I am so fortunate enough to live in a state where the model for school counseling is outlined so perfectly! In Missouri, we call this the Missouri Comprehensive School Counseling Program Manual (MCSCP). It is linked on our amazing state education site, Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE Counseling Page).

What is really amazing… is that our state turned to the ASCA National Model for an example and seamed it together so flawlessly! Many other states have adopted our Missouri Model to make their own version. If you’re not sure about your states model program, look on your state education site to find out more.

Why am I telling you all this?

Over the last couple of months, I have received several emails wanting me to describe the four main areas of counseling. Specifically, need details on what to do in those four areas. So, here is a post dedicated to the Missouri Model and how I learned to do things. 🙂

Getting Started

First of all, there are three content areas in the MCSCP. They are Social/Emotional Development, Academic Development, and Career Development. As a school counselor, we should be developing and using a program that gives all students an opportunity to be learning skills in these three areas. What makes it nice, is that we have our own counseling standards to teach from the state-level, in Missouri, just like teachers. Therefore, I make sure my lessons are working toward these MO standards and the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors.

Direct/Indirect Services

Similarly, both the ASCA National Model and our Missouri Model use the rule of 80/20. 80% or more of our time is spent on direct services with students and 20% of our time can be used for indirect services with others on behalf of students.

The Four Areas of Implementation…

Counseling Curriculum (CC) – Structured, developmental activities taught throughout grades K-12. Meeting the state and/or national standards. Topics delivered should be based in one of the three content areas (social/emotional, academic, or career). These can be in a classroom setting or a large assembly setting.

Here are a few examples:

• Study Skills
• Goal Setting
• Career Exploration
• Conflict Resolution
• Decision-Making Skills
• Friendship

Responsive Services (RS) – Meeting the immediate needs of students or unexpected needs from parents/guardians. This can look like individual counseling, small-group counseling, crisis response, consultation or referral. If a student’s personal circumstances interfere with them being able to learn, we can intervene and help with responsive services.

Here are a few examples:

• Academic Concerns
• Relationship Concerns
• Abuse (Physical/Sexual/Emotional)
• Grief/Loss/Death
• Substance Abuse

Individual Planning (IP) – Activities designed to help students develop personal goals, transition students throughout school and making future plans. This can look like assisting in grade-level transitions, educational career planning, and developing decision-making skills.

Here are a few examples:

• Setting Personal Goals
• Financial Aid
• Multiple-Year Planning
• Career Awareness
• Work Habits
• Transitioning

System Support (SS) – This is the administration and management of your school counseling program. A lot can fall under this, program management, advisory council, evaluation, professional development, and community outreach are just a few.

Here are a few examples:

• Parent/Guardian Education
• Teacher/Administration Consultation
• School Improvement Planning
• School Counselor Professional Development
• Management of Program

 

PLUS… Non-Counseling Duties (NC) – First of all, this isn’t really one of the four… or at least it shouldn’t be. However, maybe you are in a school district where you need to advocate for your program and you’re trying to get it to follow the model. You can document how much time you are spending outside of your counseling duties. Then, present this to your administration to promote change within your program.

Cheat Sheet

There is an amazing chart on page 18 of the MCSCP Manual that states the purpose and activities associated with each one of these areas. I printed it off and have it in my planner. This way I know exactly what area to chart my time in for my Time on Task Analysis.

Speaking of planner… if you haven’t seen my planner…. check it out here… the Simply Perfect Planner for any School Counselor! Even more, it has a built-in Time/Task tracker where you assign the codes above and have instant data for the whole year!

Needing More Info?

Finally, if you are needing more info on developing your school counseling program you can check out the sites linked above or continue reading these posts…

How to Run Your Elementary Counseling Program Like a BOSS!

8 Tricks for the Perfect School Counseling Lesson Plan

Beginners Guide to School Counseling Data

5 Tips for First Year School Counselors

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this… you are so awesome!