Pasadena ISD Counseling Department's Mission Statement

The Pasadena ISD counseling department empowers students to become accomplished, self-directed, collaborative, lifelong learners, who boldly contribute to an increasingly complex and evolving world. Through the participation in a comprehensive school counseling program, all students will engage in positive relationships to help create a safe learning environment. The comprehensive counseling program encourages academic rigor and career exploration in order to involve all students in self-exploration and to promote the ability to find innovative meaningful experiences that enrich students’ lives.

Definition, Rationale, and Assumptions

Definition:

The Pasadena ISD Counseling Department will support and advance the social and emotional health, as well as the college and career development of all students through the delivery of a comprehensive guidance program. Students will receive supports through individual and group counseling, guidance curriculum, along with referral services provided through a variety of community partnerships.

Rationale:

The Pasadena ISD Counseling Department promotes social/emotional and academic development to support, empower, and shape positive, assertive students. The counseling program addresses competencies such as health and safety, Intra/Interpersonal effectiveness, along with college and career planning. Pasadena ISD counselors will accomplish these goals through student, staff, and parent needs assessments to inform the campus comprehensive guidance program on how to best meet the needs of the school community. The professional school counselor utilizes individual and group counseling, guidance lessons, district resources, advocacy, and consultation to meet the unique and diverse needs of all students.

Assumptions:

For the Rick Schneider Middle School Counseling program to be implemented and effective, the following conditions and resources are necessary.

• Use of data: student/staff/parent needs assessments, campus data (discipline, attendance, achievement).

• Campus supports: staff supports the role of the school counselor and all support counseling program goals.

• Training: District provides relevant training to enhance the campus comprehensive guidance program and support the work of the school counselor

• Materials/Supplies: Campus budget and district supports are available to ensure curriculum and general supply needs are met

• Organizational and Communication Tools: Calendar for campus and district is communicated and organized for best planning.

• District Supports: Guidelines and procedures are communicated and readily available to the school counselor

• Role of the Counselor: Campus and district support the role of the school counselor and make every effort to protect the integrity of the position.

• Community Partners: Community partners exist to support the overall physical and mental health of all students.

Developing Program Goals

School counseling program goals are key to ensure a purposeful and successful comprehensive school counseling program. SMART goals help tailor our school counseling interventions to meet the needs of our students, staff, and community. The goals are data driven, and the data is from a variety of sources. Data sources include needs assessments (student, staff, and parent), observations, discipline and attendance reports, our campus improvement plan, and academic performance. Reviewing this data helps the counselors identify areas of need or significance that can be addressed through our comprehensive school counseling program.

Evaluating Our Program

At the end of each school year, RSMS school counselors will re-evaluate each SMART goal set in our counseling program through the use of our campus/district needs assessments, district initiatives, and campus-based data on attendance, discipline, and academic performance. The counselors will also utilize our Counseling Advisory Committee to help determine the effectiveness of the interventions and programs implemented. This moment of reflection will help us continuously gauge how well our program supports its stakeholders and make adjustments as needed.