ASCA (AMERICAN SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION) NATIONAL MODEL

- a developmental framework, that can be used to create a (CSCP) comprehensive

school counseling program, that emphasizes the importance of career, academic,
and personal/social development of students
- contains essential elements of a quality and effective school counseling program

FOUR (4) COMPONENTS:

1. FOUNDATION
1.1 Program Focus
1.2 Student Competencies
1.3 Professional Competencies
2. MANAGEMENT
2.1 Tools for Implementation
3. DELIVERY
3.1 Direct Services
3.2 Indirect Services
4. ACCOUNTABILITY
4.1 Data Analysis
4.2 Program Results
4.3 Evaluation and Improvement

1. FOUNDATION

- serves as the solid ground upon which the rest of the comprehensive school
counseling program is built; serves as the basis of the management and delivery
components
- becomes the “what” of the program
- requires a collaborative effort with staff, parents/guardians and the community
to determine what every student will receive as a benefit of a school counseling
program
- establishes the focus of the comprehensive school counseling program based on
the academic, career, and personal/social needs of the student in the school

1.1 Program Focus

a. Beliefs
- Discussed early in the process of developing a CSCP
- Beliefs about students, families, teachers, and the educational process are
recognized as crucial in supporting student success
- Each member should contribute to the discussion to come to a common
understanding about each other’s point of view
- Should include the following: an agreed upon belief system about the ability
of all students to achieve, every student, student developmental needs with
focus on prevention, the counselor’s role as an advocate for every student,
persons to be involved in the delivery of program activities, who will plan and
manage the program, data to drive program decisions, how the program will
be evaluated and by whom, and ethical guidelines
 b. Vision Statement
- Focuses on a preferred or desired future
- Becomes the picture of what school counselors hope to see in the next five to
10 years
- Should be shared by all the stakeholders in a school community
- Effective vision statements are: aligned with school’s vision and mission,
future-oriented, bold and compelling, aspiring and inspiring, states the best
possible student outcomes, believable and achievable

c. Mission Statement
- provides the focus and direction to reach the vision
- creates one focus or purpose in the development of the CSCP
- should be clear, concise, and specific to the program’s intent and what the
program will contribute to the overall mission of schools
- an effective mission statement: is tied to the schools’, districts’, and state
department of education’s mission, is written with students as primary focus,
advocates for equity/access/success of every student, and indicates the long
range results desired for all students

d. Program Goals
- Define how the program’s vision and mission will be measured
- Promote specific student outcomes including student achievement,
attendance, behavior, and school safety

1.2 Student Competencies

a. ASCA National Standards for Student Competencies

- Identifies and prioritizes the specific attitudes, knowledge, and skills that
students should be able to demonstrate as a result of a CSCP
- Standards are organized into three broad domains to enhance the learning
process: academic, career and personal/social
- School-specific competencies and indicators are the foundation for classroom
lessons, small groups and activities with a school counseling program – these
directly reflect the CSCP mission and goals.

b. Other Student Standards

- Help school counselors demonstrate how their program aligns with other
standards important to state and district initiatives as appropriate
- Examples of other standards: The Partnership for 21st century Skills, Character
Education Partnership, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional
Learning, and State standards.

1.3 Professional Competencies

a. School Counselor Competencies

- Outline the knowledge, attitudes and skills that ensure school counselors are
equipped to meet the rigorous demands of the profession and the needs of
our preK-12 students
- Necessary to ensure that the future school counselor workforce is able to
continue to make a positive difference in students’ lives
 b. ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors
- outlines the ethical responsibilities of the counselors

2. MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

- Provides organizational processes and tools designed to manage a CSCP

- Consists of clearly delineated priorities reflective of student needs

2.1 Tools for Implementation

a. School Counselor Competencies Assessment

- Include knowledge, attitude, and skills necessary to perform the range of
school counselor responsibilities in all four components of a CSCP

b. School Counseling Program Assessment

- Used to assess the CSCP in comparison with the ASCA National Model
- Helps identify strengths and weaknesses of the program and provide direction
for continued program improvement
- Determines the following: major strengths of the program, program areas in
need of strengthening, short-range goals for improvement, long-range goals
for improvement, and areas to consider for professional development
- Results should be shared with all the stakeholders of the school

c. Annual Agreement Template

- Made between each school counselor and the administrator in charge of the
school counseling program each school year
- Increases an administrator’s understanding of a CSCP
- Ensure that the CSCP runs smoothly and is more like to produce the desired
results for students

d. Advisory Council
- A representative group of stakeholders selected to advise and assist with
CSCP implementation
- The group assists school counselors by advising on program goals, reviewing
program results, making recommendations about the CSCP, advocating and
engaging in public relations for the CSCP, advocating for funding and
resources
- When creating an advisory council, school counselors should consider: goals &
objectives, representation, size, appropriate candidates, chairperson, terms of
membership, agenda and minutes, first meeting and additional meetings

e. Use of Data
- Essential to ensure that every student receives the benefits of the school
counseling program
- Helps counselors with the following: monitor student progress, identify
students with difficulties and behavior problems, identify barriers to learning,
understanding factors affecting student behavior, identifying access or equity
issues, close achievement or opportunity gaps, assess and evaluate
effectiveness of activities within the CSCP, improve, modify or change services
 provided to students, educate stakeholders about the power of a CSCP,
advocate for additional resources to increase program effectiveness
- Requires proficiency in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the
students’ achievement and behavioral data
- Aggregated Data e.g. “85% of all seniors attend post-secondary education”
- Disaggregated Data e.g. “93% of white students attend post-secondary
education compared with only 42% of students of color”; includes frequently
used categories such as: gender, race, socio-economic status, course
enrollment, language spoken at home, special education, grade level, teacher
assignment

f. School Data Profile Template

- Helps school counselors disaggregate data and gain an understanding of
whether or not achievement gaps or issues of equity exist at the school;
includes: achievement data (e.g. promotion and retention rates, graduation
rates, drop-out rates etc..) and behavioral data (e.g. discipline referrals,
suspension rates, attendance rates, etc …)
- Provides a framework for documenting data over time; includes: short term
data (e.g. four year plan, improved classroom behavior after small group
counseling etc…) and long term data (e.g. suspension rates, college
attendance rates, etc …)

g. Program Results Data

- Shows that the CSCP has attained goals and made a difference for students
- Documents how students are different as a result of the CSCP
- Types of Program Results Data: Process Data, Perception Data, & Outcome
Data

h. Action Plans/Lesson Plan Template

- A plan detailing how the counselor intends to achieve the desired results
- Three types of Action Plan Templates: Curriculum Action Plan, Small-Group
Action Plan, & Closing-the-Gap Action Plan

i. Use of Time Assessment

- Helps the school counselor determine how much time is spent in each of the
components of the ASCA National Model
- Direct and Indirect Student Services
- According to Gysbers and Henderson (2012), “It is recommended that school
counselors spend approximately 80% of their time in direct and indirect
services to students. The remaining 20% of time is set aside for program
management, and school support services, such as school counseling program
foundation, management and accountability tasks. In addition, a small portion
of the 20% of the school counselor’s time is spent in the “routine” ‘running of
the school’ responsibilities that all members of the school staff take equal
turns doing to ensure the school’s smooth operation”

j. Appropriate and Inappropriate School Counseling Program Activities

- School counselors’ duties are focused on the overall delivery of the CSCP
- Administrators are encouraged to eliminate or reassign inappropriate tasks,
allowing school counselors to focus on the prevention and intervention needs
of the program
 k. Calendars
- School counselors develop and publish calendars of school counseling events
to inform the school community of what, when and where will these activities
be held
- Encourages involvement as partners in student education
- A well developed calendar that is complete, timely, and visually appealing can
be a powerful public relations booster
- Types of School Counseling Activities Calendars: Annual and Weekly

3. DELIVERY SYSTEM

- Focuses on the method of implementing the CSCP to students

- Includes components and strategies school counselors provide to students and
interactions they have with others as they work to promote student achievement,
equity, and access for all students

3.1 Direct Student Services

a. School Counseling Core Curriculum

- Consists of a planned, written, instructional program that is comprehensive in
scope, preventive in nature, and developmental in design
- Facilitates the systematic delivery of lessons or activities aligned with the
school counseling program’s vision, mission and goals
- Established through design, implementation, and documentation
- Delivered through: Instruction and Group Activities

b. Individual Student Planning

- Consists of ongoing systemic activities to help all students plan, monitor, and
manage their own learning as well as to achieve academic, career, and
personal/social competencies aligned with the school counseling core
curriculum
- Implemented through strategies such as Appraisal and Advisement

c. Responsive Services
- Consists of activities designed to meet students’ immediate needs and
concerns
- Initiated through self-referrals or counselor initiated referrals
- Designed to help students resolve academic, personal/social, and career
issues
- Delivered through strategies as: Counseling and Crisis Response

3.2 Indirect Student Services

a. Referrals
- Directing students and parents to school or community resources for
additional assistance or information
- May include academic support such as tutoring, career support such as
college planning and personal/social support such as community agencies that
treat mental health issues including suicidal ideation and depression
 b. Consultation
- School counselors share strategies that support student achievement with
parents, teachers, other educators and community organizations
- Used to receive information on student needs and to identify strategies that
promote student achievement

c. Collaboration
- When school counselors work with other educators, parents, and the
community to support student achievement and advocate for equity and
access for all students
- School counselors may collaborate in a variety of ways including: Teaming
and partnership, School/District Committees, Parent Workshops

4. ACCOUNTABILITY

- To achieve the best results for students, school counselors regularly evaluate
their program to determine its effectiveness
- Answers the question “How are students different as a result of the
Comprehensive School Counseling Program?
- The purpose of this component is to analyze the data that have been collected
and make program decisions based on the analysis

4.1 Data Analysis

a. School Data Profile Analysis

- A summary of the school’s achievement, attendance, behavior and safety
record over a multiyear period and can contribute to better understanding of
trends at the school
- All school counselors need to understand how the data were collected and
how to interpret the data, implications of the data, and their role in the plan
to address the data

b. Use of Time Analysis

- Analysis of the use of time assessment informs many components of a CSCP
such as the annual agreement, calendars, curriculum and small-group action
plans
- It is suggested that for a two-week period every year, school counselors
estimate the number of hours they are engaged in direct and indirect services
during those weeks to determine how close they are to the ideal of 80%

4.2 Program Results

a. Curriculum Results Analysis

- Demonstrates the effectiveness of program and classroom activities and
informs program improvement
 b. Closing-the-Gap Results Analysis
- Addresses important issues of equity and student achievement
- One of the most important aspects of program analysis
- Helps school counselors report the impact and effectiveness of program
activities and inform program improvement

c. Small-Group Results Analysis

- Helps counselors report the impact and effectiveness of the small group
intervention

4.3 Evaluation and Improvement

a. School Counselor Competencies Assessment Analysis

- Assessment of the competencies that can be used as benchmarks for training
- Practicing school counselors could use the checklist as a tool to self-evaluate
to make a professional development plan
- School administrators may use this as a guide for seeking and hiring
competent school counselors and for developing a meaningful school
counselor performance evaluation

b. Program Assessment Analysis

- Program data are analyzed in relation to progress made toward the school-
wide mission and achievement goals
- Noticing trends over time invites reflection, discussion, and participation by all
stakeholders in assessing the program for continual program evaluation and
improvement

c. School Counselor Performance Appraisal

- An evaluation of the school counselor’s performance
- Conducted once a year by an administrator
- The appraisal document is frequently developed by school, district, or state
guidelines for school counselor evaluation

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EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE IN PSYCHOLOGY (EBPP)

- The integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the
context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences (APA 2005
Presidential Task Force)
- Established to promote effective psychological practice and enhance public
health by applying empirically supported principles of psychological assessment,
case formulation, therapeutic relationship and intervention

DEFINITION OF TERMS:

1. Intervention – all direct services rendered by health care psychologists, including

assessment, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, psychotherapy and consultation
2. Settings – include but are not limited to hospitals, clinics, independent practices,
schools, military installations, public health institutions, rehabilitation institutes,
primary care centers, counseling centers, and nursing homes
3. Patient – child, adolescent, adult, older adult, couple, family, group, organization,
community, or other population receiving psychological services
4. Empirically supported treatments – treatments that work for a certain disorder or
problem under specified circumstances; specific psychological treatments that have
been shown to be efficacious in controlled clinical trials

Three Major Components of EBPP

1. BEST AVAILABLE RESEARCH EVIDENCE

- Refers to scientific results related to intervention strategies, assessment, clinical
problems, and patient populations in laboratory and field settings as well as to
clinically relevant results of basic research in psychology and related fields

Types of Research Evidence

• Clinical Observations (including individual case studies) – valuable sources of
innovations and hypotheses
• Qualitative Research – used to described the subjective and lived experiences
of people including participants in psychotherapy
• Aggregated (formed or grouped into clusters) Systematic Case Studies
- for comparing individual patients with others with similar characteristics
• Single-case Experimental Designs – useful for establishing causal
relationships in the context of an individual
• Public Health and ethnographic research – useful for tracking the
availability, utilization, and acceptance of mental health treatments as well as
suggesting ways of altering these treatments to maximize their utility in a given
social context
• Studies of interventions – well suited for assessing the ecological validity of
treatments
• Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) – are the standard for drawing causal
inferences about the effects of interventions
• Meta-analysis – systematic means to synthesize results from multiple studies,
test hypotheses, and quantitatively estimate the size of effects

Two dimensions on evaluating research on specific interventions (Criteria

for Evaluating Treatment Guidelines; American Psychological Association, 2002) :
• Treatment Efficacy – the systematic and scientific evaluation of whether a
treatment works
• Clinical Utility – the applicability, feasibility, and usefulness of the intervention
in the local or specific setting where it is to be offered; also includes
determination of the generalizability of an intervention whose efficacy has been
established

2. CLINICAL EXPERTISE
- Competence attained by psychologists through education, training, and
experience that results in effective practice
- Essential to deliver services that have the highest probability of achieving the
goals of therapy
- Psychologists are trained as scientists as well as practitioners
 Components of Clinical Expertise
• Assessment, diagnostic judgment, systematic case formulation and treatment
planning
• Clinical decision making, treatment implementation, and monitoring of patient
progress
• Interpersonal expertise
• Continual self-reflection and acquisition of skills
• Appropriate evaluation and use of research evidence in both basic and applied
psychological science
• Understanding the influence of individual and cultural differences on treatment
• Seeking available resources

3. PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS, CULTURE AND PREFERENCES

- Psychological services are most likely to be effective when they are responsive to
the patient’s specific problems, strengths, personality, sociocultural context, and
preferences
- Psychologists must attend to the individual person to make the complex choices
necessary to conceptualize, prioritize, and treat multiple symptoms

Examples
• Variations in presenting problems or disorders, etiology, concurrent symptoms or
syndromes and behavior
• Chronological age, developmental status, developmental history, and life stage
• Sociocultural and familial factors (gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, social
class, religion, disability status, family structure, sexual orientation)
• Current environmental context stressors (unemployment, recent life event), and
social factors (institutional racism, health care disparities)
• Personal preferences, values, and preferences related to treatment
• Patient’s developmental and life stage
• Culture influences (values, beliefs and social factors)

Sources:

◼ Bowers, J. and Hatch, P., “The National Model for School Counseling Programs”,
2002 & 2003
◼ Connecticut School Counselor Association, “Connecticut Comprehensive School
Counseling Program”, 2000
◼ American Psychologist, “Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology”, Vol. 61, No. 4,
271-285, may-June 2006