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The CBVRCE has Guidance Counsellors in many of its schools, providing counselling programs and services to all levels from elementary to senior high. To provide some information about what counsellors can do to help your child, the following is a guide. Please contact your child's school for more information.
What Does A Guidance Counsellor Do?
Guidance counsellors can be a vital part in a students school life by helping them in many facets of their education, personal and social life. The following acronym has been used to describe some of the support provided to students by Guidance Counsellors.
G Guidance services are provided for an individual or groups.
U Use me if I can't help you, I may know someone who can.
I Introduce yourself. There may be only 2 counsellors but 1100 students.
D Discipline is not my responsibility. Preventing discipline problems can be.
A Assisting students in adjustment problems.
N Need of students vary. You don't have to have a serious problem to see your Guidance Counsellor.
C Confidentiality is a must between student and counsellor.
E Each one of you can obtain current information on most careers or sign up for the Choices Program.
C Conferences are sometimes arranged with your teachers and parents.
O Orientation programs are provided for new students.
U Understanding you and helping you understand others is our job.
N Needs of students may include counseling for future educational plans, post secondary application, scholarships and letters of references.
S Study habits, development, scheduling courses, and special programs are services provided for all students.
E Educational counselling is often needed in selecting courses and programs.
L Liaison with administrators, staff, students and parents.
L Liaison with community resources help us obtain services the school does not provide.
O Organizing special programs
R Research, record keeping, reports and referrals are provided.
Many of the schools in the CBVRSB have adopted the Comprehensive Guidance and Counselling Program.
What is comprehensive guidance and counselling?
The comprehensive guidance and counselling program is built around four specific areas related to the personal, social, academic, and career development of students. In order to plan a program around these areas, it is first necessary to have an understanding of what the needs of the students are. With this in mind, a needs assessment process is used. Needs of a school are identified by collecting information from students, parents/guardians, educators, and the community at large. This assessment is done approximately every three to four years.
Advisory Committee
An advisory committee is struck, coordinated by the guidance counsellors and composed of people from administration, staff, students, parents/guardians, and community members. One of the Committee's purposes is to draw up the needs assessments which will be distributed to students, staff, and parents/guardians.
Building blocks of program
Guidance Curriculum
In this particular area, guidance counsellors may assist teachers in making the guidance curriculum a part of their classroom. This assistance could range from consulting to team teaching.
Professional Services
These services consist of referral, counselling, consultation, or information made available to students. It includes personal, social, career, educational, and crisis issues.
Life and Career Planning
Some of the concepts covered in this area are individual assessment, information gathering, decision making, goal setting, and career options.
Program Management and System Support
The guidance counsellors would be involved in community outreach programs, serve on committees, conduct research, do report writing, be involved in professional development, and so forth.
Steps to Initiating the Comprehensive Guidance Program
Obtain program materials and training
Establish an advisory committee
Assess needs
Determine resources
Identify expected student outcomes
Define program activities
Implement program activities
Evaluate program
CBVRCE Crisis Intervention Teams
Another responsibility of Guidance Counsellors in the board is to respond to crisis situations. Four crisis teams, comprised of Guidance Counsellors and school board social workers, act on a rotating basis to respond to crisis events that take place in the schools. Response is often crisis counselling to those affected students and staff.
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