GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING OFFICE

Rationale:

The function of Guidance and Counseling Services is to ensure that each student receives services necessary to assist him/her in making sound personal/social, educational and career decisions.

Vision:

Inspired by the School’s vision, the Guidance and Counseling Services, as part of Student Services Department, envisions itself as a community of servers in the school, Church and society; to dialogue in life with other believers, and committed to justice, peace, love and care for creation.

Mission:

The SFC’s Guidance and Counseling Services believes that the student is the most important person in the school.  Guidance and Counseling Services is dedicated to provide a sound program of guidance and counseling that will fulfill the needs of each student and facilitate the individual's understanding of self and his/her environment of each individual child.  It also recognizes that all school personnel influence each student in a significant way.  The program is child-centered with a primary focus on individual and small group counseling; classroom guidance, interaction with teachers and parents regarding the affective needs of children; and the counselor serving as resource persons for referral to outside agencies.  The basis of the total Guidance and Counseling Program gives a sense of responsibility to all children through developmental experiences which allow for individual growth to occur.

Specific Objectives:

The guidance program for this school term will encompass the following broad goals that have been developed as results of an assessment of student needs.

1.      Students will develop appropriate learning skills, such as study habits, reading, test taking, writing, and speaking.

2.      Students will develop career awareness, knowledge, and skills that will enable them to make an adequate transition into their postsecondary pursuits.

3.      Students will develop leadership and human-relations skills that will enable them to manage themselves appropriately in their various environments.

4.      Students will be able to manage themselves in a manner that will promote physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

5.      Students will be able to make decisions commensurate with their knowledge of values, interests, and attitudes.

Guidance Services

            The Guidance and Counseling program is offering the following services to realize its specific objectives.

1.       Individual Inventory Service

Collecting, recording and utilizing information about the students are done through the accomplishment of the Cumulative Record, results of psychological tests and previous interviews. The data gathered can be used as basis for counseling.

2.       Information Service

Orientation and information are given to help the students get acquainted with their new school environment, the school staff, the demands of school life, and the nature and requirements of the course. Through the dissemination of pertinent information, particularly cumulative sheets as bases for counseling, assessment and research, they may broaden their learning experiences.

3.       Counseling Service

This is the heart of Guidance. It aims to assist the student to make a realistic appraisal of his interest, abilities and aptitudes as gathered from preliminary interviews and to arrive at an educational adjustment or solution to his problems.

Effective counseling makes a student adjust better in his school, home and community; thus he develops the maturity to view life objectively and gain a better insight into his own conduct so that he may solve his problem.

4.       Follow-Up Service

The progress of the underachievers and students with failing grades are followed up in terms of their absenteeism, low academic performance and poor study skills. Achievers or scholars are also followed up in terms of their academic progress and personal adjustment. This service hopes to help underachievers cope with strong pressures, temporary disappointments or frustrations. Serious cases of mental and physical problems are referred to the family.

5.       Research and Evaluation Service

This part of the program helps Guidance in identifying the services or activities that require attention to be strengthened or to be offered. Likewise, it facilitates evaluation of the unit progress and services.

Functions and Duties of the Guidance Counselor

The guidance counselor performs the following specific duties:

1.       Plans, implements and directs the guidance programs in coordination with the coordinator, Guidance Services.

2.       Disseminates information about the nature and functions of the guidance program of the department to the administration, faculty, student’s parents, and community.

3.       Endeavors to enhance close working relationship between the guidance office and the department heads/principals, faculty members, and other school personnel to help students make the necessary adjustments to school life.

4.       Maintains up-to-date information about the trends and new development in the world of works and in the different aspects of the community.

5.       Assesses and makes use of available material resources in the community to improve, develop, and enrich the guidance program.

6.       Maintains contact with human resources found in the community, such as experts in various fields of endeavor in order to facilitate referral of students in need of special program in the department.

7.       Evaluates the guidance program in terms of set criteria.

8.       Submits to the coordinator for guidance services an annual report on the student affairs of the guidance program in the departments.

9.       Exchanges professional and personal growth in guidance and counseling and in related fields through personal study membership in professional organization, and through participation in seminars, conventions, workshops, etc.

10.   Collects pertinent data and keeps individual cumulative records of the students in school in order to interpret their personal problems and guide them effectively.

11.   Provides counseling services to individual students as well as groups concerning their academic, social, vocational, and personal problems.

12.   Makes referral or provides for other specialized professional services if necessary.

13.   Performs other functions as assigned to him by the coordinator for guidance services program.

GUIDANCE ACTION PLAN

Individual Inventory Service