M2.2.1 The Guidance Personnel

Question 1

What does a fully functioning Guidance Program call for?

Answer 1

A fully functioning Guidance Program calls for the following personnel: full-time director, counselor, psychometrician, researcher, and secretary, the number of which would vary according to the school population.

Question 2

Who is the overall head of the Program?

Answer 2

Guidance Director

Question 3

Who is the Guidance Director?

Answer 3

He is the overall head of the program.

Question 4

Where is the director generally found in the Philippines?

Answer 4

In the Philippines, the Director is generally found in schools where there is centralized program for a number of academic programs or levels which are directly supervised by Coordinators.

Question 5

What is the Director called in some schools?

Answer 5

In some schools, the Director is called the Guidance Coordinator.

Question 6

What does the Coordinator act as in other schools?

Answer 6

In other schools, the Coordinator acts as Director as well.

Question 7

What does the Director and Coordinator act as in other schools with programs that have the benefit of both positions?

Answer 7

In other schools, the Coordinator acts as Director as well. In programs that have the benefit of both positions, the Guidance Director is the leader and visionary, while the Coordinator is the manager who sees to it that the activities do not overlap and are implemented as planned.

Question 8

Why is it enough to describe the Director’s position?

Answer 8

Because much depends upon the unique set-up of the school and the tasks may be identical or shared, it is enough to describe the Director’s position.

Question 9

How many roles does a Guidance Director have?

Answer 9

The Guidance Director has three major roles, according to Gibson and Mitchell (2003)

Question 10

What are the three roles of a Guidance Director?

Answer 10

o As manager, ensuring the provision and proper functioning of all the Guidance Personnel, activities, budget, and facilities
o As developer, assessing needs for program planning, research, evaluation, improvement and establishment of accountability
o As a leader, providing direction and motivation for personnel and program improvement.

Question 11

What is the definition of specific tasks of a Guidance Director?

Answer 11

The responsibilities that come with each role are operationalized in the tasks.

Question 12

What are the specific tasks of a Guidance Director?

Answer 12

o planning and preparing the program together with the staff
o planning and controlling the budget
o recruitment, selection, assignment and evaluation of personnel
o ensuring the proper implementation and evaluation of all Guidance Services
o coordinating with the school community for proper support and understanding of Guidance activities and services
o ascertaining that ethical standards are observed by the Guidance personnel and in the extension of services, programs and activities

Question 13

What is the required education for a Guidance Director?

Answer 13

Even if the school set-up is such that the Director need not do counseling, it would be in the best interest of the institution and the clientele if the Director had a Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling. Since the profession involves specialized services and strict ethical standards, one without the necessary background might unknowingly determine the program.

Question 14

What should the Director have in order to be truly effective according to Gibson and Mitchell?

Answer 14

Gibson and Mitchell (1991, 1999) believe that to be truly effective, the Director must:

• Have an understanding and awareness of systemic theories that guide professional practice and practical working knowledge of the fundamental principles and methods of psychology.
• Have sufficient encounter with human beings and an understanding of their dominant motives, interests, ambitions, and symptoms of important character elements.
• Undergo constant updating and upgrading of skills and knowledge
• Be aware of and contribute to the advancement of counseling by conducting research and disseminating information on the process and outcome of studies through professional writing or seminars and workshops.
• Actively participate in professional organizations.
• Adhere to legal and professional ethical standards in the field.

Question 15

What are the required skills and competencies of the Guidance Director?

Answer 15

Skills and Competencies

In addition to the skills of a Guidance Counselor if he/she also functions as one, the Guidance Director must have the following know-how (Gibson and Mitchell, 1995).

Planning - preparing, developing, and programming resources and activities

Budgeting - identifying sources of revenue and allocating them in ways that would ensure that goals are met

Organizing - creating a formal structure that can accomplish the plans, staffing it with qualified people, defining each person’s role clearly, providing appropriate financial and career incentives, and delegating appropriate authority.

Controlling - ensuring that plans are carried out and solving plan-related problems

Question 16

What are the traits that a Guidance Director should possess?

Answer 16

• capacity to communicate to the school community and the community-at-large what the Guidance Program is all about, to convince them of its merits and to stand firm on the ethics of the profession
• flexibility in dealing with clients/staff
• leadership

Question 17

What is the Guidance Counselor?

Answer 17

the central and most indispensable figure of the Program - he/she is the specialist who brings unique knowledge and skills to the program

Question 18

What happens if there is no guidance counselor?

Answer 18

No counselor, no Guidance Program.

Question 19

What are the five major roles that a Guidance Counselor plays?

Answer 19

The Counselor plays five major roles. These are called the 5 C’s: Counselor, Coordinator, Consultant, Conductor of Activities, and Change Agent.

Question 20

Who aims to help people overcome obstacles to their personal and educational/professional growth and move toward the maximum development of their potential?

Answer 20

Counselor

Question 21

What does a counselor do to accomplish their initial role?

Answer 21

To accomplish these, he/she establishes a warm, trusting, confidential working relationship with clients to assist in self-acceptance and understanding, decision-making, and problem-solving.

Question 22

What does a counselor do?

Answer 22

he/she aims to help people overcome obstacles to their personal and educational/professional growth and move toward the maximum development of their potential

Question 23

What is the focal point in an ideally one-on-one or small group face to face encounter?

Answer 23

The client’s concern is the focal point in the ideally one-on-one or small group face-to-face encounter.

Question 24

What is the client’s concern?

Answer 24

The client’s concern is the focal point in the ideally one-on-one or small group face-to-face encounter.

Question 25

What does a coordinator do?

Answer 25

He/she needs to be able to identify tasks that should be done by other persons or an agency and organize everything to facilitate the performance of such tasks by the needed person or agency. He/she must act as a liaison between the clientele and the resource person or agency for the purpose of collecting and disseminating information and providing the necessary services.

Question 26

What are examples of services that a coordinator provides?

Answer 26

Examples of these would be referral systems and the provision of symposia, seminars, dialogues, etc.

Question 27

What does a consultant do?

Answer 27

He/she may act as an objective party, looking at a situation and suggesting other helpful interventions without necessarily having a direct contact with the identified client whose needs are being addressed. He/she assists others to assess problems, find alternatives for dealing with them, and develop skills for effective work with the parties involved.

Question 28

What does the conductor of activities do?

Answer 28

He/she may need to carefully plan and directly conduct certain activities that may promote the client’s positive movement in life. He/she may also write materials on matters that could familiarize people with Guidance Services or that could help them improve their lives.

Question 29

What are examples of activities that the conductor of activities carefully plans and conducts?

Answer 29

Such activities may focus on orientation, group test interpretation, training peer facilitators, Stress Management Program, Time Management Program, Values Clarification, Career Weeks, etc.

Question 30

What does the change agent do?

Answer 30

The counselor must be involved in the process of organizational change, where necessary. His/her roles may involve acting as a catalyzer, process helper, solution giver, resource linker, and stabilizer. The change agent works to overcome the status quo if it no longer works or it has become inimical to the people by pointing out the problems and underscoring the need for change. Counseling skills such as recognizing needs, analyzing problems, setting goals, obtaining needed resources, and/or generating and evaluating solutions in order to facilitate change are most needed. Among areas that can be worked on are old practices and policies that worsen rather than improve the situation, e.g. teaching techniques that ignore the capabilities or learning styles of the clientele, discipline procedures that alienate rather than create positive changes.

Question 31

What are the specific tasks of a Guidance Counselor?

Answer 31

• Schedules and conducts individual counseling
• Organizes and conducts group counseling/classroom or group guidance activities
• Coordinates and/or runs enrichment/training programs for students, parents, teachers
• Helps administer and interprets tests
• Ensures gathering and recording of complete client data for the individual inventory
• Assesses needs as basis for activities
• Holds consultation and coordination activities
• Collects and disseminates information to the appropriate personnel
• Writes reports, keeps records and prepares needed materials
• Follows up clients
• Places students in appropriate academic, social, and occupational programs and settings
• Conducts research and evaluation to determine effectiveness of strategies and services implemented
• Refers clients to more qualified experts

Question 32

What are the educational/professional competencies required for a guidance counselor?

Answer 32

o Thorough familiarity with:
 human growth and development theories and concepts
 family development theories
 sociocultural factors affecting families and individuals
 learning theories
 motivational theories
1. Appropriate understanding and awareness of the concepts that guide professional practice, such as:
 individual and group counseling theories and concepts
 family counseling theories and concepts
 career development and decision-making theories
 consultation theories and techniques
 program development models and theories
 evaluation theories and procedures
1. A working knowledge of the fundamental principles and methods of modern psychology
2. Sufficient human experience leading to an understanding of people’s goals/ambitions/motives, interests/preferences, fears/needs, symptoms of the absence or presence of important character elements
3. Sufficient awareness of oneself - strengths and limitations, values and fears
4. Regular pursuit of personal and professional growth
5. Constant updating and upgrading of skills and knowledge
6. Working knowledge and application of professional ethics
7. Awareness of and contribution to the advancement of counseling through research
8. Active participation in professional organizations

Question 33

What are the skills and competencies a guidance counselor needs?

Answer 33

The responsibilities of a counselor running a comprehensive program call for the following skills, some of which are highlighted by the American School Counselor Association (1990) and the PGCA Code of Ethics and Standards of Good Practice (2008.)

1. diagnosing needs
2. individual and group counseling
3. educational-academic counseling
4. vocational-career counseling
5. personal-social counseling
6. cross-cultural or multicultural counseling
7. consultation
8. coordination
9. referral
10. test administration and interpretation
11. decision-making
12. program development and implementation
13. articulation of programs, functions, and tools
14. identifying and soliciting information and resources
15. evaluation

Question 34

What are the tasks a guidance counselor will need to accomplish?

Answer 34

Because of the nature of the work, counselors have to have personality traits and characteristics that may or may not be required in other occupations. Among those identified by the American School Counselor Association (1990) and interviews with clients.

1. genuine interest in the welfare of others
2. ability to understand the perspectives and viewpoints of others
3. belief in the ability of others to solve their problems
4. openness to learning and differing opinions
5. willingness to take risks
6. strong sense of self-worth
7. courage to make mistake and learn from them
8. valuing for continued growth as a person
9. warmth and caring
10. keen sense of humor
11. patience and flexibility
12. creativity
13. decisiveness