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The general considerations for an intervention in an academic setting include all of the following EXCEPT:
a. Age
b. Gender
c. Social skills
d. Cultural background
b. Gender
The general considerations for an intervention in an academic setting are the age, development, cultural background, and social skills of the student. Cultural and social considerations are particularly pivotal because they can provide the parameters for establishing recognition and context for some interventions. It might be useful to consult the families of students when determining the cultural and social relevance of a particular therapeutic method. Categories of therapy generally fall into broad areas of multimodal counseling, family counseling, direct and indirect play therapy, and expressive art therapy. Common therapy strategies for school-age children include drama, storytelling, music, art, puppetry, use of tactile materials like clay and sand, and an array of play therapies. Other formal methods include reality therapy, Gestalt techniques, cognitive-behavioral counseling, and Adlerian counseling. Knowledge of the spectrum of available therapies is particularly valuable for counselors seeking appropriate interventions for students in an academic setting.
Which of the following is NOT true of solution-focused brief counseling (SFBC)?
a. The SFBC model is often found to be effective for students of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
b. The SFBC model is most effective when counselors utilize the time to endorse student strengths, successes, and resources.
c. SFBC is often indicated in schools that have regimented time constraints for counseling.
d. In the SFBC model, a theoretical approach is more often indicated than a pragmatic one.
d. In the SFBC model, a theoretical approach is more often indicated than a pragmatic one.
The strategies indicated for SFBC are based on the following set of core concepts:
If the counselor develops and presents the goals in a positive context, then cooperation, collaboration, and positive response from the student are more likely.
A pragmatic approach is much more indicated than a theoretical one; in other words, this model focuses on what works rather than what the problem is.
Counselors should be careful to formulate intervention strategies that can be reasonably attained within the allotted time frame.
Because of the nature and parameters of the SFBC model, counselors should encourage students to focus on present and future circumstances and avoid past experiences as much as possible.
Counselors should focus intervention strategies on students’ behaviors and actions, rather than on reflective insights.
Which of the following is preventative in nature and designed to reduce the risk of major issues occurring in the future?
a. Psycho-educational groups
b. Crisis-centered groups
c. Problem-centered groups
d. Growth-centered groups
c. Problem-centered groups
There are many models of group therapy, including psycho-educational groups, crisis-centered groups, problem-centered groups, and growth-centered groups. Each of these groups carries its own considerations as a model for various situations.
The psycho-educational group is generally helpful in promoting a student’s awareness of common issues in life.
Crisis-centered groups are often short-term and responsive to a major trauma on a community-scale.
Problem-centered groups and growth-centered groups are preventative in nature.
Growth-centered groups are designed to help students grow in areas of deficiency, such as self-esteem, whereas problem-centered groups are designed to reduce risk of major problems occurring in the future or developing over time. The problems in question include substance abuse or stress-related issues in students’ lives.
Which of the following is true of both psycho-educational and counseling groups?
a. Both are equally structured.
b. Both have the same perceived effect on students.
c. Both are primarily focused on specific content issues.
d. Both can be categorized into developmental, remedial, or school environments.
d. Both can be categorized into developmental, remedial, or school environments.
To appreciate the distinctions between psycho-educational and counseling groups, it is a good idea to first identify the similarities. Either group can address life management issues such as loss, stress issues, academic success, etc. Either group can be categorized into developmental, remedial, or school environments. Where they differ is in the focus within the groups and group sessions. Counseling groups tend to address matters of managing crisis, targeting issues of process more than specific content issues. Psycho-educational groups, on the other hand, apply a more concentrated focus on particular content. Counseling groups tend to be less structured than psycho-educational groups. The effect and impact on students in the two groups is often perceived as distinctively different, although counselors tend to view them as similar in format and purpose.
Which of the following is often the best source for strategies to improve the academic, personal, and career development of the students?
a.Local school community
b. Current literature
c. One’s own state model
d. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
a. Local school community
There are both state standards and national models (from associations such as the ASCA) for the development of school counseling curriculum. These models address expectations for grade and education levels, as well as school guidance models targeting different regions and grade levels. A number of states have developed counseling programs that are derived from national recommendations, incorporating current literature and the success rates for particular models or strategies. When developing school counseling curriculum, counselors should follow these national and state models while continuing to consider recommendations from the school community. The local school community is often the best source for strategies to improve the academic, personal, and career development of the students. Collaboration with a school advisory group can also facilitate development of a counseling curriculum that best meets students’ needs and the goals of the school community at large.
Who was arguably the first family systems therapist in the United States, and identified the omnipresent characteristic of family homeostasis?
a. Carl Whitaker
b. Virginia Satir
c. Sandra Bem
d. Alfred Adler
b. Virginia Satir
Family systems theory focuses on the particular context of the child’s family. Whereas individual approaches may focus on modifying a particular behavior or considering the personality traits of a student, systems theory attends to the interactions of the child with parents, siblings, extended family members, and family history. Theorist and practitioners like Murray Bowen and Virginia Satir recognized that individuals are under constant pressure in the family system to act in ways that maintain stability of the system—sometimes at great cost to the well-being of the individual. Virginia Satir, who started working with families in 1951, was arguably the first family systems therapist in the United States. Satir identified the omnipresent characteristic of family homeostasis but also insisted on the lifelong potential for change for the better. Children are helped by addressing family interactions, and the entire family becomes healthier. Satir also attended to the negative effects of low self-esteem on marital partners and how unhappy marriages create dysfunctional families. One dysfunctional process, triangulation (also researched by Murray Bowen), puts a child between the warring adults, perhaps as scapegoat, confidante, or go-between but always to the child’s detriment.
Generally, regardless of the grade level or discipline, most successful lesson plans will include three basic components. Which of the following is NOT one of these three?
a. Introduction
b. Activities that develop the lesson
c. Assessment and testing
d. Conclusion and application
c. Assessment and testing
Generally, regardless of the grade level or the discipline, most successful lesson plans will include three basic components:
The first of these components is the introduction. In this part of the lesson, students are introduced to the general topic or the particular focus area of the lesson.
Secondly, the lesson plan should include activities that will serve to develop the lesson. These activities can be performed by the counselor, a teacher, or can be participatory activities by the students.
The third section of the lesson not only concludes the lesson, but also evolves into an application portion, whereby students are able to project the lesson into their daily lives. This portion of the lesson often also includes student discussion.
The total effect of this kind of sequenced lesson plan is increased student engagement and a greater likelihood that students will remember and assimilate the lesson.
Which of the following imbues students with self-confidence, orients them to the lesson, and helps establish a participatory trust between counselor-teacher and students?
a. Incorporating previous knowledge in a lesson plan
b. Developing a clear outline for planned activities
c. Presenting lesson topics through consistent methods/media
d. Forming correlations between counseling curricula and academic curricula
a. Incorporating previous knowledge in a lesson plan
Incorporating previous knowledge in a lesson plan imbues students with the self-confidence and orientation to the lesson to be more engaged. It also helps to establish a participatory trust between counselor-teacher and students. Students are more likely to feel that they already possess useful information, and the counselor is there to facilitate the expansion of their knowledge base. A useful strategy for incorporating previous knowledge in a lesson plan is to ask questions, to which students can positively respond. Building on this, counselors can introduce next sequences or facets of knowledge, possibly by asking relevant questions and volunteering the answers. Another valuable strategy is to reiterate previous knowledge, with which students are already familiar, and then to lead the class to the next phase of knowledge or skill development. Students whose previous knowledge is acknowledged are likely to be more receptive and participate more fully.
Which of the following is an example of passive learning?
a. Verbally responding to questions
b. Listening to a lecture
c. Taking notes
d. Writing on the board
b. Listening to a lecture
The traditional lecture-based curriculum delivery style is effective in terms of transmitting information, but only requires the student to participate in a very limited, passive manner. Students who simply hear the information are limited to a particular learning style and more subject to distraction. Complementing the lecture with videos or handouts can increase students’ receptivity by adding visual stimuli. A more effective augmentation would be to include opportunities for students to actively participate and learn. Some examples of active learning include verbal question response, writing on the board, note taking, and other activities that require students to be engaged. Also, if students are asked to reiterate information through writing or other activities, they necessarily are focused on the lesson. Active learning strategies significantly increase the amount of data that students acquire.
Which of the following means of communication has the most potential for misunderstanding?
a. E-mail
b. Phone call
c. Video call
d. Face-to-face
a. E-mail
Limitations in working with students remotely includes the potential for misunderstanding, especially with the written word, as there are no nonverbal cues to interpret. Ideally, a backup plan for texting and emails would be to check in by phone or video call.
The school counselor is expected to be able to do all of the following technical tasks EXCEPT:
a. use software to build web pages.
b. create spreadsheets and presentations.
c. show students how to find online resources.
d. remotely monitor student online activity.
d. remotely monitor student online activity.
The ACES list encompasses the technological requirements involved in nearly every aspect of the school counselor’s job, including providing one-on-one services, communicating en mass, doing research, and interpreting the research of others. Counselors need to be able to use software to build web pages, write letters, create spreadsheets and presentations, send emails, access databases, collect data, advance their own professional development, and help students use career, academic, and counseling-related resources. Along with the nuts and bolts of knowing how to operate and maintain a computer, its software and associated printers, and other hardware, counselors also have to understand the potential pitfalls of technology use in terms of ethics and legalities. Like most professions, school counseling requires computer literacy, and counselors have the added mandate of showing students how to find the resources they need online. Familiarity with the internet is also an important part of understanding, preventing, and stopping cyberbullying.
