable and confident to implement this type of work.  I believe that I am a determined individual that works hard to reach the goals that I have set for myself.  I plan to revisit this again in the summer in order to plan for my upcoming year of practicum. 

This then leads me into the article "Listen to the Voices: School Counselors and Comprehensive School Counseling Programs" (2009) that I read this past week.  This article reiterates the importance of establishing an effective school counseling program.  Over  the years, school counselors have been found to be essential educational partners in student success.  Dahir, Burnham, and Stone (2009) also stated that research has shown that students that participate in a comprehensive school counseling program have found to achieve higher grades, less classroom disturbances, and improve school climate.  Also, counselors are seen more as key leaders in the students achievement.  Finally, a good point was made when Dahir, Burnham, and Stone (2009) posed the question, "To what degree have school counselors acquired the attitudes and skills that will support their ability to successfully implement comprehensive school counseling programs" (p. 183)  It is important that school counselors are being educated in changes that being made as well as attending conferences to gain that knowledge.  In conclusion, this project has been helpful and the article supported the importance of knowing how to develop an effective program. 

Dahir, C. A., Burnham, J. J., and Stone, C. (2009). Listen to the voices: School counselors and comprehensive school counseling programs. Professional School Counseling, 12(3), 182-192.