Guidance and Counselling

Posted by John Elina; TEKU/BEDCP/101496

Four Components of Comprehensive Guidance and Counselling

A comprehensive guidance and counselling program includes four components. These components encompass services and programs ranging from school-wide developmental programs and services (primary prevention) to individual interventions, which include counselling, team consultation, and referral to specialized student services and community resources (secondary and tertiary prevention).
The four components are:

1. Counselling
   
   Counselling assistance supports and facilitates all students in developing and managing their individual personal/social, educational, and career goals and plans. The activities in this component include referrals, peer helping programs and individual, small group, crisis, and career counselling.
   
   

2. Prevention
   
   A comprehensive guidance and counselling program includes early intervention and responding to students who are experiencing immediate on-going problems, concerns, or crises which interfere with their learning. This component includes activities such as providing information, individual and small group counselling and guidance, consulting with staff and parents, and referral to other specialists or services. Primary, secondary, tertiary prevention plans and programs individual assessments, co-ordinated student support team activities, student advocacy, and transitional planning are also included in prevention work.
   
   

3. Developmental Guidance Education
   
   Developmental guidance education programming focuses on competencies which all students should develop in order to achieve personal success and fulfillment, and to make a contribution to society. The content of developmental guidance programming includes expected student learning outcomes in three areas: personal/social development, educational development, and career development. This content is normally delivered through classroom teaching/learning units, group guidance methods, courses for credit (e.g., School-initiated Courses and Student-initiated Projects), and school-wide programs and projects.
   
   Additionally, the activities in this component include integrated, developmental student learning outcomes, classroom-based guidance instruction and assessment, professional resources, post-secondary education and career resource materials and programs.
   
   In Manitoba, at the present time, curriculum connections between compulsory curricula (kindergarten to grade 12) and the guidance and counselling program are located at Manitoba Sourcebook Curriculum Connections.
   
   Examples of activities used to develop guidance-related competencies also include whole-school programs such as participation in the Career Symposia, Canada Career Week, Manitoba Addictions Awareness Week, mentorships programs, peer helper programs, and conflict mediator programs.
   
   

4. Consultation, Planning and Coordination
   
   This component involves the administrative and management activities necessary to support the guidance and counselling program, as well as activities or services provided by school counsellors to support other guidance and educational programs of the school. This component includes consultation and collaboration with parents and community agencies and other support services, staff development, research, budgeting, community relations, and program evaluation.
   
   Also included are activities related to program management and operations, data-informed decision-making, advocacy for guidance-related classroom-based learning outcomes, needs assessments, time allotments and caseload management, calendar of activities and school-based planning.