Student Counseling is a Necessity in Traditional and Online School Programs

by Estelle Shumann

School counselors have always played critical roles in the lives of students, but as students are asked to participate in increasingly competitive academic and professional realms, the need for counselors to help guide students is growing. In today’s post by Estelle Shumann, a writer for an Internet resource for students interested in online schools, Estelle argues that every kind of school, from traditional to charter to online, benefits from having a school counselor. Although the ETNI blog pointed out earlier this year that coaching is different than most forms of counseling, school counselors act as coaches to help their students succeed and achieve their goals.

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While widespread budget cuts cause school counselors to fear for their jobs, school counselors are often expected to take on more tasks than ever. For years, the role of a school counselor was seen as “working with kids and dealing with their emotional growth problems,” says Dr. Joseph Biscoglio, associate professor of guidance and counseling at the College of New Rochelle. Today, though, Biscoglio asserts that the pressures of college acceptance have changed expectations dramatically. “There's an overwhelming amount of paperwork. In many places, the counselor is dealing with parents who can't speak English and can't help their child.” As technology and legislation continue to alter and complicate the education system, counselors are proving to remain an essential school service.
 
In recent years, schools have been under intense scrutiny by many parents who feel their children are not being adequately prepared for college and career success. A great deal of the criticism has been directed towards high school counselors, as many parents feel they should act as equal parts guide, motivator and psychologist for their children. Understandably, as increasing numbers of high school and college graduates are having trouble finding jobs or getting into increasingly competitive colleges, many parents are directing their frustrations at counselors. A survey from the non-profit research organization Public Agenda found that most high school graduates feel their counselors provided little meaningful advice about college or careers. However, despite the opinions of students and parents, a growing pool of research is finding that extensive school counseling programs can be exceptionally effective in positively influencing their students' later success.
 
Many studies have confirmed the importance of school counselors in creating a successful learning environment. Research has shown that school counseling interventions have had a substantial impact on students' educational and personal development. Individual and small-group counseling, and classroom guidance have all proved markedly effective in gauging student success both in the classroom and in later life. Another study, of Missouri high schools, showed that in schools with fully implemented model guidance programs, the student population was overall more likely to achieve higher grades and were receiving more college and career information. The schools with strong guidance programs also reported feeling a more positive climate among students and staff, decreasing classroom disturbances and promoting effective education.
 
Perhaps most importantly, there is evidence that school counselors can be most effective among students from economically or socially disadvantaged backgrounds. In an issue brief from the American Institutes for Research, it was found that an important part of preparing students for life after high school consists of “early and ongoing counseling for students and their families,” with results for students from troubled backgrounds showing the greatest improvement.
 
With online programs as well as private, charter and alternative or magnet high schools all gaining traction, the importance in school counselors to guide students through the increasingly complicated education system will only become more apparent. If students are expected to compete in a high tech global marketplace, especially students from disadvantaged backgrounds, on-site school counseling is a critical necessity. When counselors are supported by their school administration and given the freedom to work with students on both emotional and practical issues, school counselors remain a vital component of a sophisticated educational system.

Estelle Shumann is a freelance writer for Online Schools and extremely interested in technology's effect on education and the human mind. She is currently considering a graduate program at Cornell. 

"Coaching" - A Different Connotation and Application Today

By Allan J. Hirshey

Allan J. Hirshey (LLB, MS) is a former U.S.Government financial analyst, and business lecturer (adjunct faculty) at a Maryland community college. Training Medicare reimbursement specialists was a major part of his career.  After making aliyah, he earned a professional counseling diploma, and studied English teaching/tutoring theory.  He writes scholarly articles on the social sciences.  Additionally, he provides voluntary English tutoring to yeshiva students, adults (through AACI) and also to disadvantaged students at a local Jerusalem community center. “Express Tutoring” is the name of his business, specializing in business English, business math, resume preparation,  job interview coaching, personal financial problems, and life counseling using Reality Therapy techniques.   

Historically, coaching has always been associated with the sports world.  Today, however, coaching has taken on a new meaning.  No longer restricted to sports, coaches are privately being hired for a variety of personal reasons.  There are dating coaches, divorce coaches, writing coaches, voice coaches, lawyer coaches, executive coaches, and the list goes on.

How does private coaching differ from athletic coaching? In private coaching, the client sets the agenda & is considered “king.”  Furthermore, the client/coach relationship takes the form of an “alliance” or partnership to meet the client’s needs.  In this “alliance”, the partners interact on a “level playing field” - an authoritative relationship doesn’t exist. Ideally, the coach guides, supports, and empowers the client to recognize and then solve his/her problem(s) - poor motivation, low self-esteem, unsatisfactory job performance, etc.  In other words, the coach doesn’t provide answers or solve the client’s problem(s).  How does this work?  

Basically, the coach uses skillful powerful, creative, and opening questioning techniques, to stimulate the client’s thought processes and to break away from his/her problem “mindsets.”  If these questioning techniques are used effectively, the client recognizes the problem(s), and then sets up appropriate personal goals, satisfactorily achieving them within realistic set time frames.   

There are also other differences.  Whereas athletic coaching is done face-to-face, private coaching is also done over the phone, including long distance and by email.  Athletic coaches are normally paid straight salaries. However, private coaches often negotiate their own fees.  In that regard, top-class business and/or executive coaches often negotiate their own remunerations, based on fixed percentages of their clients’ future profit margins.  Consequently, compared to other private coaching areas, corporate coaching is the most lucrative, financially.

How does private coaching differ from psychotherapy, mentoring, counseling, consulting, & tutoring?  Unlike professional therapists, teachers, & counselors, private coaches are not government regulated - they don’t require licenses to practice their profession.  Moreover, private coaches don’t delve into clients’ past lives trying to uncover reasons for present problems.  Some other notable differences, broken down by related disciplines, are as follows:   

Psychotherapy - therapists normally work with poorly motivated and low self-esteem clients.  In contrast, private coaches, especially, at the corporate level, work with high driving, functioning clients, who strive for more excellence. 

Mentoring - mentors are normally older, wiser, with expertise in one area.  Basically, mentors bestow their knowledge to their clients.  Therefore, the client is not solving his/her problem(s).

Counseling - similar to a therapist/client relationship, there is no “alliance.”   Instead, the counseling relationship is more hierarchical.  The counselor is “boss”, and normally solves the client’s problem(s).

Consulting - consultants are hired for their fields of expertise to solve their clients’ specific problems.  So in this relationship there is no “level playing field”, and the consultant, not the client, solves the client’s problem(s).

Tutoring – again, there is no “level playing field” - the tutor is “boss.”  The client depends on the tutor to solve his/her problem(s).    

What are some of the key qualifications needed for successful private coaching?  A background in behavior modification psychology (including NLP) is one important tool.  To specialize in business and/or executive coaching, an aspiring coach also needs to know the following:  the fundamentals of business management; how corporate organizations develop and function; and the principles of risk and crisis/conflict management.  Moreover, having an MBA degree, supplemented by management experience in such areas as marketing, corporation finance, human resources, and/or telecommunications, provide a further “competitive edge.”  

Assuming an aspiring private coach’s CV lists the above qualifications, his/her glass is only half full.  Just as crucial is his/her mastery over certain key interpersonal skills. In that regard, recent studies have identified five critical interpersonal skills needed for successful private coaching. The first is the ability to develop client rapport.  Without client rapport, a partnership or “alliance” can’t be crafted.  Here, having a condescending nature is an important asset. Second, a coach needs to have deep listening abilities at multiple levels.  Hearing what the client is not saying is just as important as hearing what the client is saying.  Third, a coach needs powerful, creative, and opening questioning skills to effectively guide the client to solve his/her own problem(s).  Coming into play here is the coach’s ability to adroitly manage the conversation, and not the client.  Fourth, a coach needs to know how to implement open and objective feedback skills to maintain an effective coach/client “alliance.”  Praising the client as much as possible strengthens implementation of the feedback process.  And fifth, a keen sense of intuition is needed to ensure that the client is staying on track and exerting the maximum effort required to achieve his/her goal(s).  Here, a coach must be careful to trust his/her intuition, but not to overly rely on it.

What’s today’s job market picture look like for private coaches?  Unfortunately, it’s pretty bleak!  Although the supply side is growing at an exponential rate, the demand remains stagnant.  Some of the major factors causing this supply/demand imbalance are as follows: little, if any, governmental regulation (no coaching license requirements); a proliferation of  coaching courses and seminars, mostly short-term in length and without realistic enrollment requirements; high global unemployment rates; and the related scarcity of jobs for recent college graduates.  

In conclusion, an aspiring private coach needs three critical tools to be effective: (a) expertise in a specific field/occupation; (b) a working knowledge of the fundamentals of behavioral modification psychology; and (c) the innate personal skills to empower people to recognize and then to solve their own problems. If anyone of these skills is deficient or lacking, particularly, (b) or (c), pursuing a private coaching career isn’t realistic.  Perhaps a consulting, mentoring, or a counseling career would make a better choice.