Counseling can play a significant role in giving students access to critical knowledge and perspectives that they wouldn’t normally be able to obtain.

Therefore, every meeting with the school counselor should aim to support students in thriving, identifying their talents, and fostering better interpersonal relationships.

That said, regardless of their level of experience, you want students to ultimately succeed as a result of your school counseling program.

However, with your massive caseload and all of the other duties that come with the position and your school, investing time in developing a curriculum that is aligned with ASCA requirements may be daunting.

Nevertheless, it’s certainly worth the time and effort if you know the benefits.

This post dives into six essential ways ASCA mindsets can benefit students in counseling programs at any school.

But first…

What Are The ASCA Mindsets?

It is crucial that you first understand what the ASCA National Model (Fourth Edition) truly means.

The ASCA Student Standards for Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success consist of six mindset standards and thirty conduct standards. They provide direction to school counselors on how to support students’ success in their academic, professional, and social-emotional growth.

What kinds of attitudes and actions does ASCA think students should cultivate?

Six ASCA mindsets and behaviors describe a student’s ideas and attitudes toward themselves concerning academic learning. The ASCA contains 30 behavior criteria to assist students in learning. It is further separated into three categories:

• Academic
• Professional
• Social/Emotional Growth

What does that mean for designing a school counseling program, and in what ways does this model impact student outcomes?

Continue reading to find out.

How ASCA Mindsets Influence School Counseling

1. Improved academic performance

A startling range of ways that ASCA-compliant counseling can help pupils in the classroom are listed below:

• Ability to maintain focus while performing learning tasks.
• Ease of enduring difficult academic assignments.
• No trouble remembering educational material and finishing assignment.
• Faster processing of problems.
• Higher results on standardized achievement tests.
• Better final course grades.
• Lower absences from school are caused by illness and fear of the education system.
• Absence of trouble forming and/or sustaining friendships.
• More zeal for sports and other physical activities.
• More likely to adhere to school policies and procedures, which can lead to expulsion or suspension.
• Stronger course credits over time.
• A higher percentage of high school graduates.
• No trouble with obtaining technical education certifications and the General Equivalency Degree (GED).
• Facing fewer challenges to complete schoolwork after secondary education.

2. Improvement in mental health

A new 10-year study released by the CDC provides ample evidence for anyone who is still doubtful about the frequency of mental health issues among kids. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2011–2021, prior years have shown that students’ mental health has gotten worse.

Over 40% of high schoolers reported feeling so depressed or lost that they were unable to participate in their normal activities for a minimum of two weeks in the year before. This could be a sign that they were experiencing depressive symptoms.

By assisting in the identification of mental health risk factors and offering counseling, ASCI can enhance its students’ overall functioning, particularly their mental health.

3. Provide culturally appropriate guidance

Another significant factor in fostering confidence and comfort in the counseling relationship is a counselor’s understanding of and acceptance of patients’ varied origins and points of view. Culturally competent school mental health caregivers are more able to recognize and value the distinctive experiences of their kids.

However, better results may result from their counseling strategy being tailored to the cultural norms of each kid. Additionally, they are prepared to support pupils’ cultural pride, which boosts self-worth and academic achievement.

These professionals foster systemic change via growth, self-awareness, humility, understanding of different opinions and cultural identities, and culturally sustainable counseling approaches.

4. Ensure early preventive steps to distress signals

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), certain people—especially kids and teenagers—may have symptoms associated with stress for weeks or even months at a time, which can negatively impact their relationships with relatives and close friends.

To facilitate kids’ healing from stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues, school counselors need to be able to spot the warning signals, and the ASCA offers a wealth of resources to aid with this.

5. Foster a safe and confidential space

Establishing a friendly, accepting, and nonjudgmental space is crucial for counseling sessions.

Students benefit from knowing they may voice whatever they want without worrying about criticism or retaliation. Such a psychologically safe setting allows people to feel comfortable taking chances, making errors, and asking for assistance or support. It also enables them to recognize the talents they are lacking and would like to develop.

Confidentiality is another essential component of this secure counseling setting. The ASCA states that the school counselor’s duties include “establishing an environment of trust and confidence and respecting the right to privacy of those with whom they enter a counseling relationship.”

Conclusion

The ASCA can be a key cornerstone of your school counseling program if you give it a chance by effectively applying its mindsets and standards. Sure, this requires some work, patience, and counseling expertise. Hopefully, the five beneficial ways it can transform your school counseling have helped you to see it’s worth the effort.