Question

A professional school counselor wants to set up a group for high school students. List and explain at least 5 logistical issues the counselor needs to consider before the group can start. In addition, which ASCA Ethical Standards would need to be considered? Would the issues and ethical standards be the same or different at the elementary level? Would the issues and ethical standards be the same at the junior high level?

Answer 1

All professional school counselors follow the ASCA (American School Counselor Association) code of ethics. The basic standards of performance of counselors, school counsel educators, supervisors and counseling students/interns have been defined by this organization.

There are several pre-requisites/ethical standards defined by the ASCA to set up an effective counseling group. They are-

• Selection of the group is critical. Students with similar issues that have been identified through various psychological tests and personal/family interviews are clubbed in specific groups. For example, there may be different groups for students with ADHD, anxiety disorders, eating disorders et al.
• Detailed agenda and outcomes of the intervention along with the various strategies that will be applied during the sessions along with the number of sessions required.   
• Researching and listing the various activities, worksheets and discussion topics for each session.
• Setting up a timetable along with logistics and communicating it to the students to get commitments to attend.
• Setting up the agenda, outcomes and details of follow-up sessions.
• Maintaing the various confidentialty clauses defined.

ASCA defines the ethical practices to be followed by professionals working in the Pre-K-12 space to fulfill academic, career and social/ emotional needs of students.