Norman C. Gysbers, Ph.D. Curators’ Professor Emeritus University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri West Virginia Department of Education School Counselor Conference June 21-23, 2016 Charleston, West Virginia

The First Organizational Structure for School Counseling – One Hundred Years Ago School Counseling (Vocational Guidance) Began As A Position With A List Of Duties Teachers And Administrators Occupied The Position

The Second Organizational Structure For School Counseling Appeared In The 1930s A Group Of Services- Information, Assessment, Counseling, Placement, & Follow-up Pupil Personnel Services List Of Duties

The Third Organizational Structure For School Counseling Appeared In The 1970s A Program List Of Duties Organized Around The Program Structure- School Counseling Curriculum, Individual Student Planning, Responsive Services, & System Support (Indirect Services)

List Of Duties Still Being Used Today To Describe The Role Of School Counselors Many Job Descriptions For School Counselors Used By Many School Districts Still Use The List Of Duties Approach

What Are The Problems With The List Of Duties? Overtime Lists Of Duties For School Counselors Often End Up Containing A Mixture Of School Counseling, Administrative, And Clerical Duties The Duties On The Lists Are Often Unequal In Size And Time Requirements

Duties Can Vary Substantially Among Elementary, Middle, And High School Counselors Lists Of Duties Makes It Difficult To Explain Who We Are- Our Professional Identity And Scope Of Practice Lists Of Duties Can Cause Role Confusion

Some Lists Of Duties Makes It Appear That School Counselors Are More Administrative Assistants Than School Counselors With Lists of Duties School Counselors Are Often Seen As Office People Not Program People

Why Is A Program A Better Organizational Structure For School Counseling? The Program Provides A Unifying Language For School Counselors K-12- Common Language The Program Provides K-12 School Counselors With The Same Mission And Vision

The Program Provides K-12 School Counselors With A Way To Calendar Their Work Across The Direct and Indirect Services Of The Delivery System School Counselors Can Show Administrators That Full Program Implementation Requires 100 Percent Of School Counselor Time

The Program Highlights The Developmental And Preventive Work Of School Counselors The Program Provides A Systematic Way To Collect And Analyze Data To Evaluate The Degree To Which The Program Is In Place And Impacting Student Behavior

The Program Provides The Common Language To Describe Who School Counselors Are And The Important Work They Do In The School To Support Student Success

What Once Was A Position In The Schools, With Wide-Ranging Duties, Often Clerical And Administrative In Nature, Has Moved To Become A Program, Allowing School Counselors To Better Meet Students’ Academic, Career, And Social/Emotional Needs