Mental Health & School Counseling

In this course students will develop strategies to effectively counsel adolescents. This course will address the stages of development in the adolescents’ transition into adulthood, with a focus on the tasks of differentiation, autonomy, relationships, family, work, post-secondary education, military service, and other developmental challenges. Collaboration and consultation with parents/guardians, community collaterals, school support staff, and employers, as well as access to resources will be addressed. For those adolescents considering entry to higher education, the college/post-secondary training program and its funding will also be discussed. Special emphasis will be placed on ways to help those who traditionally face substantial barriers to success, including low-income students, minority and ELL students, and students with disabilities. The fundamental occupational tasks of assessment, case presentation, case collaboration, team membership and client interaction are emphasized throughout the course.
This course addresses the following Massachusetts State Standards for School Guidance Counseling: m. Development of skills for consultation with parents, teachers and administrators. n. College counseling and use of college and other post-secondary resource materials (grades 5-12).

This course provides an experiential approach to career development for mental health, school and rehabilitation counselors to support clients with and without disabilities across the lifespan in both individual and group settings. Orientation to key assessment instruments, online resources, labor market information, transferable skills analysis, job placement strategies and work-related supports will be made to support the career guidance process and to develop comprehensive plans of action for clients.
This course addresses the following Massachusetts State Standard for School Counseling: i. Career counseling.

Class preparation and assignments reflect levels preK-8 or 5-12 depending on fieldwork level and license level sought.
Onsite training supervised by a state-approved licensed/certified school guidance counselor at the level sought is required; currently, 600 contact hours minimum, 240 of which must be in direct service with students, and 360 hours of indirect service (per CACREP National Standards). Entry requires approval from school guidance counseling program chair, Associate Dean of Academic Advising and Field Experience, or designee.
This is the first of a two-term capstone experience where interns engage in the role of school counselor and attend a seminar that runs concurrent with fieldwork. Interns work with children and adolescents under supervision of a licensed school guidance counselor. They participate in individual and group counseling; utilize technology in the counseling process; apply counseling principles to career, social, personal, and academic development of students, and students with normal and abnormal behavior. Students are taught to use measurable outcomes for school counseling programs and activities. They utilize behavioral observation and program evaluation in planning successful interventions for students. They work with special education teams in understanding diagnosis of learning and behavior disorders. Interns are introduced to resources within the school district and community for referral. They develop plans for the prevention, treatment and referral of students engaged in legal or illegal substance abuse, personal, physical, and sexual abuse, school violence, school crises and other trauma-causing situations. Students engage in ethical and legal practices of school counseling; campaign for an identity as a school counselor; work in support service teams to identify opportunities that enhance or impede academic, personal/social and career development. They work with task and peer counseling groups; deploy multicultural strategies in relation to diversity, equity, and opportunity in student learning; involve parents to promote academic, personal/social, and career development. Students are taught to use data to make decisions regarding accountability; learn and practice concepts, principles, and strategies to help close the achievement gap and school drop-out; employ suicide risk procedures; and are involved with designing curriculum and instructional strategies to teach a developmental guidance curriculum. Students also apply consultation strategies with parents, staff, administration and community resources; plan and implement developmental classroom guidance programs; learn the special education referral processes; and are taught to recognize and discuss personal limitations in supervision. Students are expected to utilize leadership strategies in the planning and implementation of parent education programs, and advisor/advisee programs. And lastly, students become familiar with the state achievement tests and the state curriculum frameworks. One contact hour of weekly supervision with a licensed supervisor and attendance at a seminar that runs concurrent with fieldwork is required.
The fieldwork experiences in this course address all of the Massachusetts State Standards for School Guidance Counseling (except standard k).